Managing a Health Sciences Library

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Managing a Health Sciences Library

• Dean Giustini Greg Rowell UBC School of
  Library, Archival and Information Studies (SLAIS)
  LIBR538f Library and Information Services in
  the Health Sciences
• March 29th, 2005

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Skills of a library manager

• Delegate
• Control and Measure
• Organize
• Knowledge
• Communication

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Communication

• Delegating
• Educating
• Investigating
• LISTENING

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Assertive - not aggressive

• Dont dilute
• Be clear and concise
• Use fewer words
• Be positive, friendly and warm
• Pay attention
• Life in the Workplace. Available from
  http//messageboards.ivillage.co.uk/iv-ukwkwo
  rklife

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Some causes of conflict

• Misunderstandings
• Clashes of personality
• Competition for resources
• Authority issues
• Lack of cooperation
• Differences over methods or style
• Poor work performance
• Value or goal differences

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Destructive value

• Conflict is destructive if it
• Diverts energy from important issues/goals
• Deepens differences in values
• Polarizes groups so cooperation is reduced
• Destroys morale
• Damages relationships
• Reinforces poor self-concepts

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Constructive value

• Conflict is constructive if it
• Opens up lines of communication
• Gets conflict out in the open
• Can build team - cohesion among staff
• Causes reassessment by allowing for examination
  of procedures, policies, behaviours, actions
• Increases individual involvement
• Improves services

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How do you handle conflict?
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Whats your resolution style?

• Avoidance c a
• Accommodate C a
• Competitive c A
• Compromise C A
• Collaborate C A
• c minimal cooperation a minimal
  assertiveness
• Cmaximum cooperation Amaximum
  assertiveness
• What are the implications of each style in the
  library working environment?

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Steps for resolution

• Sit down and talk
• Obtain commitment from both parties to find a
  resolution that is mutually beneficial
• Be respectful
• Develop trust frame of mind that there is more
  than one way to look at the issues
• Believe that a solution exists
• Make commitment to stay in the communication
  process

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How to get to win/win

• Determine what you mean by win/win
• Identify key issues and concerns
• Gain participation from everyone involved in the
  conflict.
• State the reason to work on a solution.
• Have each party see the problem/situation from
  the other point of view.
• State what you want. Repeat what you hear.
• Keep working at it

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Unique Aspects of HSL Leaders

• Support research, education and patient care
• Political survivors
• Knowledge of what goes on outside hospital
• Early adopters of new information technology

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Challenges/Obstacles

• Developing new leaders
• Fostering a new model of rewarding achievement
• Alternative career paths
• Recruitment
• Best leadership practices

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Total Quality Management

• a system of continuous improvement employing
  participative management and centered on the
  needs of the customerKey components
• Employee involvement and training
• Problem solving teams
• Statistical methods ? BENCHMARKING
• Fischer WW. Total quality management (TQM)
  in a hospital library identifying service
  benchmarks. Bull Med Libr Assoc. 1992
  Oct80(4)347-52.

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Benchmarking

• Learn from the practices and methods of others ?
  define best practices ?compare to your current
  practices
• Goal identify opportunities for doing things
  differently (TQM)
• CHLA/ABSC Benchmarking Tool Kit
• Agree on what to measure and how to measure it
• Profiles, variables, indicators

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Accreditation Standards

• Accreditation
• Process organizations use to evaluate services
• Provides recognition that an organizations
  services meet national standards of quality
• Canadian Council on Health Services Accreditation
  (CCHSA)
• Achieving Improved Measure (AIM) concepts
• Dimensions of quality, population health,
  indicators

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Accreditation

• CCHSA Areas assessed
• Leadership and partnership, Environment, Human
  resources, Information Management
• CHLA Standards for Library and Information
  Services in Canadian Healthcare Facilities 1995
• Planning and devo, org and admin, resource
  management, information service provision

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References

• Christopher C. Empowering your library a guide
  to improving services, productivity and
  participation. Chicago American Library
  Association, 2003.
• Conflict resolution. Peace. 1999 January 15(1).
  Available from http//www.peacemagazine.org/archi
  ve/v15n1p16.htm
• Holst, R. The Medical Library Associations Guide
  to managing health care libraries. New York
  Neal-Schuman, 2000.
• Isaacs W. Dialogue and the art of thinking
  together. New York Doubleday, 2000.
• Northern Exposure to Leadership. Conflict
  resolution seminar. Available from
  http//www.ls.ualberta.ca/neli/
• Organizational Development Learning. Conflict
  resolution I introduction to win/win. UBC MOST
  program. Available from http//www.hr.ubc.ca/odl/
  most/
• Stone D,  Patton B, Heen S. Difficult
  conversations how to discuss what matters most.
  New York Viking/Penguin, 2000.