Reprinted from the American Association of Law Libraries 95th Annual
Meeting
The Orange Peel
Convention Newspaper
Issue
3; Tuesday, July 23, p. 1, 8
Measure
for Measure: Competencies and Law Librarians
by Bobbie Studwell,
Chair
Special
Committee to Develop Performance Measures for Law Librarians
Are
you a firm or special librarian working on you own? Are you a member of a large
court, county or academic library organization? Do you wonder how your skills
stack up to others in similar or very different organizations? Do you wonder if
the annual performance evaluation undertaken by your organization really reflects
the skill sets you use every day as a librarian? These are questions the Special
Committee to Develop Performance Measures for Law Librarians has been exploring
for the past year. We now need your input.
Approximately
two years ago, AALL developed a set of competencies for law librarianship. To
help law librarians attain these competencies, we need to find ways to measure
progress towards that goal. Our committee has focused our efforts on locating
information developed by experts in other fields, such as the American Institute
for Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) www.cpatoolbox.org/overview.htm.
Additionally, relying on advice we have received experts in the performance competency
field, we have created a list of key elements or criteria derived from the previous
AALL list of competencies. We need you to validate that list and our ideas.
The
committee members listed below will solicit input on the list of measurable criteria
and definitions found at the end of this article. These elements or criteria fall
into the following broad competency areas; a) Functional Expertise/Knowledge/Abilities,
b) Communication Skills, c) Leadership, d) Professional Perspective, and e) Personal
Attributes.
During
the remainder of the Annual Meeting, if you have other ideas or questions about
our work, you can personally contact the committee members attending this year's
meeting: Chair, Bobbie Studwell, Sarah Reneker Andeen, Darcy Kirk, Michele Finerty,
Carol Suhre, and Mary Jane Kelsey. After the meeting you can also contact: Michael
Miller (Mike.Miller@courts.state.md.us)
and Denny Haythorn (dhaythorn@law.whittier.edu).
By
the end of the fall, a survey for you to use to validate our work will be sent
to selected members of the Association. We hope you will take a little of your
valuable time to fill it out and help us move into our committee's final phase
of thinking and innovation which includes the development of a competency measurement
device that can be used in all types of law libraries. Our committee's final report
and measurement device ideas will be available at next year's Annual Meeting.
Critical
Competency Criteria and Definitions
Functional
Expertise/Knowledge/Abilities
Mental Agility--Ability
to deal with multiple issues and details; alert; possesses broad learning capacity;
approach problems resourcefully and creatively; actively pursues related information
Problem Solving--Anticipates problems, determines the nature of
problems by asking appropriate questions, invites ideas, reviews documentation,
determines probable causes, and implements solutions
Attention
to Detail--Ability to review details quickly; keep accurate records; produce
error-free work
Personal
Attributes/Qualities
Accountability--Maintains
motivation when faced with challenges; takes initiative beyond routine responsibilities;
meets deadlines; accepts responsibility for mistakes
Adaptability/Flexibility--Responsive
to changes in the library organization and to the work styles of others; maintains
focus on a task or project in the face of numerous interruptions; when interrupted,
judges how to proceed
Client
Focus--Demonstrates a concern for the needs and expectations of clients and
makes them a high priority; maintains contact with clients; understands client
needs and makes them the focus of organizational decision making and action
Persistence--Can
see problems or issues through to completion; overcomes organizational or structural
barriers
Enthusiasm-Willingness
to actively promote and advocate for the library profession, the institution,
and others; promotes and advocates both to other librarians and to non-librarians
Self-Management--Ability
to maintain motivation and work independently for extended periods of time with
minimal support and approval; takes initiative
Professional
Perspective
Understanding
People--Perceives and responds to behavioral cues; have insight into the reasons
underlying the behavior and actions of others; can analyze the motives and feelings
of colleagues, clients, and others
Teamwork--Ability
to work effectively with other groups in order to further the common goals of
the institution
Community
Perspective-Understands the role the library plays within the larger community;
recognizes the importance of other departments and works to achieve the best solution
for the entire institution
Reliability/Trustworthiness--Behaves
consistently and predictably; is dependable, able to gain trust by being honest;
works with integrity; and meets commitments
Empathy--Understands
and displays sensitivity to others needs and concerns; minimizes anxiety and frustration
Tactfulness--Respectfully
responds to information requests; handles colleagues, clients, and others in one-on-one
and group meetings with poise and diplomacy; respects the ideas and input of others;
and respectfully suggests or implements divergent solutions
Ethics-High
personal and professional standards; is fair and honest
Leadership
Risk
Taking--Takes calculated, prudent risks; open to experimenting with new approaches
to discover if they will be successful; takes responsibility for making difficult
decisions; willing to implement solutions and ideas which may be unpopular, new,
or different
Critical
Analysis--Synthesizes diverse information and analyzes data in order to make
informed decisions
Credibility-Keeps
promises; honors commitments; accepts responsibility for mistakes; hones and truthful
when communicating information; behaves consistently with espoused values
Negotiation-Compromises
and reaches acceptable solutions without alienating others in the process; can
influence others both within and outside the institution; persuasively presents
thoughts and ideas; can make appropriate trade?offs; wins concessions without
damaging relationships; and influences, motivates and persuades others in order
to achieve institutional and departmental objectives
Vision-Conceptualizes
what tools are needed by the library in order to effectively implement programs
Communication
Skills
Oral
Communication--Speaks to clients and others clearly, professionally and tactfully;
explains complicated issues and procedures simply and accurately; able to identify
users' level of knowledge and provides understandable information; translates
technical jargon into understandable terms
Writing
Skills-Able to expresses ideas clearly and concisely on paper
Listening--Recognizes
feelings, concerns and underlying messages of others; identifies important information
in oral transactions, pays attention to orally presented facts and details
Sociability--Desires
and values interaction with others; relates to a wide variety of people; works
effectively with others to accomplish common goals.
Consulting--Checks
with people before making changes that affect them; encourages participation in
decision making; allows others to influence decisions
Presentation
Skills--Able to teach the use of available resources and tools; gives directions
clearly; advocates effectively for library concerns and issues
Maintaining
Open Relationships--Promotes and maintains clear lines of communication with
a wide range of individuals and entities
