agility in the library: how to say yes or no to new projects and programs
TRANSCRIPT
Agility in the Library: How to say YES or NO to new projects and programs
Abigail Baines, Hampshire College & Thea Atwood, UMass Amherst Libraries
You’ve received a new proposal/project/awesome idea!
Before you say YES or NO, try to find the answers to the
following questions:
Can you define “done?”
How do you know your project is complete? Can you put it in words?
Are there other priorities or conflicts?
Can you devote the appropriate amount of time and energy to this project?
What other commitments or priorities might detract from the new endeavor?
Does it fit within a job description?
Does this new project fit nicely into their job description, or is it a stretch?
What sort of time can the leader commit to this project?
Is there a clear leader?
Does a group leader naturally spring to mind?
Will you need to do a bit of convincing?
Does it fit with the institution’s mission?
Does this project fit into your mission statement?
Is it unsupported by your current mission statement?
Seed Lending
Library
Partnering with
students, faculty,
& staff to
reimagine the
library
Science Librarian,
with lots of help
from Technical
Services
Creating new,
exciting
collections,
project that
benefits the
community
Can be
integrated into
daily work, can
be parsed out
over extended
period of time.
Yes: Getting a
collection
integrated,
remaining needs
relate to upkeep.
Evaluations for
Independent
Studies
Evaluations are a
process of the
College, but not
part of the
mission/role of the
library
Science Librarian,
as liaison to area
Not part of job
description,
commitment
beyond bounds
of student support
Other tasks that
more fully support
the curriculum
take precedence
Yes: When all
evaluations are
written and
submitted
Allen, D. (2002). Getting things done: The
art of stress-free productivity. Penguin.
Sutherland, J., Solingen, R., & Rustenburg,
E. (2011). The power of Scrum. North
Charleson, SC : CreateSpace.
Morgenstern, J. (2004). Time
management from the inside out: the
foolproof system for taking control of your
schedule--and your life. Macmillan.
Resources
•Often & Early
•Share project definitions
•Document decisions
Communication
•Do: under 2 – 5 minutes
•Delegate: whenever possible!
•Defer: to appropriate project work time
•Chunk your work
•Block off time for uninterrupted focus
•Different approaches will work for different groups – don’t be afraid to try new styles!
Tips
YES: NO:
Get in touch! Abby: [email protected]
Thea: [email protected]