Core Library Leaders and Managers Interest Group

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Purpose: Organizes, moderates, and distributes summaries of virtual and face-to-face discussions on topics of interest to leaders and managers at all levels and types of libraries.

This interest group is part of Core's Leadership and Management Section.

Portraits of three Core members with caption Become a Member: Find Your Home: Core.

 

  • 1.  Benefits of offering remote or hybrid work schedules?

    Posted Mar 07, 2023 11:14 AM

    It seems like the wild west in academic libraries at the moment when it comes to in-person, hybrid, and fully remote positions.

    For those currently offering opportunities to work remotely, what have you seen as the benefits your employees enjoy with these options?



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    Erik Nordberg
    Dean of the Paul Meek Library
    University of Tennessee at Martin
    He/Him/His
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  • 2.  RE: Benefits of offering remote or hybrid work schedules?

    Posted Mar 07, 2023 11:59 AM

    Our folks have told us: Lack of commute (biggest benefit ever), sunny spaces to work (when they have an office without windows), quiet head down time (when they work in a noisier space).

     

    Those who were less excited by remote options like to separate their work from home, or their home is less conducive to working (e.g., they have roommates, they have no good place to work).

     

    I did do a study of our folks in the spring of 2021 that gave us all kinds of info, such as how much our users like virtual consultations rather than having to traipse all the way across campus (��), the major benefits of offering some GIS and Data software services that could be used remotely (prior to this a user had to come to the GIS and Data Lab).

     

    We now even have some staff in our technology directorate who are fully remote, and live in other states.

     

    Best,

    Lisa

     

     

    -- 

    Lisa R. Horowitz (LEE-sah HORR-oh-witz)

    MIT Libraries • 14S-214 • Program Head, Liaison and Information Services

    lisah@mit.edu • @lisahmit • (pronouns: she/her/hers) 

     

    I work flexibly. I'm sending this email now because it suits how I balance my working hours, but I don't expect that you will read, respond to, or take any action on this email outside of the hours that work for you.

     




    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Benefits of offering remote or hybrid work schedules?

    Posted Mar 12, 2023 07:23 AM
    Flexibility based on individuals' needs has been the key benefit I've observed. The flexibility to decide on one's start/end time each day (which can be true for onsite work as well), to incorporate life into the work day (exercising, doctor's appointments, chores, etc), and as Lisa said the ability to do deep or focus work with perhaps albeit different interruptions than when working onsite.

    As a leader, I find managing a hybrid workforce more challenging than when we were all remote or in the before times when we were all onsite. However, the personal benefits I've experienced and those communicated to me by my team push me to evolve my leadership practices to best support them.

    Lori Birrell
    Director of Special Collections and Museums
    University of Delaware





    Original Message