HERIOT-WATT UNIVERSITY

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT - JUNE 2014

Case Study

Northwest District Council provides local government services for a population of

approximately 1,000,000 people. One of these services is the provision of libraries for
the general public under the management of the Council’s Community Education
Department. The Department also provides three other main services: Community
Learning and Development; Parks, Sports and Leisure; and Development and Support
(which provides financial support for independent leisure and arts groups within the
District).

The Council’s Strategic Plan for 2010-15 states that:

“Library services provision will be enhanced throughout Northwest and a target

has been set to increase readers’ use of the library facilities by an average 5%
overall per annum and with a specific target of 10% for young people (14 to 18)”.

This is the only reference to the Library Service in the Strategic Plan.

The Community Education Department has the following statements of vision and
mission, although there are no specific statements for the Library service.

“Our Vision is:

We believe in the right of everyone to:

• become an active, informed citizen

• develop their knowledge, skills and critical awareness
• realise their potential.”

“Our Mission is to:

• encourage greater access, participation and creative expression through the

promotion of a wide range of lifelong learning opportunities
• promote social, educational, cultural and recreational opportunities which build
self-confidence and raise aspirations
• assist in the creation of sustainable, healthier communities, which people feel they
belong to and have a sense of pride in
• improve quality of life in the city through the delivery of quality services
• contribute to the continuing development of Northwest as a vibrant cultural,
leisure and visitor destination”.

Three of the key positions within the Library Service are those of Senior Librarian,
Librarian and Library Technician. Job Descriptions for each post are given overleaf.
JOB DESCRIPTION

Senior Librarian

Job Role

• To administer libraries and perform related professional library services within the
Council’s Public Library Service.

Responsibilities include:

• Administering a library
• Managing one or more teams of up to 12 staff, comprising Librarians and Library
technicians.
• Selecting, acquiring, cataloguing, classifying, circulating, and maintaining library
materials.
• Furnishing reference, bibliographical, and readers’ advisory services.
• Performing in-depth, strategic research, synthesizing, analysing, editing, and
filtering information.
• Setting up and working with databases and information systems to catalogue and
access information.

Reporting Relationship:

Senior Librarians report directly to the Director of Library Services.

Key Tasks:

• Manage a library team comprising librarian and library technicians, including

supervising personnel activities, budgeting, and planning.
• Assisting the Director of Library Services in creating and implementing a Library
Strategy.
• Assist in the professional development of librarians and librarian technicians.
• Search standard reference materials, including online sources and the Internet, to
answer patrons’ reference questions.
• Analyse patrons’ requests to determine needed information, and assist in
furnishing or locating that information.
• Teach library patrons to search for information using databases.
• Keep records of circulation and materials.
• Check books in and out of the library.
• Explain use of library facilities, resources, equipment, and services, and provide
information about library policies.
• Review and evaluate resource material, such as book reviews and catalogues, in
order to select and order print, audio-visual, and electronic resources.
• Code, classify, and catalogue books, publications, films, audio-visual aids, and
other library materials based on subject matter or standard library classification
systems.
 • Locate unusual or unique information in response to specific requests.

Post holders must be educated to bachelor’s degree level and hold a professional
qualification in librarianship and will be expected to have a minimum of five years
professional experience gained as a librarian or in a similar position.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Librarians

Job Role

• To provide professional library services, and to assist in administering libraries

within the Council’s Public Library Service.

Responsibilities include:

• Selecting, acquiring, cataloguing, classifying, circulating, and maintaining library

materials.
• Furnishing reference, bibliographical, and readers' advisory services.
• Performing in-depth, strategic research, synthesizing, analysing, editing, and
filtering information.
• Setting up and work with databases and information systems to catalogue and
access information.

Reporting Relationship:

Librarians work in library teams which comprise a number of Librarians and

Library Technicians and they report directly to a Senior Librarian.

Key Tasks:

• Assist the Senior Librarian in managing a library team comprising librarian and
library technicians. This may include supervising personnel activities and helping
with budgeting and planning,
• Assist the Senior Librarian in the development of librarian technicians.
• Search standard reference materials, including online sources and the Internet, to
answer patrons’ reference questions.
• Analyse patrons’ requests to determine needed information, and assist in
furnishing or locating that information.
• Teach library patrons to search for information using databases.
• Keep records of circulation and materials.
• Check books in and out of the library.
• Explain use of library facilities, resources, equipment, and services, and provide
information about library policies.
• Review and evaluate resource material, such as book reviews and catalogues, in
order to select and order print, audio-visual, and electronic resources.
 • Code, classify, and catalogue books, publications, films, audio-visual aids, and
other library materials based on subject matter or standard library classification
systems.
• Locate unusual or unique information in response to specific requests.

Applicants must be educated to bachelor’s degree level and hold a professional

qualification in librarianship; and will be expected to have minimum of two years
professional experience gained as a librarian or in a similar position.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Library Technicians

Job Role

To assist librarians by helping readers in the use of library catalogues, databases,

and indexes to locate books and other materials; and by answering questions that
require only brief consultation of standard reference. Compile records; sort and
shelve books; remove or repair damaged books; register patrons; check materials
in and out of the circulation process. Replace materials in shelving area (stacks) or
files.

Reporting Relationships

Library Technicians work in library teams which comprise a number of

Technicians and Librarians. All library team members report directly to a Senior
Librarian who heads the team.

Key Tasks

• Reserve, circulate, renew and discharge books and other materials.

• Enter and update patrons' records on computers.
• Provide assistance to teachers and students by locating materials and helping to
complete special projects.
• Answer routine reference inquiries, and refer patrons needing further assistance to
librarians.
• Guide patrons in finding and using library resources, including reference materials,
audio-visual equipment, computers, and electronic resources.
• Sort books, publications, and other items according to procedure and return them
to shelves, files, or other designated storage areas.
• Deliver and retrieve items throughout the library by hand or using pushcart.

Post holders should be educated to High School level with qualification suitable for
entrance to College/University bachelor degree programmes.
Required:

1. Senior management of Library Services has decided to introduce a results-

oriented approach to performance management of staff within the Library Service.
What recommendations would you make on measuring results and behaviours for
(i) Senior Librarians, (ii) Librarians and (iii) Library Technicians?
(25 marks)

2. At his last performance review meeting with Henry, the Senior Librarian, Jim, one
of the Library Technicians, admitted that his job performance was suffering
because he had not really got to grips with new digital technology. Jim is the
designated Visual Arts (VA) Technician and his main job for many years has been
to look after the library’s extensive collection of photographic slides and other
images of art works. Local students and school teachers are the main users of this
facility and many have been complaining that they cannot use the visual resources
of the library because they cannot access images in digital form.

Feedback from Jim’s co-workers suggested that that many of the younger
members of staff found him uncooperative and ‘difficult to work with’. Older
team members who had worked with Jim for a number of years were less critical,
but they described Jim as ‘not a team player’. When Henry discussed this with Jim
he replied that he had been the VA Technician for 20 years, ‘long before we had
these teams’ and that he was used to working on his own. He admitted that he
found working in a team difficult and did not really know how to handle it.

On the basis of the above, what would you recommend for Jim’s Personnel
Development Plan?
(25 marks)

3. What actions can Library management take to help the Library Service teams to
improve their performance and ensure that team members are active and
motivated contributors to their teams? The teams are fairly stable and turnover of
staff is low.
(25 marks)

4. Assess the contribution which the Council’s strategic planning makes to the
performance management of Library staff?
(25 marks)

(Total 100 Marks)

END OF PAPER