College and Research Libraries ·~----- - - ----~- Tis for Temporary Donna Zufan Pontau and M. Cecilia Rothschild Temporary librarians are employed in a variety of positions in academic libraries, yet the roles of these professionals are rarely discussed. Few statistics are available on their number or use, and professional literature about them is nonexistent. Time limitations influence the work en- vironment for librarians employed in these positions. Four potential problem areas- orientation, supervision, acceptance and integration, and utilization-are discussed. Solu- tions are suggested, and further research is proposed. dministrators of academic li- braries use temporary profes- sionals to replace permanent staff on sabbatical or maternity leave, to work on long-term projects, and to fill positions not available on perma- nent status due to budgetary constraints. Specific parameters define these posi- tions. For example, employment is gener- ally for six months to one year or for a spe- cific time-bound project such as a retrospective conversion of the card cata- log. Maximum job performance is ex- pected quickly. Moreover, the duties and responsibilities of these positions necessi- tate the librarian's immediate integration into the library structure, staff, and cul- ture. Lastly, temporary librarians are both restricted from and ineligible for certain assignments that may be available to tenture-track or career librarians. The hiring of temporary professionals is a management option that offers distinct advantages to the employer. The salaries for these professionals are often lower than those of new permanent librarians. Temporary appointments are not tenure- track or career positions, and therefore these professionals do not receive some of the benefits that accrue to other librarians. Temporary staff also provide flexibility in times of budget or enrollment declines. Fi- nally, as new personnel they contribute fresh ideas. Temporary librarians, despite their use, constitute an unrecognized segment of the professional library work force. Con- sequently, issues pertaining to this group have not been investigated. One primary issue is the fact that the time constraints affecting temporary appointments pro- duce distinct needs for these librarians. Problems arise if time's influence is not recognized and counteracted by manage- ment. The following discussion notes the absence of information on temporary pro- fessionals and examines potential prob- lems resulting from unmet needs in the ar- eas of orientation, supervision, accep- tance and integration, and utilization . Measures to prevent these problems are presented. The use of temporary librarians is a topic that has not been addressed in the profes- sional literature. No relevant citations were retrieved through online searches of LISA, ERIC, Dissertation Abstracts On- line, and Psycinfo or through a manual search of Library Literature from 1921 to the present. During these searches, however, two articles were discovered on tempo- rary university faculty. In the first article, Eugene Jabker and Ronald Halinski re- ported the results of their 1978 study of temporary faculty at Illinois State Univer- sity. The second article was a more recent discussion of the status and condition of temporary faculty. 1 Both articles were in Donna Zufan Pontau is a reference librarian on a temporary appointment at the Clark Library, San Jose State University, San Jose, California 95192-0028. M. Cecilia Rothschild, formerly a temporary reference librarian at San Jose State University, is an information sciences intern at the Defense Technical Information Center, Ca- meron Station, Alexandria, Virginia 22304-6145. 150 agreement: the use of temporary faculty may result in long-range curriculum de- velopment problems and other immediate difficulties such as office assignments. While specifics differ, the substance of these articles corroborate several points that are made in the following discussion. Indexes and databases in other disci- plines were searched to ascertain the use, if any, of temporary professionals. 2 No ar- ticles were found on temporary profes- sionals in the social science, medical, or - engineering fields . Citations in the Busi- ness Periodicals Index, Work-Related Ab- stracts, Personnel Literature, ABIIINFORM, and Management Contents focused pri- marily on the demand for temporary, short-term clerical workers in the corpo- rate sector and thriving temporary agen- cies. In a 1983 article from Supervisory Man- agement on the management of short-term temporary employees, the authors con- firm some of the points highlighted in this paper. 3 Several of the business articles and a new book, Temporary Employment by De- maris C. Smith, mentions the increasing demand for temporary employees in the _ ' ' technical, professional, industrial and health-care fields. " 4 A recent U.S. News and World Report article reported that 19.5 percent of the temporary-worker demand is for technical and professional person- nel. 5 In a personal interview, Laura McGuire Mackall of the National Associa- tion of Temporary Services commented that temporary services is one of the fast- est growing industries in the United States. 6 The total number of working temporary librarians, past or present, is unknown. Library statistical sources such as ACRL University Library Statistics, ARL Statistics, California Library Statistics, and the King Research study titled Library Human Re- sources: A Study of Supply and Demand pro- vide no category for this classification .7 Furthermore, Sandy Raeside of the ALA Office for Library Personnel Resources re- ported that she knew of no study giving this information; personnel at ACRL headquarters concurred. 8 According to an October 1, 1985, Library Journal article on the placements and salaries of 1984 gradu- ates of ALA-accredited library schools, Tis for Temporary 151 257 persons were placed in temporary professional positions. The total number of temporary placements was 242 in 1983 and 228 in 1982.9 Since statistics are lim- ited, it is not known, for example, whether temporary librarians are a grow- ing factor in the library work force. The thirty-fourth annual placement and salary report does lend credibility to the suspi- cion that the numbers are increasing. If so, as in the recent trend to hire more tempo- rary teaching faculty, this fact could have significant repercussions for libraries. 10 Five years of job advertisements (1980-85) in College & Research Libraries News were reviewed in order to gain an idea of the number of librarians employed in temporary positions. Approximately 2 percent were for temporary appoint- ments. Local or regional job lines, news- papers, and other job notices also an- nounce the existence of temporary positions. None of the temporary posi- tions announced in 1984 through the local media in the northern California area were found advertised in C&RL News. The com- puted 2 percent statistic from the C&RL News job advertisements is, therefore, lower than the actual number of available temporary positions. The establishment of firms such as Ad- vanced Information Management (AIM) in Mountain View, California, also testi- fies to the demand for temporary librari- ans. Established two years ago, Advanced Information Management supplies a vari- . ety of qualified information personnel to local employers for short- or long-term contracts. At present, academic libraries make few requests for AIM's services. On the other hand, special and· public libraries are regular customers. Anne Porter Roth, director of placement for AIM, suspects that requests from academic libraries will increase in the years ahead. 11 Very little is known about the number of · temporary librarians employed by type of library or by length of appointment. As mentioned earlier, longer appointments are common in academic libraries and generally require the temporary profes- sional to become at least partially inte- grated into the institution. It is to these in- dividuals and their situation that the 152 College & Research Libraries following discussion is addressed. POTENTIAL PROBLEMS Problems can occur for all new employ- ees with respect to orientation, supervision, acceptance and integration, and utilization. The temporary nature of the assignment, however, increases the likelihood that problems will occur for temporary profes- sionals in these areas. Orientation As part of the orientation for any new employee, libraries provide access to their policies and procedures manuals, annual reports, and organization charts. Tours of the library facilities are also a standard segment of the orientation. Because tem- porary professionals are needed on the job as quickly as possible, the orientation is both abridged and accelerated. For exam- ple, specific details about other library de- partments, services, and policies may be omitted, overlooked, or touched on briefly by those giving the orientation. A large amount of material, however, is still presented rapidly. Temporary librarians will not absorb new details and facts evenly. General principles of learning and memory retention predict that memory loss is to be expected. 12 Temporary profes- sionals do not have the luxury of learning slowly, because the library does not have the luxury of providing a more extensive orientation. Supervision Adequate supervision and feedback, necessary for all librarians, are critical for temporary librarians, given the abbrevi- ated nature of the orientation and the ex- pectation of immediate, full performance in the assigned position. Close supervi- sion is required during the first few weeks of employment to help the temporary li- br~ian quickly learn the philosophy and idiosyncracies of the department and to gauge and modify his or her performance on the job. Therefore, insufficient supervi- sion may compound difficulties arising from an abbreviated orientation. March 1986 Acceptance and Integration Acceptance and integration into the ex- isting library staff and culture are impor- tant components of the temporary librari- an's successful performance. Though similar, these distinct processes impact on one another; acceptance may be viewed as a precondition for integration. Moreover, for acceptance and integration to occur, temporary librarians must be seen as mak- ing a contribution to the workplace equal to that of their permanent colleagues. The following can contribute to the reluctance by permanent staff to fully accept and in- tegrate temporary librarians. First, library administrators may be hes- itant to assign temporary professionals to specific job responsibilities such as collec- tion development or participation on cam- pus projects. Administrators may believe that the short tenure of the temporary li- brarian is not conducive to the develop- ment of the necessary relationships be- tween the librarian and the faculty. Second, the staff, though clear about the stated responsibilities of the temporary position, may be uncertain how to trans- late these responsibilities into day-to-day job assignments. For example, biblio- graphic instruction may be a listed duty in the job advertisement, but questions arise about the quantity, grade-level, and sub- ject areas assigned to the temporary librar- ian as well as his or her readiness to con- duct the sessions. Third, the staff may be uninformed about the background, quali- fications and experience of the temporary professional. This factor could inhibit pro- fessional interactions between the tempo- rary professional and his or her col- leagues. Three additional issues affect the per- sonal interactions between the temporary librarian and the permanent staff. First, permanent staff may unintentionally cre- ate a second-class status for the temporary employee by applying the label''tempo- rary. '' Second, the permanent staff and the temporary professionals may both maintain a certain distance knowing that the position is limited by definition and any new friendships may be short-lived. Lastly, the temporary librarian may hesi- tate to join local professional organiza- tions or to become involved in activities re- quiring significant time and/ or financial commitment. Utilization Administrators seek maximum perfor- mance from all employees, yet two super- visorial oversights contribute to the un- derutilization of those employees with temporary appointments .. Although li- brarians are recruited through advertise- ments listing the major job responsibili- ties, most permanent positions have detailed job descriptions that elaborate those duties cited in the job advertise- ment. Temporary positions, however, may not have written job descriptions, or the existing job description, written for a permanent employee, may not accurately reflect the job responsibilities assigned to his or her temporary substitute. By not planning beyond the immediate, primary job responsibilities, library administrators may fail to specify and structure second- ary or supplemental duties. Defining the temporary professional's role too nar- rowly can waste staff hours, energy, en- thusiasm, and experience. Any new employee cannot iminediately perform all assigned job responsibilities; rather the employee learns in stages until proficiency is achieved in all work assign- ments. The new temporary librarian's en- ergies are focused on the primary work as- signment; therefore, he or she gains competence in it quickly. Administrators may not appreciate this special circum- stance and incorrectly estimate the amount of time a temporary librarian needs to learn the job. When coupled with the temporary librarian's restriction from certain types of responsibilities and an in- complete or nonexistent job description, a problem of unstructured time may be cre- ated. The temporary librarian, though en- gaged in useful enterprises, may not be serving the most important needs of the employing library. These special circum- stances increase the likelihood that under- utilization will occur. SUGGESTIONS These suggestions are offered to stimu- Tis for Temporary 153 late thinking among temporary profes- sionals and those who work with this seg- ment of the library work force. These ideas were developed during discussions be- tween the authors and in consultation with two additional temporary librarians employed at the Clark Library, San Jose State University. The suitability of these proposals may vary depending on the in- dividual institution and its unique circum- stances. As with the previous discussion, the solutions will be divided into .the four major categories. However, these pro- posals may be applicable to more than one · issue. Orientation Only a small percentage of the informa- tion presented during an orientation is re- tained by any new employee. The new permanent employee has ample time and opportunity to reinforce the new informa- tion. The new temporary employee, due to time pressures, must be able to learn, use, and dispense this information quickly. Existing procedures can be used as a foundation for the development of an orientation program tailored to meet the unique needs of the temporary librarian. One aid to compensate for the mem- ory's limitation is to provide a package of quick reference materials. A package de- veloped for a new temporary reference li- brarian could include a map of the refer- ence and index collections, a brief summary of frequently used procedures with page references to the department manual and other appropriate sources, answers to commonly asked directional questions, and a detailed map of the cam- pus and the surrounding neighborhood. Assigning the responsibility for the orien- tation to one staff member is a second means for counteracting the brevity of the presentation. Inevitably, temporary li- brarians will have questions, and the staff member coordinating the orientation will expect to receive these inquiries and serve as a resource person. Supervision As stated earlier, close supervision is important to a new temporary librarian, 154 College & Research Libraries yet it need not occupy an inordinate amount of a supervisor's time. Daily scheduled sessions of five to fifteen min- utes would provide a mechanism for ques- tions and constructive feedback. The need for such sessions would decrease in fre- quency and length as the temporary li- brarian gained experience. As an added benefit, these supervisory meetings would aid in the preparation of future for- mal evaluations. Acceptance and Integration The acceptance and integration of any new staff member evolves over time; this naturally occurring process, however, must be fostered in order to fit the time de- mands of the position. The temporary li- brarian's resume could be circulated to all staff, an article could be written for the li- brary's newsletter, or a small welcoming party could be held. Also, it is important for the temporary librarian to know about his/her new colleagues and the library's history. This information expedites entry into the informal library network. All de- partment staff could exchange relevant personal and professional histories at ei- ther a special staff meeting or the first scheduled meeting after the new librari- an's arrival. A mentor system could aid the accep- tance and integration process for tempo- rary librarians. A mentor eases the tempo- rary librarian's entrance into the library network by serving as a liaison between the temporary librarian and the perma- nent staff. Questions about staff interac- tions, office politics, or library policies and procedures as well as interpretations of colleagues' personalities and styles could be discussed in an informal setting. A mentor could also improve the visibility of the new temporary professional and assist him/herin establishing contacts with ap- propriate persons. 13 The acceptance and integration of the temporary librarian can also be assisted by administrative policies and decisions. Re- lease time and travel funds for continuing education could be made available for temporary librarians. Also, they could participate in appropriate in-house train- ing programs. These actions would help March 1986 the temporary librarian become a contrib- uting colleague and a participant in the li- brary profession. Utilization Administrative planning is the key ele- ment in productive utilization of all em- ployees. According to Sheila Creth, the ef- fective use of human resources by managers is important to maintain or im- prove library efficiency and effective- ness.14 Because the temporary librarian is employed for a short period of time, plan- ning is especially important. Having a de- tailed and unique job description and a special projects "wish list" reduces the possibility of underutilization. Otherwise, the temporary professional's time will be spent on low-priority tasks instead of high-priority projects. Receiving a detailed job description upon arrival permits the temporary pro- fessional to gauge the work load and to proceed toward attaining the proficiency needed for each individual assignment. Since the primary work assignment is highlighted during interviews, the job de- scription provides a way for specifying im- portant, often unknown, secondary du- ties. Part of the secondary duties section of a job description could be a "wish list" of worthwhile projects compiled by the li- brary. Selection of the specific project would be based on the temporary librari- an's skills, interests, and background and the priorities of the library. Staff and money shortages in recent years have eaten away the "extra" time in a week ex- pended on creating new services, bibliog- raphies, or handouts; weeding sections of the collection; or cataloging and classify- ing special collections. The temporary li- brarian could use unscheduled time to complete these neglected but substantial and valuable tasks and leave behind a per- manent and visible contribution to the li- brary. An important tool to set the direction for the library and its employees is the use of . goals and objectives. The new profes- sional, especially a temporary profes- sional, needs to have a clear idea how to focus his/her energies. The establishment of personal goals and objectives within the first quarter of the employment period as- sures all parties that the temporary librari- an's time and efforts will be gainfully spent. FINAL THOUGHTS Temporary positions are beneficial to the employer. Such appointments are equally advantageous to the employee. First, it is employment; with today' s tight job market, any job is better than none at all. Second, the experience gained in a temporary position can serve as a spring- board to obtaining permanent positions for re-entry librarians and recent library school graduates. Third, temporary posi- tions offer the opportunity to explore dif- ferent types of work and different types of institutions. Tis for Temporary 155 Although the potential for problems ex- ists, temporary appointments are valuable for both libraries and librarians. With in- creased knowledge, forethought, and planning, librarians and administrators working together can combat or avoid problems addressed in this discussion. Documentation on the role and demo- graphic characteristics of temporary li- brarians need to be collected. Therefore, the authors are preparing a research study to gather data about the number, use, characteristics, and unique needs of tem- porary librarians in academic libraries. By using this information, administrators will gain more efficient and productive temporary librarians, and the work expe- rience of temporary librarians will be en- hanced. REFERENCES 1. Eugene H. Jabker and Ronald S. Balinski, The Invisible Faculty in Higher Education: Temporary Fac- ulty U.S., Educational Resources Information Center, ED 152133, (Mar. 1978), Julian F. S. Foster, "The Condition of Temporary Faculty," PS, 16:508-12 (1983) . 2. Additional databases searched were Information Science Abstracts, Pais International, Scisearch, Medline, Social Scisearch, Sociological Abstracts, GPO Monthly Catalog, Biosis, Compendex, In- spec, Nursing and Allied Health, and Books in Print. 3. Rose E. Knotts and Theodore J. Halatin, "What to Do about Temps," Supervisory Management, 27:38-41 (Apr. 1982). 4. Samuel R. Sacco, "The Growing Importance of Temporary Employees," Office, 100:42,47 (Sept . 1984); Demaris C. Smith, Temporary Employment (White Hall, Va: Betterway, 1985). 5. "Behind Hiring of More Temporary Employees," U.S. News and World Report, 98:76,79 (Feb. 25, 1985). 6. Laura McGuire Mackail. Interview with author, December 17, 1985. 7. Julie A. C. Virgo, Sarah How, and Annette Fern, camps. ACRL University Library Statistics: 1978-79 (Chicago: Assn. of College and Research Libraries, 1980); Nicola Daval and Alexander Lichten- stein, comps., ARL Statistics: 1983-84 (Washington, D.C. : Assn. of Research Libraries, 1985); Cali- fornia State Library, Library Development Services Bureau. California Library Statistics 1984 (Sacra- mento : Calif. State Library, 1984); King Research Library Human Resources: A Study of Supply and Demand (Chicago: American Library Assn., 1983). 8. Sandy Raeside. Telephone conversation with author, April3, 1985, and September 16, 1985; tele- phone call to ACRL headquarters, September 16, 1985. 9. Carol L. Learmont and Stephen Van Howten, "Placements and Salaries 1984: No Surprises," Li- brary Journal, 110:59-65 (Oct . 1, 1985). 10. Maxine Hairston, "We're Hiring Too Many Temporary Instructors," Chronicle of Higher Education 30:80 (Apr . 17, 1985). 11. Anne Porter Roth . Telephone conversation with author, December 16, 1985. 12. Rita L. Atkinson, Richard C. Atkinson, and Ernest R. Hilgard, "Memory," in Introduction toPsy- chology, 8th ed . (New York: Harcourt, 1983). 13. Patricia Berry, "Mentors for Women Managers : Fast-track to Corporate Success?" Supervisory Management 28:36-40 (Aug. 1983). 14. Sheila Creth, "Personnel Planning, Job Analysis, and Job Evaluation with Special Reference to Academic Libraries," in Advances in Librarianship. V .12, Wesley Simonton, ed. (New York: Aca- demic, 1982), p .47-97.