Staff development planning in an academic health sciences library

Abstract

Objective: A staff development committee (SDC) was convened to implement staff development opportunities for an academic health sciences library system comprised of three separate facilities. The charge for the SDC was to: (1) develop programs to enhance workplace skills and personal growth, (2) communicate the availability of existing programs at the university and medical center, and (3) encourage the staff to participate in these opportunities.

Program: The committee created goals and objectives and developed a survey designed to give staff the opportunity to provide input for this initiative. With an 80% response rate, the survey results were used to plan 15 events based on staff needs and preferences. First-year attendance for SDC-sponsored events was 459. Committee members served as liaisons for each event. Two forms were developed to facilitate event planning. A monthly announcement sheet, email reminders, and the library's local area network are used to communicate upcoming SDC events and encourage attendance.

Conclusion: This approach can serve as a useful model for similar program planning in any organization.

Staff development programming is viewed as a way to help improve communication in the workplace, provide personal enrichment, and develop camaraderie. This paper outlines the process implemented at the University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences Library System (HSLS) for establishing a staff development committee. The ideas presented can be adapted for a variety of workplace settings.

The Staff Development Committee (SDC) was convened to implement personal and career development opportunities for employees of the HSLS. The concept for the committee originated with library senior management, following a series of brown bag lunches, to which the dean of each health sciences school was invited to meet with HSLS staff. These sessions generated much interest and were attended by a cross section of staff. Library management was impressed by interest in these sessions and realized that staff would benefit by being offered educational and enrichment opportunities on a continuing basis.

Concurrent with the initial planning for the SDC, 3 libraries were merged to form the HSLS. It was anticipated that ongoing staff development programs and events would increase the opportunities for interaction among the staff of the three libraries. The newly created library system included 3 units: a main library serving the 6 schools of the health sciences and the academic medical center; a specialized psychiatric and behavioral sciences library, located across the street; and a library in an affiliated hospital, 2 miles from the main campus, with both clinical and consumer health collections. The HSLS employs 67.2 full-time equivalents (FTEs): 23.6 librarians or professionals, 36.5 paraprofessionals, and 7.1 student FTEs. The HSLS libraries are open 110 hours a week; thus, the days and hours assigned to staff vary a great deal.

Recognizing the value of offering programs to the entire staff, it seemed preferable to develop activities at the grass-roots level, rather than as a dictate of senior management. The new committee was formed with the following charge: (1) develop programs to enhance workplace skills and personal growth, (2) communicate the availability of existing programs at the university and medical center, and (3) encourage the staff to participate in these opportunities. For the purpose of these activities “staff” included all HSLS employees.

During the initial planning phase, the difference between staff development and workplace training was uncertain. A review of the literature provided background information and helped clarify goals and direction. A second literature review was performed in advance of preparing this paper. It was eventually decided the SDC would plan events and programs whose attendance would be strictly voluntary, while managers would be responsible for mandatory workshops and classes. In this way, the SDC members would not be put in the position of reporting attendance or sanctioning nonattendees, and all SCD events would be open to the entire staff.

The committee is comprised of faculty and paraprofessionals from a cross section of library departments. A liaison from the senior management team serves as an ex officio member, and two of the regular members serve as cochairpersons. Membership is voluntary with a one-third rotation every two years. Since its inception, all three libraries and nearly every department have been represented.

The logistics that evolved during the initial organization led to:

• using the library's local area network (LAN) to share committee documents

• rotating responsibility for recording the minutes

• planning and coordinating activities by means of a spreadsheet on the LAN

• communicating events with print announcements and with email

• tracking each event with a planning form and a checklist

In the early months, as goals and objectives were being established, the committee met weekly. During the event-planning process, biweekly meetings were scheduled. Once the committee was fully organized and functioning, monthly meetings became the standard.

As its first task, the committee established the following goals and objectives:

1. provide opportunities for HSLS staff to enhance workplace skills and personal growth

   • A. survey staff needs
   • B. prioritize survey results
   • C. determine costs
2. communicate the availability of staff development activities

   • A. disseminate information via email
   • B. distribute paper monthly calendar
   • C. investigate a staff Website
3. encourage HSLS staff to participate in staff development programs

   • A. explain program benefits to staff
   • B. have senior management promote staff participation

SURVEY

After SDC goals and objectives were established, the committee addressed the first goal by developing a survey to gather staff preferences about activities. Senior management and the committee wanted input from all staff to offer a wide selection of events. It was essential that scheduled activities have broad appeal to maximize attendance.

The high response rate (80%) for the first survey was attributed to several factors. Accompanying the survey was a cover memo from the director that described the new committee's purpose and lent credence to the importance of the task. Periodic email reminders encouraged survey participation, and a short time frame to complete the task did not allow it to languish on desks. Thank you notes were sent to staff after the survey was completed.

The survey for the initial year included questions to ascertain the staff's preference for receiving event information—email, campus mail, or posters in departments. It also posed questions about preferred training times, location (on or off campus), barriers (schedule conflicts, funding, transportation), format (brown bag, lecture, journal club, workshop, video), and content. Technology skill choices included software and desired course level (basic, advanced). The myriad database searching and software classes that the HSLS provided to patrons were also included in the survey to gauge staff interest in sessions designed especially for them. Time management, organizational ability, and diversity were among the interpersonal skill topic choices. In addition to workplace skills, the activities were meant to enrich staff personal growth. Survey choices in this area included finances, retirement, career planning, and university benefits. Social and recreational events were seen as a way to forge positive relationships among coworkers in the newly merged libraries. One survey question requested input about attending athletic or cultural events, playing various sports, and volunteering in community projects.

Open-ended questions were also part of the survey: suggestions for topics to be discussed during brown bag lunches, topics that the staff member felt comfortable leading a discussion in, and ideas from successful classes or former jobs that might work well in the HSLS. Staff were also asked to list and rank up to four skills they would like to develop to improve their job performance.

The second- and third-year surveys were shorter, focused more on programs of interest, and excluded questions concerning time and location. The questions were grouped according to work skills, personal development, or recreational activities. Ideas for session topics were again solicited, as was the call for volunteers to present programs.

Excel spreadsheet software was used to create the first two surveys and to compile the results. A paperless survey was used in year three, and staff were notified by email about its availability on the HSLS intranet. A computer program formulated by an SDC member automatically tabulated the responses into a database, eliminating the need for manual intervention to input and summarize the data.

Response rates decreased for the second and third years, 34% and 24%, respectively. Why did the rate drop from the initial 80% response rate? Perhaps after the first year, the committee and the survey were no longer a novelty. Staff might have thought the committee had enough input from the initial survey. Also, a cover memo from the director did not accompany the second and third surveys.

EVENTS

As the committee reviewed the survey results, several factors went into choosing the programs for the first year. Figures 1 and 2 provide a sampling of first-year survey results. Survey ranking was the first criterion, and the top two or three events in each category were selected. Program availability was the next criterion. To encourage family participation in the social events, cost to employees was carefully considered and, when possible, group discounts were obtained. Finally, the committee looked for a mix in the types of events. Social, community, family, and training events were scheduled throughout the year. Events were held on different days and at different times, so those who worked at the public service desks would have opportunities to attend. Activities that were popular or had considerable benefit for everyone were held more than once.

Figure 1.

Selected first-year survey results

Figure 2.

Selected first-year survey results

Because the SDC did not have a formal budget, the committee was encouraged to take advantage of existing university and medical center resources. The library administration provided bookstore gift certificates to outside speakers as well as light refreshments for the open house events.

The following provides an overview of activities for the first three years.

First-year accomplishments

The start-up phase of the SDC lasted about six months and initially required labor-intensive, weekly meetings. Administrative support was vital to these efforts, and the staff survey was an essential development tool.

Planning efforts culminated with the first event, “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” a major league baseball game attended by thirty-one staff members, family, and friends. The ambitious schedule of first-year events fell into four general categories: interpersonal skills, social or recreational activities, technology skills, and health sciences–knowledge building events. Sessions were presented in a variety of formats, most frequently as workshops, videos, hands-on training, and brown bag talks.

Interpersonal skills topics included learning essential management skills, coping with difficult people, and dealing with change. Social or recreational activities, in addition to the baseball game, included a travelogue about Poland, on-campus play, and flower planting as part of a local conservancy project. Three hands-on technology workshops were offered to provide email, PowerPoint, and Photoshop skills training. Health sciences information sessions presented staff with opportunities for learning about the medical education process, the medical center's computing initiatives, and human experimentation in the United States. The HSLS staff offered many of the presentations. First-year attendance statistics appear in Table 1.

Table 1 First-year attendance statistics

By far the most successful first-year program was a series of eight departmental open house events. The circulation, document delivery, history of medicine, reference, systems, and technical services departments; the Computer and Media Center; and the psychiatry library each hosted an open house. The goal of these events was twofold: to help forge positive relationships among coworkers and to help staff gain a better appreciation for each department's unique services and functions. The first open house, held in the Computer and Media Center, set the standard for all others, turning these monthly events into a friendly competition for the most creative way to spotlight the department. Light refreshments were provided by library administration.

Second-year accomplishments

Adhering to the strategy used in the first year, the staff development survey was revised and distributed. Again, results were compiled to plan programming for the second year, based on staff interest and identified training needs.

The construction of the SDC Website, the first component of the HSLS staff intranet initiative, was a major endeavor of this year. As a result, a paperless system was established for announcing events. Periodic email messages directed staff to this Website where activities were posted, and email reminders were sent prior to events.

The committee drew on the expertise of university speakers to present talks on a range of topics, including “Pharmacy from the Rainforest,” “Valuing Diversity,” and “A Medical Mission to Nigeria.” The number of travelogues increased, sending armchair travelers to Asia, Canada, and Great Britain. “Lunch at the Movies” was introduced using videos from the library collection. Several local theater events and a repeat flower planting for a local conservancy were among the SDC-sponsored programs during the second year.

Third-year accomplishments

Several unique events during the third year were “Librarians' Night with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra,” which included a concert and tour of the symphony library, and a “Name the Baby” contest. For the contest, staff participants provided their baby pictures, which were posted on an SDC-designed intranet site. The objective was to match each baby photo with the name of the correct staff member, resulting in much speculation and laughter. The contest culminated with a Valentine's Day party to reveal the babies' true identities and award prizes to the winners.

During year three, the staff raised money for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation by participating in Lee Denim Day and the Race for the Cure. Several staff members volunteered for another community event, the United Way Day of Caring.

EVENT PLANNING PROCESS

For every staff development event, one committee member serves as liaison. To facilitate event planning, two brief forms—the program planning and event evaluation form and the checklist of responsibilities for event liaisons—have been developed for use by liaisons. The program planning and event evaluation form (Appendix A) is used to keep track of all components of an event—title, description, time, length, location, necessary equipment, and format (e.g., video, speaker, etc.)—as well as the presenter's contact information. This form also contains space to record evaluations, attendance, audience feedback, and the committee's recommendations about repeating the program. The checklist of responsibilities for event liaisons (Appendix B) lists tasks to be carried out before, during, and after each event. Examples include scheduling rooms and equipment, advertising, serving as host or hostess, introducing the program, and performing courtesies, such as sending a thank you note to the speaker.

Using forms to plan staff development activities has several advantages. Use of the forms keeps the organizational details of each event on track. They are particularly useful to committee members who may lack experience in event planning. These forms are easy to use and take only minutes to complete but can save hours of time and energy on the day of the event. For example, in the case of a liaison's unplanned absence, other committee members have access to pertinent information to carry on the program with ease. The forms help to provide a smooth transition for new committee members by clarifying their liaison responsibilities and delineating the multiple steps involved in planning a successful program. Statistics derived from the forms are easily compiled for the library annual report. For busy committee members, forms assure that essential tasks are not overlooked and provide an equitable task load for each liaison. The use of forms has become an established part of the culture of the HSLS Staff Development Committee, allowing liaisons to manage all aspects of coordinating events.

The development of a useful form takes careful thought and consideration. The SDC forms were initially created by recording each step in the event planning process, then refining and combining these steps into specific tasks. The sample forms can serve as models, using appropriate adjustments to fit the needs of other institutions.

EVENT EVALUATION

By evaluating staff development programming, the SDC is better equipped for future planning. Generally, evaluation has been anecdotal, based on committee observations and the information recorded on the program planning and event evaluation form. High marks indicate successful programming, and repeating the event is considered.

While most programs have been well received, it came as no surprise that the best-attended events included refreshments and prizes and were held during regular work hours. Occasionally, some activities did not work out, perhaps due to timing, cost, or lack of interest. Also, some staff work only weekends and/or evenings, limiting their ability to participate in daytime events.

CONCLUSION

The staff development ideas presented in this paper can be easily adapted to a variety of workplace settings. As with any new initiative, it has a learning curve. Some valuable lessons learned are:

• Frequent meetings during preliminary planning allow time for members to come together as a committee.

• Enthusiasm is vital, and committee members should be comfortable “talking up” events. Try personally inviting individuals to attend programs, in addition to advertising with signage or email. Also encourage student workers to attend events.

• Select committee members from a cross section of staff and departments.

• After scheduling an events calendar, remain flexible and responsive to additional suggestions made by the staff throughout the year.

• Refreshments are a great way to draw a crowd.

• Budgetary support from library administration is essential. It demonstrates that the staff development concept is taken seriously and encourages participation in committee membership. Without a budget, committee members would be responsible for purchasing supplies and refreshments, a strong disincentive for committee membership.

• When possible, use speakers and programs already available through your institution to reduce expenses.

• Vary program types and times.

• Supervisor support is crucial. They can encourage staff to attend and arrange for coverage at service points during events.

The programs sponsored by the HSLS Staff Development Committee have had a positive impact on integrating the staff of the three libraries in the recently created HSLS. The committee met its charge and continues to plan and promote educational, community, and social events that serve to encourage staff camaraderie.

APPENDIX A

HSLS Staff Development Committee: program plan ning and event evaluation form

APPENDIX B

Responsibilities of SDC event liaisons