©2003 Whitmell & Associates Succession Planning Strategies for Law Libraries Presented at the 2003 CALL Conference Yasmin Khan Canada. Dept. of Justice

©2003 Whitmell & Associates

Succession Planning Strategies for Law Libraries

Presented at the 2003 CALL Conference

Yasmin KhanCanada. Dept. of Justice

Vicki WhitmellWhitmell & Associates


Succession Planning

• For all types and sizes of libraries

• Important for individuals, libraries, the profession


Presentation

• Current hiring practices: do they still work?

• Demographic challenges

• Boomers v. Gen X


Presentation

• Succession Planning for your Library (Start Small, Think Big)– Where is your library going?– What skills do you have now/what will you

need– Development of strategies and recruiting– Taking responsibility


How We Hire Now

• Little planning

• Waiting game

• Why a competitive hiring situation in the offing


Demographic Challenges

• Impact of the Baby Boom generation

• 25% of Canadians 38 to 56 years of age

• Average age of retirement in public sector is 58

• Librarians are older and aging at a faster rate (ARL)


Demographic Challenges

• Up to 48% of librarians to retire by 2010

• Impact of cost cutting, elimination of middle-management

• Library school enrollment static with graduates choosing other careers


Special Challenges

• Image of the profession/library sectors

• Specialized qualifications (children’s, cataloguers, bilingual)

• Smaller/rural locations


Older workers

• Interests and goals shift

• Need to provide flexibility/incentives

• Stereotypes (less productive, resistance to change, unwilling to learn, sick, accident-prone)

• But…reliable, honest, trustworthy, loyal, commited


Strategizing: Start Big or Small

• Step One:– Where is your library going?– Do you have a formal/informal strategy in

place?


Start Big or Small

• Step Two:– What are the skills you need to meet your

vision of the future?


Needed Skills

• Competency Profiles– Useful in identifying needed knowledge, skills,

attitudes, work behaviours– Soft skills (fiscal management, interpersonal

skills, time-management, innovation) v. hard skills (technical)


Competency Profiles

– Association profiles: AALL, SLA, Cultural Human Resources Council

– Do these make sense for younger workers?


Start Big or Small

• Step Three:– Set plans in place to find the skills you need– Focus on developing new skills, flexibility– Won’t groom for one position in the future


Strategies

• Step Three:– Reward those who mentor, train, support– Provide project opportunities– Fund and support training, learning, education– Capture the knowledge you have now

• Manuals, emails, COP


Strategies

• Step Three– Identify key people– Broaden job descriptions – Increase Salaries/Incentives– Loosen Reporting structures– Use evaluations as a tool– Be aware of the hiring environment


Recruitment Strategies

• Step Three – Promote your library as a good place to work

(website)– Participate in job fairs– Identify and seek out possible hires– Connect lawyers to the profession– Keep in touch with alumni– Create good experiences for students


Strategies

• Step Three – Job rotations/Experiences in different types of

libraries– Mentoring program– Individual career plans– Communication is key (up and down)– Become an ‘employer of choice’


Change your Organization

• Reduce hierarchies

• Focus on coaching

• Broaden duties and responsibilities

• Reduce dead end jobs

• Shorten hiring process

• Hire those who are different

• Create a challenging environment


Impediments

• Time

• Cutbacks/downsizing

• Imagining anything different

• Contract hiring

• Lack of funding to plan

• Individual library challenges

• Location, funding, salaries, reputation


Benefits

• Trained/interested people when needed

• Better retention

• Better morale

• Development of groups/teams

• Learn from each other


Who’s Responsible?

• Responsibility lies in libraries, in individuals, in the profession

• Individuals:– Take responsibility for own career

development, take advantage of opportunities, take on interesting assignments


We’re Responsible

• Each of us: – Take responsibility for getting young people

into the profession– Make sure our libraries listen, mentor, provide

feedback and training, know where they are going and how to get there


How to Be Responsible

• Managers– Look beyond day-to-day concerns

• Libraries– Recreate themselves– Reduce divisions, create opportunities, listen,

respond, follow-through


Responsibility of Associations

• Library associations: responsibility for overall growth of profession, recruitment programs, training, flatten structures, help members to get involved, develop commitment develop workshops and events that interest young people, create student chapters


Effective Plans

• Big Picture Activity

• Start Small=Big Results

• Include everyone

Documents

©2003 Whitmell & Associates Succession Planning Strategies for Law Libraries Presented at the 2003 CALL Conference Yasmin Khan Canada. Dept. of Justice