New Workshop: How to Hire a New Library Employee

CHICAGO—ALA Publishing eLearning Solutions announces an exciting new workshop, How to Hire a New Library Employee with Catherine Hakala-Ausperk. This workshop will last consist of two 90-minute sessions and take place on:

• Thursday, May 4, 2017, 2:30pm Eastern/1:30 Central/12:30 Mountain/11:30am Pacific
• Thursday, May 11, 2017, 2:30pm Eastern/1:30 Central/12:30 Mountain/11:30am Pacific

How to Hire a New Library Employee Workshop

A two-part event running 90 minutes each session on Thursday, May 4, 2017, 2:30pm Eastern/1:30 Central/12:30 Mountain/11:30am Pacific and Thursday, May 11, 2017, 2:30pm Eastern/1:30 Central/12:30 Mountain/11:30am Pacific

Adding a new member to your library’s team is one of the most important things a leader can do. All too often, though, leaders find themselves doing that hiring with limited planning, time, involvement, and effort. This two-part workshop series will help you prepare and implement a hiring plan, so you can grow your team with precision and purpose. From before there is even an opening to well after the new person has found their locker, attention to thoughtful and relevant details covered here will help assure success, both for the individual and for your team.

In part one, you’ll focus on preparing your team for growth and maintaining a healthy culture that supports ongoing change, so your staff is always ready to welcome new members. You’ll gain tips for recognizing how to adapt your team to meet your user needs and available staff skills and fill gaps when needed. 

In part two, you’ll focus on how to find and welcome the right person. You’ll learn how to creatively use the tools at your disposal—from job descriptions and want ads to interview structures, questions, and activities—to help improve your chances of hiring the perfect new staff member. You’ll also gain valuable strategies for effectively training and developing that person and the team they’ve joined, so that everyone is ready to welcome the new hire.

Learning Outcomes:

After participating in this two-part workshop, you will

• understand and appreciate the value of maintaining an open and innovative team culture that’s always ready to grow;
• commit to ongoing analysis of real customer needs and matching team skills and/or gaps;
• excel at developing creative recruiting and interviewing techniques to both attract and land the best candidates; and
• pledge to invest the time and attention needed to orient, train, and develop each new staff member, realizing the value of that effort for the team itself and the customers it serves.

About the Instructor

Catherine Hakala-Ausperk is a 31-year Ohio public library veteran, with experience in everything from direct customer service to management and administration. Now an active library planner, speaker, consultant and trainer, she is also the author of Be a Great Boss: One Year to Success (ALA, 2011), Build a Great Team: One Year to Success (ALA, 2013), and the upcoming Renew Yourself! A Six-Step Plan for More Meaningful Work (ALA, coming in January 2017). Hakala-Ausperk also teaches for Kent State University’s School of Library and Information Science, the American Library Association’s Certified Public Library Administrator Program (CPLA), InfoPeople, and more. She is the author of the Demco blog, “Library Advice: That’s a Great Question!” and is the owner of Libraries Thrive Consulting. Hakala-Ausperk frequently keynotes and presents at conferences, facilitates workshops and academies around the country, and helps libraries develop truly 21st century strategic plans. Her passion is for supporting, coaching, and developing great libraries, successful team members, and especially strong and effective library leaders.

Registration for this ALA Publishing eLearning Solutions Workshop is available on the ALA Store. You can purchase registration at both individual and group rates.

ALA Publishing eLearning Solutions Workshops offer a convenient, hands-on learning experience that will help you and your colleagues make the best decisions for your library. This workshop is licensed for use by staff or users of the purchasing institution or library organization.

ALA Publishing eLearning Solutions (ELS) produces high-quality professional development events and materials for the library profession. ELS events cover modern issues on a wide variety of topics in formats that include live workshops, asynchronous eCourses, and print publications. We help ensure that today’s library employees have access to the professional development opportunities they need, whether they are brushing up on the basics or expanding their horizons with cutting-edge tools. Contact us at elsmarketing@ala.org.

ALA Store purchases fund advocacy, awareness, and accreditation programs for library professionals worldwide.