Page 68 - DLIS003_LIBRARY ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT

Unit 4: Job Analysis and Evaluation

Demonstrated knowledge of library materials and resources Notes
Creativity to develop and implement library programs and services
Ability to communicate both orally and in writing

Employs management techniques effectively in directing, planning, organizing,
staffing, coordinating, budgeting, and evaluating the library’s operation
Experience

Typically four to ten years of experience as a librarian, although will vary greatly
by size of library and responsibilities of the job
A couple of years of supervisory experience

Demonstrated interest in professional development through attending workshops
and conferences
Career Path

Library managers who excel in their area of work may make excellent candidates
for a library director, with the realization that it can be a very different, outward-
focused position from even a deputy or assistant director.
Finding a Job
Library manager positions span a wide range in terms of how they are posted. If
there are several strong internal candidates, the position may only be posted in the
library. At the other extreme, a consulting firm or “head hunter” may be hired to
conduct a search on a national basis. Jobs at this level are often posted in library
publications, such as American Libraries, Library Journal, Library Hotline, and
electronically on library electronic discussion lists, library websites, library
cooperative websites, and state association websites.
Source: http://www.ala.org/educationcareers/careers/librarycareerssite/whatyouneedlibrarymgr

4.2 Job Evaluation

Job evaluation as evident from the word itself aims at evaluating the job and not the person. It
is a process of evaluating and determining the value of the job for a library. The evaluation is
always in relative and not absolute terms. The idea is evaluate a certain job against other jobs in
the library so that a fair compensation system against various bands or levels can be established.
Libraries use various ways to evaluate jobs for arriving upon a compensation scheme. They
vary with the size of the library and the kind of industry they operate in. Job ranking, pair
comparison and benchmarking are the various ways of evaluation.
The simpler or the easiest to perform is the job ranking method. In this method the jobs are
taken as a whole and ranked against each other. The jobs are ordered according to perceived
seniority. Such method is easier to apply in a small library but gets complicated once used for
large corporations.
The other method is the pair comparison method where jobs are compared in pairs. It is more
structured approach to comparing jobs. Yet another method is benchmarking where certain jobs
are slotted and then examined in detail. These are then used as benchmarks in evaluating
various jobs.
In addition Point Factor Analysis is also used to evaluate various jobs. The method is an old and
tested one. In this method jobs are broken down into various factors such as skills required,

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