S W Huang

A Very Short Course in Time Management for Librarians ~ Judith A. Siess

An expert in solo librarianship and interpersonal networking, Judith Siess, wrote this thought stimulating article for IMPACT! Fall 2005 (the quarterly publication of the Special Libraries Association Leadership & Management Division). She is the President of the One Person Library or OPL (Information Bridges International, Inc.) in the United States. I share my notes below:

• How do a solo librarian “do it all”? - Develop strategic plan - Prioritise the tasks - Work on managing time
• Let Go – Don’t be a perfectionist!
• 1) Learn to say no - Offer alternative - Don’t weaken no with apology
• 2) Question things - What have I got to lose?
• Pareto principle – 80% of work comes from 20% of tasks
• Efficient & Effective – doing the right things right
• Take control of interruptions - Signs answer “where is?” questions - Handouts answer “how do I?” questions - Say “I will be with you in a minute as soon as I finish this task” & make appointment to continue conversation if it takes longer than a minute
• Knowing when to work - 1st two hours of the day is when one is most productive so use them effectively e.g. clear thinking & do not check emails, avoid meetings
• Save time before money - Outsource what you can, especially those things you don’t do well
• Logic-based disposal helps filing - Ask: 1) Does it require action on my part? Yes, action it 2) Does it exist elsewhere? Yes, discard it 3) Is it outdated? Yes, discard it 4) Will I really use it again? Yes, file it 5) Are there tax/legal implications? Yes, file it 6) Can I live with the worst thing that could happen if I don’t have this info? Yes, discard it 7) Does anyone else need this info? Yes, forward it to them - Never file envelopes unless postmark is significant - Write a keyword on item/where to file it when you read it - File items according to How you’ll use it Not where they come fromJudy’s first law of filing: file it back in the 1st place you looked when you spent a lot of time locating it & put pointer to item if for some reason you can’t file it there

posted by juneH @ 7/16/2006 10:32:00 pm