Monthly Archives: January 2025

Every library has at least one; many libraries have two or more: the employee who reflexively objects; who seems constantly to be looking for reasons to be outraged; who thinks everything the library currently does is wrongheaded, but looks at … Continue reading →

Everyone knew that the election of Donald Trump would result in some level of disruption once he was inaugurated. But I think most of us were taken by surprise by the sheer scale, depth, and immediacy of the changes he … Continue reading →

One of the things about being in a position of organizational power – whether you’re an internal unit head or a library director – is that people will be constantly trying to convince you to do certain things. Those things … Continue reading →

Some of the worst examples of leadership I’ve seen over the course of my career have been provided by people who seemed to feel that being the leader had to mean being the smartest person in the room at all … Continue reading →

In Tuesday’s post, I shared the experience of hearing fellow managers say “My library really needs to do [X], but my staff would never accept it.” To which I tended to respond (silently, in my head) “If you’re going to … Continue reading →

Many years ago, I gave a conference presentation on a controversial change that my department had made to its workflows. At the encouragement of my dean at the time, I had investigated the possibility of eliminating what was generally considered … Continue reading →

On Tuesday, in my first post on the topic of workflow management, I discussed the importance of bringing complexity indoors, out of the patron’s experience. I called this internalizing complexity.  Today I’m going to talk about the importance of moving … Continue reading →

I know what you’re thinking: ”I’m a leader, not a manager. Workflow management isn’t my job.” Two answers: Managers are leaders, or should be, so workflows really are a leadership issue. Administrative leaders may not manage workflows directly, but they … Continue reading →