ASSOCIATES (vol. 1, no. 1, July 1994) - associates.ucr.edu
CHALLENGES OF THE FUTURE: Vision, Leadership, Advancement, Professionalism, Foresight Virginia Library Association Paraprofessional Forum 15th Annual Conference, May 24, 1994 Keynote Address by Ed Gillen Assistant, Human Resource Management State Education Department New York Good morning! I bring greetings from your fellow library paraprofessionals from the State of New York and from the 420-member-strong, independent New York State Library Assistants' Association. The future. People have always been fascinated with "the future." Why? To paraphrase American inventor Charles Kettering, "Our interest is in the future because we are going to spend the rest of our lives there." It figures an inventor would say that. After all, it is the images of futuristic inventions that have always captured our imaginations when talking about the future. When we were growing up everyone associated the year 2000 with the future. When predictions were made, often about those wonderful inventions, it was always "by the year 2000" when these predictions would come true. Today, the year 2000 is showing up in long-range plans of businesses, including libraries as well as professional library associations and even the library profession itself. As we now approach the end of the millennium, thoughts have turned from futuristic predictions to the challenges we will face. "Vision, Leadership, Advancement, Professionalism, and Foresight" -- yes, the first letter of each word conveniently spells out the initials of the Virginia Library Association Paraprofessional Forum, *but* are these the real "Challenges of the Future" we as library paraprofessionals face? Let's take a look ... Vision! What is it? In the business world, it is usually a futuristic statement of where a group of individuals desire to be. Let us for the moment, and borrowing from Hollywood, go back to the future. Let's go back twenty years and draft a vision statement for library paraprofessionals for the year 2000. I say 20 years ago because many in the library profession associate the automation of libraries in the mid-70s with the dawn of the library paraprofessional. What would that vision statement be? To me, it would probably read something like this: "We envision a library community where all library paraprofessionals are valued for who they are; recognized and rewarded for the role they play within their libraries and the profession; appropriately compensated; and where paraprofessionals have an equal say in the decision-making process that affects their lives and careers." Sounds pretty good, doesn't it? Are we closer to this fictitious vision statement today than we were twenty years ago? You tell me! Are you as a library paraprofessional valued for who you are? Are you recognized and rewarded for the increasingly important role you play in libraries and the profession and are you fairly compensated for it? Do you have a say in the decisions that affect your job? Your career? I see a lot of heads shaking "no" and some nodding "yes." I'll speak about those "yeses" later, but for now I want to address those "noes." Far too often the answer is "No!" We have struggled for recognition - for inclusion - for professional development - for pay equity - within our own library and within the profession. Many of you have struggled and that struggle has pitted you against your administration, your supervisors, and often your fellow library paraprofessionals. Since we continue to struggle that vision is still out there for us. So could we, as library paraprofessionals, be closer to that fictitious vision statement today if we had established a clear vision statement of what we desired twenty years ago? I believe that answer is a definitive "yes!" Vision IS a challenge for our future -- for if we don't know what we want as library paraprofessionals, any road will take us there. From this moment on, we need to unite and draft a clear statement of our vision and work toward achieving that vision. We need to hold that vision up for our coworkers to see, our professional associations to see, and most importantly the profession to see, and we need to use that vision to guide our actions for the future. Now, most business organizations establish vision statements, but it is the planning by those organizations which details what actions need to be taken to advance that vision. That's what I want to address now - Advancement. Earlier when I asked if we were closer to that vision today than twenty years ago some of you nodded your heads "yes." I agree, action steps have been taken but it wasn't by any grand design. Again, if we were to go back twenty years we might have set as our goals: * the creation of a library paraprofessional association in every state: * the creation of a magazine for support staff: * the creation of a national organization for library paraprofessionals: and, * the creation of a network which would facilitate communication between library paraprofessionals and provide a forum to discuss issues and concerns about our profession. As many of you now know, the Council on Library/Media Technicians was formed in 1967, and the American Library Association's Support Staff Interest Round Table was officially formed in 1993. Statewide sections, round tables, and forums, as well as independent associations, have multiplied during the 80s; and of course many of us have been reading "LIBRARY MOSAICS" since 1989 and postings on the Library Support Staff Discussion Listserv since 1992. I believe all of these actions have advanced us forward. We've made other advances due to forces often beyond our control. For example, comparable worth and pay equity efforts in a handful of states during the late 80s elevated some of our salaries. Acceptance of total quality management principles by many of our institutions has led to library paraprofessionals gaining greater control in the decision-making process that affects their jobs. Staff and budgetary cuts have often led to reorganizations - with paraprofessionals heading library units like Interlibrary Loan, Circulation, and Cataloging, just to name a few. The fast-paced change in technology propelled us into our current important role within the profession and that continued pace has led many to believe that in order to serve our customers well - we need a trained and professionally developed paraprofessional staff. We've made advancements! Of course, we've made advancements! You just being here is an advancement from twenty years ago. But, there is a danger, a danger in that we believe we can now slow down, or let up, just because we've made some advancements. Yes, your being here is an advancement but being here shaking you head "no" when I asked if you had reached that vision indicates to me that we still have a ways to go. Advancement is a challenge for our future. Our challenge is to outline what needs to happen between now and the year 2000 to achieve our vision or at least advance us closer to that vision. The challenge will be to come up with a strategy to obtain our goals and -- most importantly -- to use our time, energy, resources, and talents wisely. I would hate to see the year 2000 come around and the main topic of our conversation is what to call us. I know this may sound like a Management 101 course to some of you, but I don't think we as a profession, or our professional associations, have been developed to think this way. For example, when we do reach a goal, we haven't been developed to evaluate it. After all, a goal reached that doesn't do what you intended it to do is not a success. Most of us realize that merely wishing for something doesn't make it happen. The same can be said about our vision and advancing that vision. What will it take for that vision to happen? I believe the answer lies in strong and effective leadership. Who are our prominent leaders of today? There's a Japanese proverb that goes, "Who comes earliest leads the way." In our profession that means those who came earliest to the awareness that they have a library paraprofessional career and work in the library profession are the ones who are leading the way today. So, who are our prominent leaders? They were the first ones at their libraries to charge their own time and spend their own money to attend workshops and conferences so they could get professionally developed. They continued that pursuit of their career even though they were criticized by their paraprofessional coworkers. They were the first ones who willingly shared information with other paraprofessionals on what they had learned even though it often fell on deaf ears. They fought for inclusion and then participated in decision-making committees even though it wasn't part of their job description or didn't result in an increase in salary. They were the first ones who petitioned for, or formed their own, professional groups when none existed. They were often the first officers of their professional associations -- unable to say "no" when asked to run for fear that no one would step forward and say "yes." Who are some of our prominent leaders? People like Bettye Smith, AnnaMarie Kehnast, Meralyn Meadows, Betty Arnold, and Debbie Wolcott to name just a few. They were also the earliest ones to recognize that, although the local and statewide library paraprofessional organizations serve a purpose, some profession-wide issues need to be addressed within the largest library professional association. The formation of the American Library Association Support Staff Interests Round Table is their result -- a result that I believe will make tremendous strides towards achieving our desired state. John Berry, editor of "LIBRARY JOURNAL", once described our leaders in an editorial as those who "keep the new movement on the march." The challenge of the future for our leaders is to not only keep the new movement on the march, but to keep ALL of us marching toward a common vision -- a challenge that will require tremendous cooperation; effective communication; sharing of human and financial resources; soothing of egos; and coalition building with independent library paraprofessional organizations and those which are part of a larger statewide structure. However, the biggest challenge that our leaders face is figuring out how to get library paraprofessionals who believe they work in a 9 to 5 job *aware* that they have a career and are in a profession. That awareness adds another body to the movement; that awareness adds another voice to the movement; and, more importantly, that awareness provides the movement with tomorrow's leaders. Can it be done? Let's just say that I have complete faith in the aforementioned leaders and that I haven't known a job, task, or challenge that library paraprofessionals can't accomplish or meet. That awareness also plays a key role in the current debate over professionalism. I believe that each of us goes through a metamorphosis on our way to full awareness of our career in the library profession. During that metamorphosis the library paraprofessional begins to care -- at first about issues that are of concern to him or herself; then to care about other individuals like themselves; and finally to care about the library and the profession. Our transformation changes the way the library profession sees us, and make no mistake about it -- it is our image that primarily frames the debate over professionalism. I have noticed in my sixteen-year career, and through conversations with library paraprofessionals all across the United States, that the biggest image change is when those in power view you as a person who cares about the library and values the profession. And like the ugly caterpillar that turns into a beautiful butterfly, the image directors and librarians have of us changes from the dumb 9-to-5 clerk into that of a caring library professional. So, what do librarians and directors see at your library? Well, have you ever heard of the expression "one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch"? They are seeing one, two or a handful of shining apples in a rotten-filled bushel. Debate? Debate? There is no doubt in my mind that all of you are caring library professionals ... but we who do care are the minority within the large support staff majority. Our challenge is to change this around. How? I don't profess to have all the answers but if the biggest image change comes when we care about the library and value the profession, then we must try to achieve our vision while always keeping the interests of the library and the profession in mind. This, too, is a challenge since our future plans to achieve our vision may lead to direct conflicts with the very institutions and profession about whose interests we must keep vigilant. Finally, I want to address foresight. Let's begin by asking two questions and I would appreciate a show of hands. First, how many of you pictured yourselves working in a library when you were younger? For those who did, how many saw themselves working as a library paraprofessional? I, too, never dreamed of working in a library when I was younger, and as for working as a library paraprofessional -- enough said. I began working in the New York State Library as part of a college work-study program. It was a very rewarding job. I helped patrons find census data that would enable them to obtain Social Security benefits. After college, I went back to the State Library hoping they would hire me. They did, but in a different section. I have been there ever since, as a mail and supply helper, library aide and now as a library technical assistant. Now you're probably saying, "Ed, what does that have to do with foresight -- the act of looking forward?" Well, it's pretty amazing to me that as we approach the year 2000, you and I are working in a library paraprofessional career and in the library/information profession -- a career and profession we never imagined ourselves being in -- just as our country and the world is entering what many are calling the "Information Age." Now that's foresight on our part! Think about it -- where else would you want to be in the "Information Age" except in a business that collects, processes, disseminates, and stores information? Give yourself a hand for having the foresight to pick the right career for the 21st century! But is the future of libraries in the "Information Age" guaranteed? Is the future of the profession guaranteed? Is our future in libraries and the profession guaranteed? I am fortunate in that I am here not to predict the future but to address what I think are its challenges. However, it doesn't take a fortuneteller to predict that our future is closely linked to a strong library and a strong library profession. It's so crystal clear -- our challenge is to open our eyes and accept that fact! After all, what good is it if we achieve our vision if the institution of the library collapses? What good is it if we work in an information profession when the very information the public needs is unavailable due to rising serial prices, yearly budget cuts, and slashed library hours? What good is it to be valued for who we are if the public, politicians, and administrators view libraries as nonessential? What good will come from making jokes about the usefulness of librarians and the pay they receive when our images and our pay scales are so closely tied together? If it's so crystal clear, why is it so hard for some of us to see this? I believe that our crystal ball is clouded by our past and present struggles. As I look forward, one of the biggest challenges we as library paraprofessionals face is to get library administrators, directors, boards of trustees, library schools, and librarians to open their eyes, look into that crystal ball, and recognize that we -- the large support staff majority -- can make them stronger in the future! I shake my head in disbelief when the majority of library workers are not called upon every time there is a pro-library rally, or a pro- or anti-library legislation lobbying effort. We vote, we can chant slogans, we can carry signs, we can sign petitions, and we can write our legislators! Maybe some day the librarians and the administrators will all stay behind to make sure key services are provided while the large support staff majority goes off to rally on behalf of America's libraries! They should also realize that a library truly can't achieve the heart of its mission -- providing quality service to its customers -- if the large support staff majority is denied professional development opportunities or not allowed to participate in the decision-making process that affects their jobs, as well as their careers? Help us achieve our vision, help us become caring professionals, and we can help the library achieve its mission and make the profession stronger! I would like to close with one more question and again I would like to see a show of hands. How many of you see yourselves working in a library as a paraprofessional five to ten years from now? Take a look around. What's my point? The point is that although some of you may travel another road ...the majority of us will be working as library paraprofessionals into the 21st century. It is you -- the career library paraprofessional -- who needs to come up with that vision statement for the 21st century; work on advancing that vision, become tomorrow's leaders, maintain your professionalism, and have the foresight to realize that your future is tied to a healthy library and library profession. Again, to paraphrase Charles Kettering, "Your challenge is to accept that your interest is in the future of libraries and library paraprofessionals because you are going to spend the rest of your career there." Thank you very much and enjoy the rest of the conference!