Director’s Thoughts – 1/23/2023

My Director’s Thoughts posts are back! I just realized that I haven’t posted one of these since December of 2021. I’m not sure what I was doing last year, but I didn’t write a single post about being a library director. So, my goal for 2023 is to create a Director’s Thoughts post every month. I’m excited for you to see more of what I do every day.

For those who may not be aware, I’m a public library director at a suburban library that serves about 35,000 people. I’ve worked in this library since graduate school first as a children’s librarian and now as the director. I became the director in August 2016, taking over after our former director retired after 40+ years in the position. I was feeling really good a couple year ago. We were moving in the right direction, we had just finished a feasibility study and were looking into the possibilities of expanding or building a new space. And then the COVID pandemic hit. And it’s been three years of managing insane schedules, creating procedure and policy for something we knew little about, and just trying to survive day-to-day.

But, like most of the people reading this post, I’m so tired of COVID. So that’s not what I want to talk about today. Today, I’m sharing a day-in-the-life post for you to see what I do on a day-to-day basis in the library. Most of my days are spent responding to emails, checking in with staff, covering desks as necessary, and working on bigger projects for the library.

Day In the Life

Morning

8:30am – Arrive at the library and start the day by feeding the turtle. Tera is a very particular Red-Earred Slider and will pitch a fit if he doesn’t get fed first thing!

8:35am – Finish getting our pony delivery ready. Our drivers arrive between 8:30 – 9:30am to take all of our boxes and leave empty boxes to fill up. Our pony works throughout our county district to share materials that patrons place on hold. Typically, day-to-day we have about 100 holds to pull from the shelves for both our patrons and patrons throughout the county.

8:55am – Greet the staff as they come into work before high-tailing it into my office to check my email and see how much work I can get done.

9:00am – Turn on my computer and drop my stuff and open my email to see what awaits. I get email notifications on my phone. But, I try to maintain some sort of work/life balance and answer my email when I’m actually at work. So my first step is to get rid of all the junk and then respond to any emails that require my attention.

9:30am – Do some rounds. Typically, I’ll try to touch base with my department heads. I currently have a staff of about 30 people with three department heads who manage the majority of the staff. I like to make sure that we’re on the same page, check in about upcoming programs and workflow, and follow-up with any issues.

10:00am – This morning I’m covering the children’s reference as we’ve got the perfect storm with everyone busy or out. As a previous children’s librarian, I love getting a chance to spend on the desk. When needed, I can cover at any of our public desks. And I’m really happy that I can support my staff in that way.

12:00pm – Before I know it, it’s noon and time for me to grab lunch. Because I live so close to the library, I leave work for lunch and run home. At home, I reheat some leftovers for lunch and check in with my partner and my pup.

Afternoon

1:00pm – I’m back at work and checking in with some staff who have come in for the afternoon/evening shift. I’m (hopefully) not a micromanager, but I do like to be very accessible for all of my staff, so I try to swing by to say hello, chat a little, and just check-in.

1:30pm – I’m back in my office and checking my email. But, on any given day, I’m getting interrupted by phone calls and emails that I have to deal with ASAP.

2:00pm – I head back to my office to try and work on whatever projects I’m focusing on right now. Because it’s the beginning of a new year, I’m gathering a lot of data to work on our annual state report. And I also have a number of presentations to various groups that I’m giving in the next few months.

4:45pm – I close down my computer and get ready to leave. It can take me 30 mintues to get out of the building with one last check-in with staff. And when I say “check-in” it’s more of a greeting and a chat. Typically it doesn’t involve work. But, I’ll remind staff of an evening program, or something happeing tomorrow that’s not typical.

5:10pm – I say my good-byes and I’m headed home to work on my blog, go climbing, make dinner, or whatever else I need to do before tomorrow comes!

There it is – a day in the life of a public library director. I can’t say it’s the most glamorous job out there, but it’s a job that I really love at the end of the day. But, I love living and working in the same community. I feel like what I do is helping to make my community better and in the end, that’s what I love.