OLA Quarterly focuses on Support Staff!

The latest version of the OLA Quarterly focuses on Support Staff this time.  With a wonderful introduction by our very own Margaret Harmon-Myers, it dives right into the Oregon Support Staff world.


Library Support Staff Today and How it Has Changed by Suzanne L. Sager
Where are support staff  used in libraries versus librarians?  Librarians can sometimes become support staff when jobs are scarce, and that can be a very good thing.

In We Are Rich in One Another: The OLA Support Staff Division's First Twenty Years, Susan R. Gilmont acquaints us with the very beginnings of SSD, and how it involved... New Jersey?

Working With, Not For: Confronting the Us vs Them mindset between Information Services and Access Services in a Major Urban Library System by Angela Weyrens
You may recognize your library's hierarchical structure in this article, and if you are looking to shift over to a more collaborative environment, don't miss Angela's sage and sensible conclusions.

Community Relations Profile: "Team CR" Tina Davis and Liz Goodrich by Nate Pedersen and Liisa Sjoblom
The initial picture in this article is worth the price of admission alone! But definitely read it for their own (and better) version of public relations.

Teamwork: It Starts With Hello by Jay Hadley
Not sure what to say to your coworkers? Read this article and wish you could work with Jay, too.

Simple ways to use ergonomics at your library

Have you slipped into some bad habits as we're slipping into winter?   A lot of us want to curl up when the weather turns colder, but you need to uncurl yourself on a regular basis. For some of us, we do that by going to work and shelving, squatting, lifting and walking, etc. But then we have to be careful we use good posture and the right motions when we do these things. 

The proCPR blog has a nice little post about ergonomics called 6 Ways to Avoid Injury with Ergonomics.  I like the 20-20-20 reminder about your eyes.

There is a outdated link in the article to "The Ultimate Guide to Ergonomics". The link provided here should work, but it takes you to it though the Internet Archive Wayback Machine.

The iLibrarian link above has a stretching regime, but I always feel self conscious stretching at work, especially out in public areas.  But sometimes you just have to take care of your health regardless of how silly you might think you look.

Do you stretch at your library?  Are you the type that doesn't care what others think, or do you try to find a quiet corner?