Mary Grace Flaherty, PhD is the author of Library Staff Development Handbook: Supporting Your Most Important Resource. The second edition is now available for pre-order from Bloomsbury.
I recently had the chance to interview Dr. Flaherty on what’s new in the second edition of her book, how libraries can better support their staff, and why investing in people is essential to organizational success. My interview with her is below.
Please introduce yourself to our readers.
I am professor emerita at the School of Information and Library Science at UNC-Chapel Hill. I have over 40 years of professional experience in academic, medical, and public libraries. My PhD is from Syracuse University and I have master’s degrees from the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University. I served as an IMLS Fellow, and as a Fulbright Scholar in Malawi. My other books include Great Library Events; Disaster Planning Handbook for Libraries; and Promoting Individual and Community Health at the Library.
Briefly summarize Library Staff Development Handbook: Supporting Your Most Important Resource.
From planning, to hiring, to advocating for staff, this second edition of the Library Staff Development Handbook provides practical tools, tips, templates, and reports from practitioners in the field. This updated volume can serve as the library manager’s handy companion when it comes to supporting staff and providing a safe, diverse workplace.
I agree that staff are the most important resource, and I am curious why you describe them that way. Please explain.
I have worked in a variety of professional settings throughout the years, and no matter the organization or mission, staff are the folks who make things happen (or not). No matter the setting, if staff feel well supported and valued as team members, it is amazing what they can accomplish! On the flipside, when staff feel underappreciated and unsupported, it has a major impact on overall organizational well-being. Especially in service organizations, tending to staff welfare pays back dividends in patronage, organizational effectiveness, and overall contributions to the larger community.
The first edition was published in 2017. Why did you feel a second edition was needed?
When I was first contacted about writing a second edition, the first thing that came to mind was, has enough changed to warrant revisiting and/or expanding the topics addressed in the first edition? It seemed like it had not been very long since the first volume was published (in 2017). Since that time, plenty has happened. Library workers, including special librarians, have been in the forefront of dealing with censorship in the form of book bans, and library staff across the world had to pivot quickly to remote work, and learn how to provide services during a global pandemic. These are just a few examples of the ever-changing and always challenging organizational landscapes in all types of libraries today. In order to address some of our societal shifts and changes since the publication of the first edition, a new edition was warranted.
What has been updated?
I updated the new volume throughout. Added sections include promoting staff morale during challenging times, providing a safe work environment, coaching remote workers, and attending to diversity and biases in the library workplace. There is also a new chapter dedicated to working with library supervisory boards.
What changes do you hope readers make in their libraries?
Rather than changes, I hope readers will discover tools, guidance and tips for ensuring maximal staff well-being. In these increasingly challenging times, workers on every level need more support than ever.
Is there anything else you would like to share?
I have tried to write a volume that readers will find engaging and accessible. My hope is that this book will be helpful and useful in their day-to-day library worlds.
Thank you so much for the opportunity.
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