The Small College Librarian – Part 1 – Introduction
The Small College Librarian – Part 2 – So Many Jobs, So Little Time
This brings us to multitasking and task switching. Working at a small college library with only four staff members, it is unavoidable. But does it have to control us or can we assert a certain level of control over it? Let me first start by saying that if you want a job where you can start one project or task and continue on that task undisturbed until it is complete, then this is not the job for you. In fact, there are very few professional jobs that can say that. But for librarians, this can be downright daunting if not handled properly. First, even at times when you are completely zoned in on a project and an able to block out thoughts of other projects, the inevitable distractions such as a phone call or a student needing reference assistance will disrupt that progress. A second type of challenge is one where you may have multiple projects in the works that may tempt you to drift off to one of these projects because you feel a sense of urgency. The third type is the most destructive and that is multitasking when you do not have to. This would include bouncing from a project to checking email, to checking news websites or RSS feeds, or whatever shiny object out there that catches your attention. The third type is also the most avoidable.
What comes with the territory?
• Being responsible for the job of several librarians (reference, library instruction, collection development, electronic resource management, etc).
• Disruptions (from library staff, students, faculty, vendors)
• Working on professional development / self education with very little time to do so
The self sabotage activities that can be avoided or managed
• Excessive task switching
• Checking email too often or allowing Outlook’s notifications draw your attention
• Checking various sites throughout the day (news websites, facebook, twitter, etc.
• Electronic devices such as cell phones, pda, etc.
• Spending too much time on any one major area of your job
I am not an expert on the benefits or the perils of multitasking, but I have learned a few things.
First, it is important to set goals and objectives for yourself, both professionally and with what you are doing for your organization. Without a clear path as to where you want to be in a month, year, two years or longer, you will find yourself bouncing from one uncompleted project to another or end up with a series of unrelated projects that do not add up to much. These goals and objectives should be in line with the goals and objectives of your library.
Second, devise a time management strategy that will allow you to divide up your time in such a way that each area will gain the proper amount of attention. Some areas will require more time than others. Be flexible and be willing to make adjustments as you go along. Be mindful of areas that are easy to neglect and schedule time for them. For instance, collection development can be an easy target to keep pushing down the priority chain to the point of where it never gets done. This kind of mistake will catch up with you soon or later. Also, be willing to delegate work to others if you are in a position to do so. You should make lists on what you want to accomplish over periods of time such as per month, per week, and per day. It’s OK to plan more than what is possible to accomplish, but be reasonable in what you can expect to do, prioritize your activities and don’t stress about what you were not able to accomplish as long as it’s a lower priority.
Third, your time management schedule should reflect two things, 1) the times of day when you have long stretches of time where you are not usually interrupted, and 2) the times of day that your mind is at its sharpest. If you are sharp in the morning, then that might be a good time to work on that grant proposal which requires high cognitive and analytical skills. If you are more tired in the afternoon and your mind wanders, that might be a good time to do some cataloguing. The key is to maximize your time based on the flow of your work day and your body cycles.
One of the trickiest parts of balancing multiple projects is that often times we are unable to move on something because we are awaiting information from others such as call backs, email responses, or others to contribute their part of a job. Don’t obsess too much over this, but keep these loose ends on your radar and schedule times to follow up. Make use of something like Outlook’s calendar and set alerts to follow up on a bunch of loose ends at specific times.
Forth, AVOID TIME WASTERS. It should go without saying that work time should be used for work related activity only. But in the digital world, which is where librarians spend most of their time, the lines between the professional and person can blur. Who can say they have never checked or responded to personal email while at work? Who can say they have never looked at a news website or checked in on a social networking website while at work? I would guess very few of us. But this could be a deal breaker when it comes to accomplishing goals or not accomplishing them. Not only does outside activity take time to do, but the task switching involved can derail a project being worked on or it can derail an entire day. Studies have shown that this type of multitasking and task switching saps our ability to do any one particular job well. It also slows us down. If you are working on updating catalog records while also listening to the news, responding to incoming emails as they arrive, or checking your twitter feeds, your cataloging activity will go much slower and you will be more likely to make mistakes. Self control over time management and avoiding self-sabotaging is important. It is also important to not allow technology to control us. If you need to have Outlook open for calendar reminders or quick access to contacts, set the email reminders to minimal setting so they are not constantly popping up notifications and beeping at you every time a new email comes in. If shutting it down completely at times is an option, than that can help as well. Likewise, if you are someone who gets numerous personal phone calls or text messages throughout the day, try to minimize those distractions as well.
Finally, flexibility is not only a virtue, it’s a necessity. Be aggressive in your goals, but go easy on yourself. Remember that you are not working at a large university and are not expected to be a specialist. Depending on how thinly your staff is stretched, you may not be able to tackle every task or part of your job at the highest level that you would like. A day with high reference demand may derail your day’s goal to accomplish a particular task such as updating catalog records. But remember that it is our user community that we are there to serve and should be our number one priority. Take pride in a good days work. Then at the end of the day, go home, leave the job behind, and enjoy your personal life.
The Indiana Online Users Group Spring Meeting will be held on May 14th, 2010 at Indiana Wesleyan University Indianapolis Education Center North. The theme is “You Can Take it With You: Libraries Moving Into Mobile.” Details and registration can be found at http://www.iolug.org/index.php/programs/spring-2010-program/ .
Posted by Richard Bernier 
