Abstract
COVID-19 has forced staff in academic libraries across the world to pivot from face-to-face workdays and services to fully remote (and, in some cases, back again) with very little time or notice. This new reality has presented new challenges in the remote management of staff that may also be working remotely, or in the building. This column explores some of those challenges and presents possible solutions for those at all levels of library management.
Keywords: COVID-19, remote work, management, leadership, remote management
Introduction
Looking back, September 2019 seems like it was a century ago. The Joseph R. Skeen Library at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (hereafter referred to as “New Mexico Tech”), had, it seemed, finally arrived at a critical and long-awaited juncture: the building had more employees than ever in recent history, which alleviated pressure on all departments. This meant that library management and staff could finally turn their attention to strategic planning; Skeen even contracted with ACRL to facilitate a strategic planning retreat in early September 2019.
In hindsight, perhaps the difficulties of 2020 (COVID-19 notwithstanding) actually started in the Fall 2019 semester, after the strategic planning retreat: most notable was staff turnover in critical positions and extended staff absences due to circumstances beyond anyone's control. This trend continued into the new year.
Throughout the latter part of 2019 and early 2020, things were continuing as they normally would, with the knowledge that a new virus was wreaking havoc in Asia and Europe. Day-to-day operations continued and staff and patrons alike wondered out loud if and when COVID-19 would make its way to the United States, but that's where the conversations usually ended. Honestly, none of us really knew what would happen, or how we would adapt; we just knew that if we needed to adapt, we would.
Setting the stage
As one of New Mexico Tech's most active and visited spaces, Skeen Library has historically been open an average of 96 h a week. It has been a convenient place for students to meet up for study sessions and group work. Others drop by for free coffee all day every day, and free popcorn on Thursday afternoons. The Spring 2020 semester started out as usual and classes, meetings, clubs, and social gatherings continued in their normal formats for the first eight and a half weeks. As the instruction librarian, I taught several one-off sessions in person up until Spring Break in mid-March. In addition, activities specifically related to the day-to-day running and management of Skeen Library included in-person interviews for a vacant staff position (which was eventually filled, vacated, then filled again). The latter half of March was a time of uncertainty, which continued unabated throughout the calendar year.
University administration decided to extend Spring Break an additional two weeks, with classes resuming online the first full week of April 2020. This provided Skeen Library staff time to brainstorm how we could continue to offer vital resources to the New Mexico Tech community in a strictly online environment. Not only would this affect how library staff did their work, but it would also affect how staff were managed.
New Mexico Tech continued to offer remote only instruction through the Spring and Summer 2020 semesters. Skeen Library was fully remote (and closed to patrons) from mid-March to the beginning of August, though we did start offering “curbside” pickup of circulating items from our collection in June. Since the beginning of the Fall 2020 semester, academic instruction has taken place both online and in person; library instruction is strictly online. Skeen Library has been open to members of the New Mexico Tech community by reservation only since August 2020, and we expect this to continue through at least the end of the academic year in mid-May.
Behind the scenes
Most of the library staff live and work in the immediate area surrounding New Mexico Tech; I am the only staff member who commutes a significant distance, and I have not worked inside the library or on campus since mid-March 2020. This new reality has proven to be difficult in ways that I did not anticipate: while I appreciate the shorter commute, I sometimes find myself missing the time spent to and from work to process the day and decompress a bit. I also miss out on the impromptu visits and encounters with other staff members; nowadays, unless a staff member logs into our chat service, I don't have much opportunity to wish them a good morning or ask how their weekend went. At the time of this writing, I have had the experience of managing my staff from afar for just under a year, and I do not anticipate any significant changes in this arrangement in the near future.
When it came time for the entire staff to work from home in our emergency pivot in March and April 2020, we referred to our existing organizational chart to assess and reinforce who was in charge of which department, who would be making decisions and creating new protocols and procedures, and who would be responsible for enforcing them. We continued to rely on the organizational chart and the job descriptions/responsibilities of each staff position (as well as take into account the unique qualifications and strengths of the people who filled those positions) as we navigated this new world of remote work and long-distance management.
Even in the best of times, management of staff can be time consuming and exhausting. Managing face-to-face comes with many benefits. For example, it is much easier to read non-verbal cues in person and interpret someone's tone. Remote management requires extensive use of email, streaming video software (Zoom, Skype, etc.), and other digital tools that don't always lend themselves to cultivating an easy rapport with and among staff.
As the Public Services and Instruction Librarian, I am the direct supervisor of the Circulation Department, which, prior to the pandemic, included staff working in the following positions: Head of Circulation (1 staff member); Circulation Supervisors (3 staff members); and Student Workers (10–15 students). In the past year, the makeup of Circulation staff has changed significantly, with staff resignations, organizational restructuring, and reduced hours. Currently, Circulation is made up of the Head of Circulation, 2 Circulation Supervisors, and 7 Student Workers.
Circulation (sometimes referred to as “Access Services”) plays a major role in any library. At Skeen, the Circulation Department is responsible for opening and closing the building, providing front-end customer service, interlibrary loan, and all the other tasks that come up on a daily basis. The day-to-day operations of the department have been managed by the Head of Circulation with support from the Circulation Supervisors. As upper management, I worked directly with the Head of Circulation on policies and procedures, and, before COVID, stepped in to help the department when needed (a stint at the front desk; opening and/or closing the library), and dealt with issues that needed to be escalated up through the organizational chart.
When New Mexico Tech shut down due to the pandemic, much of what the Circulation Department had to deal with on a daily basis with the public came to a screeching halt. Management and staff worked together to figure out ways to move forward in terms of access and library services. At the same time, managers were embarking on the steep learning curve when it comes to managing employees remotely.
Bits and pieces
Working remotely and at the same time being the supervisor of the Circulation Department, I relied heavily on the Head of Circulation to be my “eyes and ears” in the building and with other Circulation staff. This was not much different from when everyone was in the building; the biggest change was that my direct report and I had to meet virtually via Zoom on a near-daily basis. About eighteen months prior to the pandemic, Circulation had set up a Slack channel for quick questions and chats, so everyone was already familiar and comfortable with using it when we had to pivot to remote work.
They're there, and I'm here
The biggest issue that I have encountered working remotely as a manager is that I am not in the building to witness the day-to-day activities that take place in the library. A seemingly minor issue can be blown out of proportion by the time it makes its way to me, whereas in the past I could address the issue quickly.
On the one hand, I miss the opportunity to visit with staff in the “bull pen” (the larger Circulation area) throughout the day. These impromptu visits on my way back from the restroom or on my way to the Tech Services area were great ways of measuring morale and getting the “lay of the land” at any given moment. On the other hand, I now enjoy long periods of time where I can work uninterrupted and really focus on the task at hand.
The most practical solutions I have come up with in managing my remote staff come down to the following:
-
1)
An up-to-date calendar. This was important to keep current even when everyone was in the building, but it has become even more crucial when one or more staff members are working remotely. A quick look at a person's calendar can tell you whether or not they are available for a quick meeting, or if they are out of the office.
-
2)
An up-to-date work schedule. The Circulation Department uses When2Work (W2W) to schedule staff and student workers. With COVID, we have had to make changes in the set-up of the library and now have a check-in table in the lobby, where staff can check IDs, confirm and make reservations, and turn away people who don't fall into any of the approved categories for library use during COVID. More than ever, it has become indispensable for all library staff (both in person and remote) to know who is working and when, so that responsibility and accountability can be delegated accordingly and that the lobby and Circulation Desk are always staffed.
-
3)
An up-to-date COVID-19 manual. Beginning in April 2020, an internal library committee began working on a manual that would address changes in protocols and procedures affected by COVID-19. All staff (including student workers) have access to the library's COVID-19 manual, which provides guidance on what patron types can visit the library, how often surfaces should be cleaned, bathroom use, quarantining items, opening and closing procedures, and more. The manual is a living document and can be updated as necessary.
-
4)
Extensive use of Google products (Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets, etc.). New Mexico Tech's email is serviced by Google, so using these products that are readily available to us makes the most sense. Anyone can create a folder, shared drive, or document and share it with everyone else. Institutions who have Microsoft/Outlook as their email provider have similar cloud-based products.
-
5)
LibChat (via Springshare). Skeen Library was in the planning phases of offering online chat just as the pandemic hit, which caused us to up our timetable.
-
6)
Slack. Staff were using Slack prior to the pandemic and before we implemented LibChat, mainly because it is free. Some staff use Slack more than others, and the platform is easier to use when you want to share files. It is also the easiest platform on which to send GIFs and funny, light-hearted pictures.
-
7)
Judicious use of email. While I sometimes feel that I overuse email and send too many, my staff have not seemed to mind. I also make a point of telling my staff that if they are not the ones directly addressed in the email, and/or if their email address is in the “CC” section, they don't necessarily have to do anything. Rather, I just want them to be aware of the situation and “in the loop.”
-
8)
Video conferencing software for staff meetings, one-on-ones, group projects, and more. New Mexico Tech has an institutional license for Zoom, so that is the program we use on a near-daily basis. I do not require my staff to have their cameras on during meetings (sometimes I don't turn mine on either).
-
9)
The phone. Don't be afraid to call up staff and co-workers who are working in the building for a quick check-in or question. We are all dealing with Zoom fatigue at some level, and I've been pleasantly surprised at how “normal” it has felt to talk to my boss or staff on the phone.
-
10)
Trusting that my staff know what their jobs are and letting them do their work. This has been the hardest practical solution for me to embrace; not because I don't trust my staff to do their jobs (far from it! Several of them trained me when I was newly hired.), but because sometimes I feel like I am letting them down by not being in the building and on the frontline with them.
Conclusion
Academic libraries throughout the world are struggling to find footing amidst this global pandemic, and library professionals are unsure what our “new normal” will look like in the immediate and distant future. As library professionals, we pride ourselves on our adaptability and capacity to pivot at a moment's notice, change direction, and create something out of nothing (prior to COVID, when was the last time any of us seriously considered writing policies and procedures related to a global pandemic?). While remote work and management of staff may have been a novelty and “perk” prior to the pandemic, it has become a professional way of life for many of us.