A 60-minute training webinar presented by Library 2.0 and hosted by ALA author and library service, safety, and security expert, Dr. Steve Albrecht.
So much of library work is about serving patrons that we can sometimes forget to take care of each other.
Much of the service in the library is outwardly focused, on the needs of the various patrons or groups who we strive to support with information, empathy, and patience. Do our colleagues and co-workers require these same benefits? Yes. Can we become so outwardly focused on the “patron service culture” that we ignore or worse, do harm to the employee work culture? Of course.
It’s easy to get along with people who think and act just like us. We need to develop self-directed tools to help us get along with co-workers or bosses who do not always share our perspectives on how to do our jobs. We need to be able to solve internal disagreements before they grow into conflicts that cause good employees to shift down, stop trying hard, or leave in frustration.
Do people leave toxic work cultures? Yes, but they also leave mostly positive work environments, where they are ignored, taken for granted, and not praised for their creativity, effort, and ability to show up every day with a positive, work-hard attitude. Isn’t it time we learned better how to celebrate each other? We can balance the scales between serving and supporting our patrons and serving and supporting our co-workers. There is room in your library for both.
About the Speaker
DR. STEVE ALBRECHT. Since 2000, Dr. Steve Albrecht has trained thousands of library employees in 28+ states, live and online, in service, safety, security, and supervision. His programs are fast, entertaining, and provide tools that can be put to use immediately in the library workspace with all types of patrons. In 2015, the ALA published his book, Library Security: Better Communication, Safer Facilities. He is currently writing the sequel, The Safe Library: Keeping Users, Staff, and Collections Secure, for Rowman & Littlefield. Steve holds a doctoral degree in Business Administration (D.B.A.), an M.A. in Security Management, a B.A. in English, and a B.S. in Psychology. He is board-certified in HR, security management, employee coaching, and threat assessment. He has written 24 books on business, security, and leadership topics. He lives with six dogs, two cats, and three chickens. (Not all in the same room, of course.)
