Recruit, retain, lead: the Public Library Workforce Study

Citation

Hendry, J.D. (2002), "Recruit, retain, lead: the Public Library Workforce Study", Library Review, Vol. 51 No. 8, pp. 424-424. https://doi.org/10.1108/lr.2002.51.8.424.2

Any effective workforce does not rely only on one characteristic for its success. Does the public library, which traditionally has a strong ethos of public service, have the necessary traits inherent in its character to be effective in delivering public services at the beginning of the twenty first century? This study attempts to answer this question.

Its aim was to help the public library service recruit, retain, support and develop a workforce for both current and future needs of this service. In order to do so, it attempts to increase the amount and quality of information available to library managers and educators. This in turn is intended to lead to more effective decision making. The research was concerned with: employers’ needs and the curriculum; career choice; recruitment and selection; retention of professional staff; training and development; career aspirations and opportunities; and leadership and succession planning.

The data from this research, including that obtained from other employment sectors, suggests that an effective workforce does not depend on any one factor in isolation. The development of staff will not be achieved without the development of managers at every level. Public library services will not only have to identify and cultivate their future leaders, they will also need to change and adapt the organisational culture in which they operate. Individual librarians, individual library services, and individual library authorities will need to look well beyond what is sufficient for themselves.

How did this profession and this public service come to such a sorry pass? That is the subject for another research project! But we must act now – and with both energy and urgency – to adopt policies and practices that get us out of this negative set of circumstances that we find ourselves in.

If much of this sounds negative, what follows is downright bleak. In recruitment, “the overall picture … was that the negative image of the profession, and the downbeat representation of the public library … were all too real”. The report goes on:

There was some dissatisfaction shown during the study about the quality of the students DLIS were recruiting to the courses.

This may be rather diplomatic language. But don’t blame the library schools. This is rather like shooting the messenger of bad news. The blame lies elsewhere. Listen to the report again, on students on work experience in public libraries.

[Some] found it a soul‐destroying experience. One that could turn a potentially valuable future recruit off the whole idea of working in a public library.

In retention:

Many recent graduates also expressed dissatisfaction with the quality of the induction programmes they received in their first work place.

In leadership:

The question as to how to find the public library leaders for tomorrow was raised throughout the study.

It certainly was. For these were the findings:

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  Lack of leadership.

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  No idea how and from where a new generation of leaders might be identified.

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  Succession planning and career development were important.

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  Relatively few authorities had begun to address such matters.

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  This compared badly with other high profile public and private sector organisations.

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  In these organisations, recruitment, identification and development of high calibre graduates is an intrinsic part of the framework for succession planning and a crucial investment in the future (my italics).

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  Public library respondents … did not think that fast tracking schemes, or a staff college, were applicable to the public sector.

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  Almost half of those questioned doubted that graduate schemes were applicable.

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  Only a handful of authorities are operating such a scheme.

My own observation is that with such blinkered thinking and a lack of vision that sinks to narrow mindedness, no wonder this profession is in the state it is.

The report concludes with a series of recommendations. These are practical and informed by the research. But, these are academic recommendations from an academic research report. Polite, well marshalled and informed. But if we are going to save this public library profession and the services it provides, where are the passion, the frustration, the anger and the urgency to see a special public service, devoted to self‐education and life‐long learning? Indeed, devoted to these causes a century or more before they become politically fashionable. And where is the astuteness to operate in the political domain?

In the short term we are not going to attract quality people – natural and future leaders – into the public library service because they are attracted by the money. Yet we do have ideals and a sense of belief and purpose that goes beyond money and reflects an altruism that we should be proud of. It is time we re‐discussed and recommitted to the ideals of educational opportunity for all. And very clearly focused learning for life and throughout life. It is also well overdue for the Library Association and the information scientists to devote a great deal more of their resources, energy and imagination to rescuing the public library movement in this country. If these libraries are ever to get on to a fast track again in terms of public service delivery, then they need to become the priority for our own new professional body. Otherwise, I fear that this still remarkable public service will indeed find itself on the road to nowhere[1].

Note

1. 1.

   See Hendry, J.D. (1996), “Fast track on the road to nowhere”, Library Association Record, Vol. 98 No. 7, pp. 356‐7.