Retaliation is Possible

The Technical Services Program Review committee chair, Steady, said that she would write the final report summarizing our work. Her reason was: “I don’t want there to be retaliation against you.” I had not considered that possibility until that moment – since we are all professionals. She obviously perceives me as being in a vulnerable position since I don’t have tenure (and she does).

The report is honest but points to no one person as responsible for the issues in technical services. Someone must feel uncomfortable about the content but that is really beside the point. We were charged with honestly evaluating how Library is doing in this area and suggesting changes, actual actions that should be taken to improve the way we work so that we can better serve the University community. (Most of our conclusions are supported by a professional consultant that we hired to look at our processes.) It should not be considered personal and yet that is apparently possible. How very childish and petty…

Hold On There!

I took Bully-boy and Blondie’s proposal to the Program Review committee. The committee chair, Steady, was very disturbed by the inappropriate idea and expressed her anger to the department chair, Miserly. He agreed that is was not appropriate and spoke with Blondie and Bully-boy.

Blondie stormed into my office and yelled at me for getting her reprimanded. When I tried to explain to her that I took her proposal to the committee and not to Miserly. She called me a liar. She does not like being “called on the carpet”, which doesn’t really surprise me (who does?).

I do find it odd that she would advocate for Bully-boy and then take the heat for his arrogance. A-ha, maybe that is why she is so angry…

He can fix it!

No, I am not talking about Bob the Builder. I am talking about the “one time offer” – it will expire at midnight, so think carefully about rebuffing it – of Bully-boy to fix all the problems in the technical services area that have been revealed through the review process. Blondie conspiratorially mentioned that she and Bully-boy would be presenting the idea to department at the next meeting.

• Never mind that our committee had already put a great deal of time and effort into pinpointing the issues…
• Never mind that our committee has worked hard to draft and has begun implementing recommended changes…
• Never mind that we are in the midst of a process prescribed by the University and Library…

Staff I

As part of Program Review, I need to speak with each staff person and get sense of what they do, any concerns that they have about their work processes and hopefully get them to buy into the documenting of their workflows. Steady doesn’t believe that they will cooperate so my first question is “why not?”

What is up with the staff. Twitchy says they have withdrawn and no one knows why; it is a big mystery…
I have heard them say that they are afraid to complain about anything because something bad will happen. Like what, I wonder?

Technical Services

…is an area of Library that has not had the attention that it needs. Program Review is bringing to light a wide range of issues. The lack of leadership is big on the list of problems. No one is there to implement progress and those who are supposed to have information or expertise in areas of importance, e.g. the ILS, are not working with the staff to make positive changes.

The one person consistently mentioned as being not-helpful is Bully-boy. I am not sure if:

• He pretends to know stuff but doesn’t really.
• He knows stuff but he won’t share what he knows.
• He is not really responsible for knowing anything.
• Or he is too busy moving books (or maybe working on his degree) to be helpful?

Locked in the Basement

As part of Program review – a process that takes place every 5 years – I am on a committee looking at technical services in Library (1 area of 3). It is proving to be an education into the workings of Library and it is not a pretty picture. There are many angry people in basement, for instance. (Locked is just a metaphor, of course, or is it? There is the locked doors/key issue.) You can probably guess that that is where the majority of the staff work. I am getting the feeling that they feel so undervalued that they look at you with paranoid shock if you say something nice to them.

How very sad to spend so many hours a day in a place where you feel that oppression.