Integrating the new librarian into your library

Information Outlook, Feb, 2006 by Debbie Schachter

When you post a job opening for a librarian with your library, you have probably already decided what level of experience/expertise you require for this position. The unique attributes of each candidate who applies for a position you post, whether those be in respect to the professional, education, or personal realm, give you the opportunity to consider candidates for reasons that extend beyond their match to the posted requirements. This is true for new librarians, who by definition have no professional librarian experience, but many other skills or work experiences they can draw upon.

Today, we should all be aware that it may be equally difficult for the new graduate as well as those with many years of experience to find a permanent position, or indeed any position, in some markets. So you may find quite an avalanche of applicants for any professional position you post, regardless of the years of experience you seek. If your position is one best suited to a new graduate, you will generally be clear about that in your expectations as far as years of experience and particular skills or abilities, and these requirements will probably match the compensation level you are offering.

Why would you decide to hire a new graduate/new librarian to fill this role? It's probably because the position is an entry-level professional position, a position that is ideal for someone with the current and cutting-edge library school training that the new graduate will have, in addition to being a learning position. It may also be your philosophy to support new graduates within your organization, or the simple fact that you have the opportunity to create a new entry position with a salary appropriate to that level. Regardless of why you have determined that you need a new librarian for this position, there is specific work that you must do to ensure the effective integration of the new graduate into your library and, in effect, into the workforce.

As we all know, new librarians have a wide range of skills and unique backgrounds. Many will have come to librarianship with a wealth of experience, either personal or professional, from a variety of backgrounds. New graduates may either have very little library work experience, or in any workplace, having been at school continuously from high school graduation. On the other hand, many library school students are entering library school as a second career, or after a number of years specifically in library settings, only not as a librarian. In any case, the new graduate will have a unique background to bring to your library environment.

Individual librarians' expectations as to their new position will differ, most notably based on whether they are beginning their first professional position, or whether they are entering the workforce for the first time. You will have to be aware of and prepared for the amount of support you must provide, to assist not only in integrating a new employee into your organization, but also in assisting the new graduate with the experience of entering the professional work world.

The orientation process is the most important factor in the successful integration of the new librarian. This process involves several key components and, depending on the type of position, may take some time to complete. Some of the components to this include

* Culture integration

* Expectations for the position

* Feedback

* Ongoing mentorship

Integration

One of the major components of integrating the new librarian into your library is to familiarize the new librarian with the organizational culture of your workplace. This part of the orientation is actually equally important for the new graduate as for those who have experience in the work world. At the same time, the other library staff members will need to perceive that the new librarian is becoming aware of and begins to adapt to the library culture. Your assistance in helping the new librarian to understand "how things work around here" is as important as an early success factor as is their understanding of what the responsibilities of the position is. Expectations are explicit for the type and amount of work that is accomplished by each staff member, but often the implicit culture of how staff members interact, whether your library is a family oriented organization, entrepreneurial, or hierarchical, is not always clear to the new employee. Especially the new librarian who has little workplace experiences to draw upon, it is important to help them to succeed with other staff members by helping them to understand the culture.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Expectations

As the library manager you need to be thoroughly clear as to your expectations for the position. This begins even before you post and hire, when you are deciding what responsibilities the new staff member will have. Only then do you post for an appropriate person to fill this position. Once you have hired the new librarian, you need to be very specific about the actual work and related expectations. New librarians need to understand the milestones for projects and for their learning process, and the support they will receive to achieve their goals.