UWS Library Skills Audit

1. UWS Library Skills Audit CAUL ‘Hot Topic’ 8 September 2003

2. Background • UWS amalgamation of 3 autonomous ‘members’, 2001 • Perceived challenge of bringing “3 into 1” • Reality of 140 staff, spread across 7 geographic locations across geographic area of 9,000 km2 • Loss of expertise across library throughout 2000 – period leading to amalgamation

3. Library Strategic Planning 2001 • Key Result Area: Infrastructure Goal: To provide appropriate infrastructure and support systems underpinning the successful delivery of library and information services Critical success factors: Appropriately skilled and motivated staff - Adequate physical facilities, - Robust and reliable technological infrastructure - etc ……

4. Library Strategic Planning

5. Operational Planning • Operational planning draws on goals and objectives as articulated in Strategic Plan • Operational planning responsibility vested in Planning and Strategy Team (PST), comprised of 5 cross-sectional senior staff (HEW 9) • PST work underpinned by 2 day ‘whole of library’ hands on workshop (2002)

6. Operational Planning

7. What’s happening elsewhere? • Literature review, early 2002 reveals little of a broad nature, with focus tending towards I.T. skills and small ‘specialist packages; • Discussion with colleagues indicated much staff development activity reactive to individually expressed need in particular areas; • ALIA Competency Standards, whilst useful, considered too general to current institutional need.

8. What did we need? • Clear information across all areas of library operation on actual skills and shortcomings in those areas essential to ‘do the job’; • Consistency of approach and practice across all 7 libraries – particularly in Client Services areas; • Equally skilled staff providing equally high levels of service regardless of location.

9. What had been done • I.T. Skills Audit – problematic, with lessons learned, however useful basis for current work; • Resources Management (Tech Services) had developed core competencies listing; • Considerable procedural documentation developed, however across Client Services widespread and varying past practice remained.

10. Skills checklist • Developed with great difficulty – PST struggled with differentiation between ‘task’ and ‘skill’. Needed to move from becoming bogged down in detail; • Checklist developed, moving down from Skill, defining Tasks required to claim Skill Cumulative Task/s = Skill

11. Checklist example: • Ability to supervise staff • Understand role of supervisor, formulate objectives, make action plans and assign tasks • Understand motivation and effective learning • Set standards and evaluate staff performance • Recognise training needs and organize on the job training as appropriate • Apply techniques for communicating, managing conflict and providing guidance

12. Skills categories • General communication, training and management skills • General I.T. skills • Skills specific to areas: Resources Management (incl Doc Del) Lending Services Information Services (incl Info Literacy) Specialist I.T.

13. Response options • Skill • Essential to current position • Competent • Refresher training requested • New area – training required • Possess but do not use • Not applicable to current position

14. Definitions • Essential - This skill is an essential requirement of your current job • Competent - You meet all checklist entries for the particular skill • Refresher training required - You meet most or all checklist entries for the particular skill and request refresher training • New area – training required - You meet none of the checklist entries for the particular skill and require initial training • Possess but do not currently use - You possess the particular skill but it is not essential to your current position • N/A - This skill is not applicable to your current position

15. Pilot questionnaire with 10 staff from cross representational areas and HEW levels administered; • Overview of survey, together with very detailed Checklist and verbal instructions provided; • Pilot participants encouraged to provide feedback. All feedback extremely useful, resulting in re-ordering, re-wording etc. • 2 hour exercise . . . . . (130 questions)

16. Survey administration and response • All staff encouraged to complete questionnaire; • Responses not anonymous – outcomes available to supervisor, PST members and respondent; • Initial concerns that responses might be linked to Performance Appraisal addressed; • 100% response rate!

17. Summary of Responses

19. Initial outcomes • 1 staff member does not need to identify and set work priorities! • 4 staff do not need to know the difference between the internet and the intranet! • 5 staff do not need to know how to send and receive email! • 6 staff do not need to know how to effectively communicate with other staff/units!

20. Initial outcomes • General Lead team/supervise staff (n=32) 24% request new/refresher training Monitor expenditure … (n=31) 55% Train and develop staff (n=44) 23% Public speaking & presentation (n=66) 35% Produce promotional material (n=38) 21% Mentoring skills (n=58) 27% Negotiation skills (n=90) 32% Stress management skills (n=101) 20%

21. Initial outcomes (cont’d) • General I.T. Skills Edit information in documents (n=120) 31% Undertake basic printer maintenance (n=115) 27% Produce documents using MS applications (n=73) 47% Undertake virus check as required (n=103) 29% Maintain files on local & networked drives (n=106) 29% Advanced browser knowledge (n=66) 89%Use shared email boxes (n=101) 26% Manage email (n=120) 27% Use scanning equipment ….. (n=63) 41%

22. Initial outcomes (cont’d) • Resources Management (incl Doc Del) Pre order bibliographic checking (n=52) 40% Copy cataloguing non serial hardcopy (n=31) 32% Use of Kinetica Web (n=42) 47% Processing Kinetica DD mail (n=30) 57% Processing DD requests from UWS patrons (n=31) 81% Patron registration for DD (n=38) 71%

23. Initial outcomes (cont’d) • Information Services Provide access to appropriate info resources (n=85) 30% Prepare and present I.L. sessions (n=45) 20% Promotion of library services and resources (n=53) 30% Respond to Off Campus Access queries (n=91) 20% Respond to database access queries (n=85) 42%

24. Initial outcomes (cont’d) • Lending Services Run lists/reports from ILMS/Access (n=66) 30% Process e-items for reserve (n=36) 69% Process hard copy items for reserve (n=39) 41% 3 day loan processing (n=40) 41% Processing DD requests at campus level (n=53) 41% Use Ariel to receive despatch DD requests (n=50) 22%

25. Conclusions (tentative!) • Too many staff lack clarity on their particular position responsibilities, OR, Pre-test group was not representative! • Majority of staff “competent” in areas of responsibility, with refresher training requests predominating; • Much talent currently under-utilised (“possess but do not use”) • Detailed granular analysis will yield rich data for staff development and training purposes;

26. Questions?

27. Thank You!With acknowledgement of the contribution of UWS Library Planning and Strategy Team