In my previous two posts, I shared tips for how to start a new job as a special librarian. I discussed the importance of taking time to learn the organization in your first 30 days before moving from listening and learning to assessing and prioritizing. As you absorb information and take the time to learn the big picture of the library, it’s important to document all of this new information. This post will discuss tips for gathering data and planning work that turns your knowledge into results.
Document What You Learn
As you learn about the organization, meet with stakeholders, and review data and resources, ensure you keep a structured record. Important subjects to keep note of include:
- Stakeholder needs
- Recurring questions
- Pain points
- Important subject experts
- Systems and information sources
- Opportunities for improvement
You’ll collect a lot of data in the first 60 days of your new role. From days 61–90, I encourage you to begin thinking about how you can implement a few improvements, develop priorities for the next year, and communicate the library’s role and value. The data you collect should inform your approach to your work.
Once you have records of stakeholder needs, recurring questions, pain points, etc., ensure that you go back for future review to identify themes and important issues that need immediate attention. Additionally, if your organization has an enterprise AI tool, you may want to upload your records and ask it to identify themes and create a prioritization plan.
If you discovered that your library and organization value open communication and feedback, consider sharing the themes you found from your conversations and data collection. Find out if the themes you identified resonate with others in the organization. If they do, you have validated your findings and can feel comfortable acting upon the data.
Build a Culture of Feedback
Once you have validated the data, it is important that you develop a plan to act. You may decide to develop a service strategy, stakeholder map, or knowledge management plan. Then, once you have an idea of what you want to implement, consider speaking with other library staff and your supervisor to get their feedback. I am a firm believer that it is hard to over-communicate. Building a culture of feedback in the early days of your role can foster goodwill with those you work with. Of course, if your supervisor has indicated they want to be hands-off and leave certain tasks to you, then that should be part of the equation and may impact how you seek feedback.
Act Upon the Feedback
Acting upon the feedback gathered is important for building trust in the organization. Individuals want to know their voices were heard and that you will do what you can to address any identified needs, and you will look for ways to meet stakeholders’ wants. If you determine that a need or want cannot be met, it is best practice to circle back with the individual(s) and explain why.
Process Improvements
Every job is different, but what I hope you have gathered from these points about starting a new job as a special librarian is that one of the biggest mistakes to avoid is assuming that the job is primarily about managing collections. In a special library, the most valuable first step is usually understanding how the organization creates, uses, shares, and loses knowledge, and where you can improve that process.
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