MANAGING LIBRARIANS AND STAFF WITH YOUNG CHILDREN
Holly Flynn
Librarianship is an aging profession. As older librarians retire, new librarians must replace them. Indeed, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the profession is expected to grow by 8 percent between 2008 and 2018.1 It also seems logical that these new librarians will be at an age where they wish to start their own families. Therefore, library administration may soon need to deal with issues of parental leave issues and make their libraries more family-friendly for their employees. As a librarian who has had two children in the past three years, and as the manager of an employee with a young child, I propose several tips for effectively managing personnel from maternity leave through school-age children.
IT BEGINS WITH PREGNANCY
Be prepared to allow for flexible scheduling to work around the realities of “morning sickness,” which can happen any time of day. The pregnant librarian may not wish to work at the reference desk first thing in the morning or teach classes at a particular time of day. She may also need to miss some work for monthly doctor’s appointments. Before the birth of the baby, you may want to encourage the librarian to work ahead on projects with looming deadlines, create a manual for her particular job duties, and train coworkers to pick up some of her tasks. This way, her responsibilities are covered while she is on leave, and patrons are not inconvenienced.
MATERNITY LEAVE
Familiarize yourself with your institution’s leave policies and make sure your employee knows what is expected. The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), federal law that became effective in 1993, gives many employees twelve weeks off for the birth or adoption of a child, but it does not mandate that employers pay any wages during that time. This may vary depending on the person’s classification. Faculty-ranked librarians may get full pay for twelve weeks, whereas unionized support staff may not; they may have to rely on vacation accrual. Many new fathers may be eligible for nonmedical-based leave.
RETURNING TO WORK AFTER THE BIRTH OF A BABY
Be flexible about the employee’s return date. This could be delayed for medical reasons or childcare issues. Allow the employee to ease back into her job, working half days for a while. The new mother may not want to take on many projects with quick turnaround times right after she returns to work.
Your normally helpful, eager librarian may be sleep deprived and may feel guilty for leaving her new baby at daycare or with a family member. The need for flexibility remains, for the librarian may have to take time off work for well-baby visits to the doctor. Finally, breastfeeding mothers need a private place to pump—it is not recommended that a woman do this in a bathroom. The mother also needs regular breaks to do this, every three hours or so.
AS THE CHILD GROWS
The need for flexibility continues. Children in daycare contract viruses and spread them to the rest of the family, so the parent eventually needs to stay home to deal with sickness. Additionally, home daycare providers may close if they get sick or go on vacation. Make sure you know your institution’s policies on staff caring for sick family members, such as whether they must take a vacation day or a family sick day.
It is helpful to let librarians know their schedules well in advance. For instance, try to publish your reference desk schedule monthly. This way, parent-librarians have time to make childcare arrangements for night and weekend shifts, when daycare centers are generally closed. This consideration is of utmost importance to single parents. Advance notice on scheduling is appreciated by everyone on the reference desk, not just those with small children.
You may wish to work out a flexible day for a librarian to work at home, especially if her child’s school is closed for a snow day. Many library tasks, from ordering material to updating research guides, can be done remotely. If the person normally staffs a public service point and must be at work, perhaps consider having a “floater” employee who can fill in at a moment’s notice.
You may encourage your employee to add you as an emergency contact at her child’s school, in case the child becomes ill while the parent is at a workshop or conference. Though you may not be comfortable picking the child up, you may know where the mother is and can contact her on behalf of the school.
Some new mothers may be reluctant to leave their children at home in order to attend national conferences. Give the librarian the option of going for only a day or two, or if possible offer a stipend for her to take her family with her. Value the librarian’s contributions to local or statewide organizations as you would with a larger association and provide opportunities for online professional networking. Many national associations now offer a virtual component to their annual conferences.
Additionally, set guidelines about bringing children to work and enforce them. They may vary depending on the type of library. For instance, children of employees at a public library may be able to sit in the children’s section for a short time, whereas there may be no age-appropriate place at other types of libraries.
Finally, you may want to discuss other flex-time issues. During my second pregnancy, I worked with management to secure an academic year appointment in which I worked only a total of nine months per year. Other academic librarians still working their way through the tenure system may wish to investigate stopping the tenure clock, if possible. Make sure the employee knows all of the implications, from keeping health care benefits to reorganizing her job to get everything done in a shorter period of time.
Allowing for flexibility in the library workplace has many positive benefits, and not just for new parents. A fair flex-time policy, including publishing schedules well in advance, is appreciated by everyone. People who work in flexible environments are often happier, more loyal workers. Once a librarian has a child, her priorities may change a bit. Whatever the circumstance, having a supportive supervisor and a flexible, family-friendly workplace helps ensure high productivity.
Note
1. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010–11 edition, “Librarians,” www.bls.gov/oco/ocos068.htm.