This document outlines a presentation on human resource management challenges in libraries. The presentation covers: an overview of issues facing libraries today from budget cuts to new competitors; the impact of rapid change on library staff including stress and low morale; the need for strategic HR practices to support staff through change, like ongoing training and workplace flexibility; different approaches to change management ranging from expert-led to participatory; and ensuring staff have a clear vision of how the library will transform. The goal is for libraries to better prepare and support staff through ongoing organizational changes.

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Human Resource Management in Libraries:
Issues, Practices, and Challenges
Presentation agenda
 Overview of libraries
 The issues facing libraries in todays society
 The impact of change on the human resource element within the organisation
 The challenge of adopting strategic human resource practices in today’s libraries
 Human resource management styles: the challenge of preparing for change in the library
 The challenge of providing a clear and articulated vision of change in the library
 Managing change for a successful and sustainable future
 Conclusion and opportunity for questions
Created by Susan Kane
Assessment 2: INF333
Student No. 11366865

2. Overview of libraries
For more than a decade the library professional has had to face
Libraries must be able to demonstrate the recreational, social, educational, and economical
value we represent to our communities.
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Continual
challenges
Dilemmas
Rapidly changing
environment
Libraries are now in a process of fundamental change

3. Issues facing libraries in today’s society
Libraries are now facing pressure on all sides from new and emerging information
professionals, google and amazon, all trying to do what we do better.
External Environmental Issues Internal Organisational Challenges
Aging workforce
Organisation restructure
Changing nature of collection
delivery
Retaining the right person for
the right position
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Budgetary issues
Globalisation
Technology issues
Convergence and competition

4. The impact of change on the human resource
element within the organisation
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Staff having difficulties handling change
Stress
Low morale
Lack of motivation
Resentment
Organisation not being able to reach goals and
objectives
These issues need to be addressed by organisations adopting strategic human resource
practices, particularly if the organisation has not experienced change before of any
significance.

5. The challenge of adopting strategic human resource
practices in today’s libraries
Traditional human resource practices Strategic human resource practices
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Recruitment and
selection
Compensation
benefits
Training and
development
Employee and
labour issues
Interpersonal skills
Teams created and flexibility
A practice of ongoing technology
training
Workplace flexibility
encouraged
Maintain a
number of
traditional
practices

6. Human resource management styles: the
challenge of preparing for change in the library
Five broad approaches management can adopt to bring in planned change include undertaking one
of the following approaches during periods of change.
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Expert Strategy Approach
Negotiating Strategy Approach
Educative Approach
The Directive Approach
Participative Approach

7. The challenge of providing a clear and articulated
vision of change in the library
Regardless of the approach that you may choose for planned change.
it must be noted that to bring about any change in the organisation there has to be
provided a clear and articulated vision of:
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These are the challenges of human resource management in today’s libraries
What the
service will look
like
How it might
perform
How it will be
evaluated at
some future

8. Challenges of managing staff during the
change process
One of the main challenges facing human resource management in
libraries is managing staff during the change process in a participatory
management style which sympathises with their needs as human beings
during periods of change.
Listen to staff
Respect staff
Continual communication with staff
Striving for fairness in the workplace
Supporting staff through the change process
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9. Conclusion
I hope from todays presentation you are now able to recognise the issues and
challenges facing libraries and human resource management in the 21st century.
The coming decade will see a greater emphasis on staff flexibility, participative
management, a rapidly evolution in the nature of work performed and an
increasing emphasis on working smarter and delivering more for less.
I have provided a list of annotations which will provide you with additional
information on today’s topic. This information will be distributed as you leave
today’s presentation
Thank you for attending today’s presentation.
Does anyone have any questions?
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