Lisa Kallman Hopkins and Bridgit McCafferty, "Innovative Library Workplaces: Transformative Human Resource Strategies" (ACRL, 2025)
Mar 2, 2025
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Lisa Kallman Hopkins is the associate librarian at A&M-Central Texas, focusing on technical services, while Bridgit McCafferty has led the university's library for twelve years. They discuss the evolving landscape of libraries post-pandemic, emphasizing balanced autonomy and collaboration in workplaces. Topics include the need for inclusive hiring practices, the significance of fair compensation, and how positive workplace culture plays a vital role in attracting talent. They also highlight innovative strategies to foster employee engagement and adapt to changing work preferences.
The pandemic has permanently reshaped academic library workplaces, emphasizing the importance of employee well-being, work-life balance, and inclusive hiring practices.
Organizational trust is crucial in library management, requiring a balance between employee autonomy and collaboration to foster a supportive team culture.
Compensation strategies based on data and transparency are essential for improving job satisfaction, retention, and positioning libraries as desirable workplaces.
Deep dives
Reinventing Library Workplaces Post-Pandemic
The pandemic led to significant changes in academic libraries, prompting a reevaluation of workplace dynamics and employee well-being. There is now heightened awareness surrounding work-life balance, inclusive hiring, and wellness strategies, which have all become crucial focal points. Discussions among library professionals have highlighted the necessity of establishing supportive environments that promote both mental health and effective onboarding processes for new hires. Emphasis is being placed on adapting to the evolving expectations of employees who seek a more inclusive and just workplace.
Trust and Collaboration in Library Management
The concept of organizational trust is underscored as vital for successful library management in the post-pandemic environment. Employees are seeking autonomy in their roles while also expressing a desire for collaborative teamwork, creating a need for balance between the two. Managers are encouraged to adopt flexible practices that accommodate individual preferences while fostering an inclusive team culture that supports collaboration. These dynamics emphasize the need for library leaders to understand the importance of employee satisfaction in creating a productive workplace.
Adapting Remote Work Practices
The availability of remote and hybrid work arrangements in libraries has been a hot topic, particularly in light of recent surveys indicating that a majority of library staff enjoy the flexibility. However, attitudes towards remote work vary, with some employees preferring in-person engagement due to perceived effectiveness and collaboration challenges. It's essential for library administrators to recognize these differing perspectives and allow employees the freedom to choose their work environment. Making room for both in-office and remote work can help accommodate diverse preferences while enhancing overall productivity.
Revamping Hiring Practices for Librarians
The competitive job market has prompted libraries to reevaluate their hiring practices to attract and retain skilled talent. This involves shifting the perception of the interview process from one of giving a favor to prospective employees, to showcasing the library as a desirable workplace. Hiring stakeholders are encouraged to simplify application processes, provide clear job expectations, and ensure transparency throughout the hiring stage. By adopting more humane and efficient practices, libraries can position themselves as preferred employers in the field.
The Importance of Salary Transparency
Compensation remains a critical topic in library management, with salary studies identified as key tools for advocating better pay structures. Establishing compensation frameworks based on data can help justify salary requests to administration and ensure fair remuneration for all employees. Additionally, creating a transparent environment where staff can discuss salary ranges fosters trust and retention. By addressing compensation through a systematic approach, libraries can mitigate turnover and improve job satisfaction.
Good workplaces require both autonomy--giving employees a sense of ownership over how and where they work--and collaboration in pursuit of common goals. They see employees for who they are and support them, pay them enough money to live comfortably, and provide the resources, training, and support they need to be successful. Innovative Library Workplaces: Transformative Human Resource Strategies (2025, Association of College and Research Libraries) provides the tools you need to make your workplace a good one for your employees. Though this book took root during the pandemic, it is not of the pandemic: The changes wrought are permanent. Innovative Library Workplaces proposes a way forward after this monumental disruption, recognizing that neither the pandemic nor the work culture prior to it is a good model for what comes next.
Bridgit McCafferty is the Dean of the University Library & Archives at Texas A&M University-Central Texas and has led the library for twelve years. Prior to this, she oversaw reference and instruction services. She has taken on major administrative projects for her university, including recently chairing the SACSCOC Accreditation Reaffirmation Compliance Committee. She is the author of Library Management: A Practical Guide for Librarians and the coauthor of British Postmodernism: Strategies and Sources.
Lisa Kallman Hopkins is an associate librarian at A&M-Central Texas. She is the head of Technical Services and assistant dean of the University Library & Archives. In her role as head of Technical Services, she is directly responsible for systems, E-Resources, and agreements, and manages cataloging and acquisitions, interlibrary loan, e-reserves and textbook reserves. She is the university copyright specialist and copyeditor. In addition to Innovative Library Workplaces, she has submitted chapters to Transforming Acquisitions & Collection Services: Perspectives on Collaboration Within and Across Libraries and Technical Services: Adapting to the Changing Environment.
Dr. Michael LaMagna is the Information Literacy Program & Library Services Coordinator and Professor of Library Services at Delaware County Community College.