Transcending the Silos: Moving Beyond Borrowers and Lenders in Resource Sharing David Ketchum Resource Sharing Librarian [email protected] du Example Self Assessment S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 Median 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% 41% 100% 50% 45% 82% 50% Example Rotating Task Schedule S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 Me 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% 41% 100% 50% 45% 82% 50% 95% 100% 91% 68% 95% 95% Median level of competence/proficiency for the unit (Before) = 50% Median level of competence/proficiency for the unit (After) = 95% Combined increase in individual levels of competence/proficiency = 131% Individual & Median Levels of Competence/Proficiency Before & Ten Months After Cross- Training “I feel like I have more to offer the patrons and my coworkers in terms of being able to field patron questions, help out when coworkers are out of the office, and help student workers with training and troubleshooting.” “I enjoy the variety of work. It keeps things fresh and interesting to have a wider range of tasks than before.” “I love understanding the whole process or lifecycle of borrowing and lending and learning more about document delivery too. I don’t know how I got by before, knowing only my little piece of the whole picture.” “I really enjoy helping student workers, patrons, and other libraries more effectively – it gives me a sense of satisfaction and success.” Measured outcomes • Self-assessed skill level for each task, 10 months after cross- training • Quantified individual and median levels of proficiency • Looked for unintended outcomes (example: borrowing request delay time) • Solicited feedback from staff Process for cross-training • Identified currently-assigned tasks • Self-assessed skill levels for each task • Quantified individual and median levels of proficiency • Organized group training sessions • Encouraged everyone to attend • Covered multiple tasks/processes in each session • Provided standard and “problem” examples • Updated process/procedure manual Implemented rotating task schedule • Ensures ongoing proficiency • Change tasks each day; weekly schedule can change less frequently • Focus on tasks everyone should understand • Maintain some “specialized” tasks • Assign tasks based on time commitment to better balance workloads Supplemented task schedule with task priority list • Serves as guideline only • Remain flexible Individual & Median Levels of Competence/Proficiency Before Cross-Training Example Task Priority List Nov em ber 20 11 Dec em ber 20 11 Jan ua ry 201 2 Feb ru ary 20 12 Mar c h 2012 Apr il 2012 May 2012 Jun e 2012 Jul y 2012 Aug us t 2012 September 2012 Oct ob er 201 2 Nov ember 2012 Dec em ber 20 12 Jan ua ry 201 3 Feb ruary 2013 Mar ch 2013 Apr il 2013 May 2013 Jun e 2013 July 2013 Aug ust 20 13 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 Average Processing Delay Time (Minutes)