Addressing Paraprofessional Issues:
101+ Strategies
by Ed Gillen
- Quote leaders of the library profession in your proposals.
- Use the language of the profession/professional associations in your proposals.
- Learn and use the language of the stakeholders who may make changes in personnel-related issues possible (e.g. civil service, division of budget, etc.)
- Quote language from your library's mission and vision statements in your proposals.
- Have directors/librarians/editors/officers keynote your conference.
- Have directors/librarians/editors/officers present workshops at your conference.
- Have the State Librarian keynote your conference.
- Have paraprofessionals keynote your conference.
- Have paraprofessionals present workshops at conferences.
- Establish honorary awards that recognize directors who have made contributions in the development of library paraprofessionals.
- Establish honorary awards that recognize library paraprofessionals who have made contributions in the library paraprofessional field.
- Establish honorary awards that recognize library paraprofessionals who have made contributions in the library profession.
- Present these honorary awards at your workshops or conferences.
- Publicize the winners of these honorary awards in library professional literature.
- Publicize the winners of these honorary awards on library electronic discussion lists.
- Have directors who see the benefit of paraprofessionals attending workshops and conferences write letters to other directors explaining that benefit.
- Use favorable quotations from directors/editors/officers in promoting your next workshop/conference.
- Use favorable quotations from library paraprofessionals in promoting your next workshop/conference.
- Have your library host a workshop or conference.
- Have your library host a tour of paraprofessionals from your region.
- Make paraprofessional workshops and conferences open to any interested library or library association member.
- Invite other library association members to participate in your events.
- Request that library paraprofessionals participate on decision-making committees at their library that affect their jobs and careers.
- Join a committee at your library.
- Be a member of your library association.
- Be able to answer the question, "Why should I join the paraprofessional association?"
- Be able to quote your paraprofessional association's mission statement.
- Ask your colleagues to join your paraprofessional association.
- Ask your director to join your paraprofessional association.
- Ask your supervisor to join your paraprofessional association.
- Serve on a committee of your library association.
- Serve as an officer of your library association.
- Inform your director/supervisor that you are a member/committee member/officer of your library association.
- Start your own regional or statewide paraprofessional association.
- Attend staff meetings at your library.
- Attend staff development programs at your library.
- Start your own in-house staff development program.
- Request staff development program topics at your library.
- Publicize upcoming paraprofessional workshops and conferences at your library.
- Deliver a copy of the workshop/conference brochure to your supervisor/director.
- Attend your paraprofessional association's workshops and conferences.
- Communicate success stories/lessons learned at workshops/conferences.
- Communicate success stories/lessons learned on library electronic discussion lists.
- Communicate success stories to fellow paraprofessionals via newsletters, journals, etc.
- Attend social events at conferences.
- Distribute your business card, or facsimile, at workshops and conferences.
- Collect business cards at workshops and conferences.
- Report at staff meetings what you learned at workshops and conferences.
- Send a written report to your director on what you learned at workshops/conferences.
- Share what you learned with your supervisor.
- Show how you can apply what you learned to your job.
- Send thank you notes where applicable.
- Attend some conference workshops that have no direct relationship to your job.
- Write a review of the workshop or conference for your library newsletter.
- Write a review of the workshop or conference for your paraprofessional association newsletter.
- Write a review of the workshop or conference for a professional library journal.
- Read library-related periodicals and books.
- Subscribe to library periodicals.
- Subscribe to library-related electronic discussion lists.
- Forward interesting professional literature to your supervisor/director.
- Forward articles/postings that you authored to your supervisor/director.
- Write book reviews of professional literature for newsletters, journals, electronic discussion lists, etc.
- Read non-library related professional literature (especially personnel, technology, negotiating, and management-related literature)
- Subscribe to non-library related electronic discussion lists (especially personnel, technology, and management-related literature)
- Forward interesting non-library related professional literature to your supervisor/director.
- Respond to stereotyped comments in professional literature re: library paraprofessionals.
- Write letters to the editors of professional library journals requesting additional articles on the paraprofessional.
- Write letters to the officers of other professional associations requesting additional workshops devoted to library paraprofessional issues.
- Using the conference evaluation form, voice your displeasure over a lack of workshops devoted to paraprofessional issues.
- Using the conference evaluation form, suggest possible workshop topics and presenters who would address paraprofessional issues.
- Invite librarians/directors to participate in the planning of paraprofessional initiatives.
- Identify and seek representation on decision-making groups within the library community.
- Establish linkages with stakeholders who may make changes in personnel-related issues possible (e.g. civil service, division of budget, etc.)
- Keep a professional development portfolio and kudos file throughout your career.
- Keep a file of professional library literature that supports your goals.
- Keep a file of your past performance evaluations.
- Periodically review your personnel history folder.
- Request, in writing, your justification for training or staff development opportunities during your performance appraisal review with your supervisor.
- Request and keep copies of library annual reports.
- Request and keep copies of unit statistical reports.
- Answer and return surveys on paraprofessional issues.
- Prepare and issue a survey which will provide supporting data.
- Request and keep survey data collected by library paraprofessional and other associations.
- Disseminate information on library paraprofessionals to library paraprofessionals.
- Publish survey results in library professional journals.
- Publish survey results on library electronic discussion lists.
- Request supporting data electronically.
- Nominate candidates who support library paraprofessionals.
- Publicly endorse candidates who support library paraprofessionals.
- Vote for candidates who support library paraprofessionals.
- Use bullet voting (not using all the votes you have to help the candidate you truly favor).
- Serve as a member of a nomination/selection committee at your library.
- Volunteer for work force innovations (cross-training, job-rotation, voluntary job assignments) that enhance or expand your skills or help meet your goals.
- Request information on how training and evaluation examinations are weighted.
- Learn how your library defines "job-related," "career-related," and "mission-related."
- Negotiate for release time over conference fees, travel, and lodging costs.
- "Dry run" your proposals with people you trust (anticipate objections).
- Request professional development funding from your regional/statewide/national library/library association.
- Embrace management initiatives that give employees a greater say in decisions that affect their job/career.
- Have library-related vendors display their products at workshops/conferences.
- Scan and collect employment ads as supporting data.
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