[Publib] assessments

[Dale McNeill]

If the library is part of a larger government (city, county) this is
excellent advice.  You should also ask whether there is a difference between
current practice and the written documents.  Often, in non-union
environments, the practice and the written policy are miles apart.

Dale

On 5/5/06, Sue Kamm <suekamm at mindspring.com> wrote:
>
> You don't say if you're in California or Canada.
>
> If you're in California, yhe short answer to your question is:  It
> depends.  Promotions and/or raises in public libraries may be governed by
> civil service rules, statutes, and/or collective bargaining agreements.
> Here are some questions to ask either your colleagues or your personnel
> office:
>
>    - When is an open position posted for applicants?  If the position
>    exists, must the appointing authority wait until the last day the incumbent
>    is on the payroll before seeking to fill it?  (This can take
>    for-bloody-ever.  Say a worker is on disability.  S/he may decide to retire,
>    or the employer can no longer hold the position open.  The "vacancy" - that
>    is, a person occupying the position and doing the work - may drag on for
>    years.)
>    - Are positions in your jurisdiction frozen?  Local governments in
>    particular seek to balance their budgets by not allowing agencies to hire a
>    replacement if a worker leaves.  (In such cases, many library adminstrators
>    and/or trustees seek to maintain a certain level of service, such as hours
>    open to the public, with fewer staff.  The result may be plummeting morale
>    and/or worker burnout, which means more people leave ....  You can see where
>    this is going.)
>    - Are positions open or promotional?  If the former, the agency may
>    be required to advertise the vacancy to the immediate world before beginning
>    the hiring process.  A promotional position is limited to people already
>    working at the library.  For promotions, candidates usually must have
>    certain prerequisites, such as experience.
>    - What is the civil service process at your institution?  Are
>    candidates required to take both a written and oral examinations?  If a
>    written test is required, does the candidate have to have a certain score in
>    order to sit for the oral?  How much does each part of an exam count?  (Read
>    the job specificastion and notice carefully.)
>
> Raises are a different matter.  Salaries may be determined in negotiations
> with a bargaining unit.  Whether there are raises to begin with will depend
> on the economy in your jurisdiction.  If your city, county, or library
> distrct must depend on one tax, for example, property taxes, for its
> revenue, and property values have declined or people have moved out, there
> may not be a lot of money to spend on staff (and library materials).  It's a
> sad fact that in cities or counties that provide their own police and fire
> departments (there are areas which contract with a larger jurisdiction for
> public safety; Inglewood, for example, contracts with the County of Los
> Angeles for fire protection), those departments will probably get the lion's
> share of the budget.  Of course, if you don't have a collective bargaining
> agent, or the laws of your state or locality prohibit public employees from
> bargaining collectively, these comments may not apply.
>
> As far as who makes the decisions:  Again, it depends.  In some areas. the
> civil service rules spell out who has the authority to hire, fire, or
> implement raises.  The hiring and promotion buck will probably stop with the
> library director, although s/he may accept the recommendation of a
> candidate's proposed supervisor.  New hires and raises may need to be
> approved by whoever holds the purse strings - city council, board of
> supervisors, library trustees.
>
> In any event, the policies and procedures are doubtless written.  As your
> personnel office for a copy.
>
> YMMV.
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanessa Martinez
> Sent: May 5, 2006 4:17 PM
> To: publib at webjunction.org
> Subject: [Publib] assessments
>
> I'm new at my library & just graduated this year. What is the usual
> process for raises & promotions in City Libraries - in Ca.?   It seems a
> very long process here by many people. Who ordinarily makes the final
> decisions for the Library personnel?
> Vanessa Martinez
>
>
>
> Your friendly CyberGoddess and Councilor-at-large,
> Sue Kamm
> Inglewood/Los Angeles, CA
> Truest of the Blue, Los Angeles Dodgers Think Blue Week 2000
> email:  suekamm [at] mindspring.com
> When you absolutely, positively HAVE to know, ASK A LIBRARIAN!
>
>
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>
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