Moving into Management

CILIP ARLG – 12 February 2015

Andrew Gray, British Antarctic Survey

anday@bas.ac.uk // @generalising

background

Nine years as professional librarian

2006-11 school assistant librarian

2011-12 cataloguer, Homerton College

2012-13 project work, British Library

2013- librarian, British Antarctic Survey

“Penguin with Penguin”; source unknown

Library, Rothera Base, Antarctica

Library, Rothera Base, Antarctica© Pete Bucktrout, British Antarctic Survey

small libraries

–different dynamic to large institutions

–broader range of tasks on one desk, more varied experiences

–but less scope for internal progression

–often, progression = new job elsewhere

problems with this model

– loss of institutional memory

– risk of handover problems/gaps

– “new staff” support often assumes role is familiar but local issues are the concern

– ...but it all worked out okay

major challenges

Four core aspects to managerial work:

– Finance– Staffing–Projects–Planning & strategy

finance

– Finance management itself = simple(ish)

–Process & terminology = less so

–Most support informal & ad-hoc

–Greatly helped by limited scope

projects

– Immediate: open access

–Upcoming: hosting a conference

– Long term: library move & rebuild

planning

–Developing a long-term plan is hard

– ...and more so when forced externally

– Library inevitably a (very?) minor part of organisation's strategic direction

preparation

– previous experience\training varied

(in scope & in usefulness...)

– some material entirely new, some reasonably familiar

– scope for experience before entering management

suggestions

–organise events (you'll swear never again...)

–project management at any scale

– recruitment is a good way to build experience

– all budgetary experience helps!

Adelie Penguins diving - © Angell Williams