UWS Library Skills Audit

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UWS Library Skills Audit

• CAUL Hot Topic
• 8 September 2003

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Background

• UWS amalgamation of 3 autonomous members, 2001
• Perceived challenge of bringing 3 into 1
• Reality of 140 staff, spread across 7 geographic
  locations across geographic area of 9,000 km2
• Loss of expertise across library throughout 2000
  period leading to amalgamation

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Library Strategic Planning 2001

• Key Result Area Infrastructure
• Goal To provide appropriate infrastructure
  and support systems underpinning the successful
  delivery of library and information services
• Critical success factors
• Appropriately skilled and motivated staff
• - Adequate physical facilities,
• - Robust and reliable technological
  infrastructure
• - etc

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Library Strategic Planning
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Operational Planning

• Operational planning draws on goals and
  objectives as articulated in Strategic Plan
• Operational planning responsibility vested in
  Planning and Strategy Team (PST), comprised of 5
  cross-sectional senior staff (HEW 9)
• PST work underpinned by 2 day whole of library
  hands on workshop (2002)

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Operational Planning
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Whats happening elsewhere?

• Literature review, early 2002 reveals little of a
  broad nature, with focus tending towards I.T.
  skills and small specialist packages
• Discussion with colleagues indicated much staff
  development activity reactive to individually
  expressed need in particular areas
• ALIA Competency Standards, whilst useful,
  considered too general to current institutional
  need.

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What did we need?

• Clear information across all areas of library
  operation on actual skills and shortcomings in
  those areas essential to do the job
• Consistency of approach and practice across all 7
  libraries particularly in Client Services
  areas
• Equally skilled staff providing equally high
  levels of service regardless of location.

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What had been done

• I.T. Skills Audit problematic, with lessons
  learned, however useful basis for current work
• Resources Management (Tech Services) had
  developed core competencies listing
• Considerable procedural documentation developed,
  however across Client Services widespread and
  varying past practice remained.

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Skills checklist

• Developed with great difficulty PST struggled
  with differentiation between task and skill.
  Needed to move from becoming bogged down in
  detail
• Checklist developed, moving down from Skill,
  defining Tasks required to claim Skill
• Cumulative Task/s Skill

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Checklist example

• Ability to supervise staff
• Understand role of supervisor, formulate
  objectives, make action plans and assign tasks
• Understand motivation and effective learning
• Set standards and evaluate staff performance
• Recognise training needs and organize on the job
  training as appropriate
• Apply techniques for communicating, managing
  conflict and providing guidance

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Skills categories

• General communication, training and management
  skills
• General I.T. skills
• Skills specific to areas
• Resources Management (incl Doc Del)
• Lending Services
• Information Services (incl Info Literacy)
• Specialist I.T.

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Response options

• Skill
• Essential to current position
• Competent
• Refresher training requested
• New area training required
• Possess but do not use
• Not applicable to current position

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Definitions

• Essential - This skill is an essential
  requirement of your current job
• Competent - You meet all checklist entries
  for the particular skill
• Refresher training required - You meet most
  or all checklist entries for the particular skill
  and request refresher training
• New area training required - You meet none
  of the checklist entries for the particular skill
  and require initial training
• Possess but do not currently use - You possess
  the particular skill but it is not essential to
  your current position
• N/A - This skill is not applicable to your
  current position

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• Pilot questionnaire with 10 staff from cross
  representational areas and HEW levels
  administered
• Overview of survey, together with very detailed
  Checklist and verbal instructions provided
• Pilot participants encouraged to provide
  feedback. All feedback extremely useful,
  resulting in re-ordering, re-wording etc.
• 2 hour exercise . . . . . (130 questions)

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Survey administration and response

• All staff encouraged to complete questionnaire
• Responses not anonymous outcomes available to
  supervisor, PST members and respondent
• Initial concerns that responses might be linked
  to Performance Appraisal addressed
• 100 response rate!

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Summary of Responses
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(No Transcript)
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Initial outcomes

• 1 staff member does not need to identify and set
  work priorities!
• 4 staff do not need to know the difference
  between the internet and the intranet!
• 5 staff do not need to know how to send and
  receive email!
• 6 staff do not need to know how to effectively
  communicate with other staff/units!

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Initial outcomes

• General
• Lead team/supervise staff (n32) 24 request
  new/refresher training
• Monitor expenditure (n31) 55
• Train and develop staff (n44) 23
• Public speaking presentation (n66) 35
• Produce promotional material (n38) 21
• Mentoring skills (n58) 27
• Negotiation skills (n90) 32
• Stress management skills (n101) 20

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Initial outcomes (contd)

• General I.T. Skills
• Edit information in documents (n120) 31
• Undertake basic printer maintenance (n115) 27
• Produce documents using MS applications
  (n73) 47
• Undertake virus check as required (n103) 29
• Maintain files on local networked drives
  (n106) 29
• Advanced browser knowledge (n66) 89Use
  shared email boxes (n101) 26
• Manage email (n120) 27
• Use scanning equipment .. (n63) 41

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Initial outcomes (contd)

• Resources Management (incl Doc Del)
• Pre order bibliographic checking (n52) 40
• Copy cataloguing non serial hardcopy (n31) 32
• Use of Kinetica Web (n42) 47
• Processing Kinetica DD mail (n30) 57
• Processing DD requests from UWS patrons
  (n31) 81
• Patron registration for DD (n38) 71

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Initial outcomes (contd)

• Information Services
• Provide access to appropriate info resources
  (n85) 30
• Prepare and present I.L. sessions (n45) 20
• Promotion of library services and resources
  (n53) 30
• Respond to Off Campus Access queries
  (n91) 20
• Respond to database access queries (n85) 42

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Initial outcomes (contd)

• Lending Services
• Run lists/reports from ILMS/Access (n66) 30
• Process e-items for reserve (n36) 69
• Process hard copy items for reserve (n39) 41
• 3 day loan processing (n40) 41
• Processing DD requests at campus level
  (n53) 41
• Use Ariel to receive despatch DD requests
  (n50) 22

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Conclusions (tentative!)

• Too many staff lack clarity on their particular
  position responsibilities, OR, Pre-test group was
  not representative!
• Majority of staff competent in areas of
  responsibility, with refresher training requests
  predominating
• Much talent currently under-utilised (possess
  but do not use)
• Detailed granular analysis will yield rich data
  for staff development and training purposes

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Questions?
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Thank You!With acknowledgement of the
contribution of UWS Library Planning and Strategy
Team