2013 PILOT OF ONLINE STAFF EVALUATION SYSTEM LEADS TO LIBRARIES' ADOPTION OF SYSTEM

A recurring question among both staff and supervisors in the Libraries, Press and Copyright Office over the years has been “Why can’t we put our performance management system online?” Several times we looked into adopting existing online systems or creating one of our own, and decided that we could not justify devoting resources to either purchase or develop an online system. Now, however, Dean’s Council has decided that Libraries will take advantage of an online system offered by the Leadership and Organizational Development (LOD) group from campus Human Resources.

Here’s how we got to this point. About two years ago, LOD created a task force to look into an online staff evaluation system for clerical/service (C/S) and administrative/professional (A/P) staff. The SAP online system was selected and provided for campus units to use as one way to fulfill the University’s requirement for performance evaluations for C/S and A/P staff. In 2013, a Libraries group which included the associate deans, some members of the Planning and Operations Council (POC) and several operations managers met with LOD staff to explore using the new system. The work of this group resulted in some customization of the content of LOD’s online staff evaluation system to include Libraries-wide goals which apply to all staff members.

DC and POC agreed to conduct a Libraries pilot of the online system, during the latter half of 2013, with the A/P staff who report directly to DC and POC members. LOD provided multiple training sessions for both the staff and their supervisors. The A/P staff took their notes from the performance planning discussions already under way with their supervisors and transferred them into the online tool. Staff members and supervisors used the tool to collaboratively create and update goals, establish individual development plans and document progress. At the end of the year, staff members completed final updates and requested their supervisors to begin the evaluation process, which included discussions between staff members and their supervisors and the assignment of ratings by supervisors.

The forty-six people who participated in the pilot were asked to respond to a survey about their experience of using the online system. Several concerns were raised by respondents, including confusion between Libraries-wide goals and individual goals and some problems with navigation within the online tool. Most respondents, however, were appreciative of the process, indicating that it worked very well and encouraged frequent updates of information. The inclusion of an individually-focused development plan was seen as a very positive element of the system. The online tool was described as helpful and as an efficient place to record everything, including training.

Survey respondents who had experience in prior years with the Libraries’ existing performance management system for A/P staff (using the Form A, B and C Word documents) were asked to also comment on how they would compare the two approaches. While some expressed a preference for the existing system, most stated a strong preference for the online staff evaluation system, commenting that it’s streamlined, less timing consuming and has a more logical flow. The online approach was described as being easier to use, with specific comments indicating that it’s easier to organize and maintain the information recorded in it, and that the tool allows for more frequent updating and monitoring.

Dean’s Council has decided to adopt the online staff evaluation system for use by C/S and A/P staff and their supervisors and LOD is now preparing the online tool for Libraries’ use for 2014. When the tool is ready, LOD will schedule training sessions. The sessions will cover goal setting, including how individual goals relate to Libraries-wide goals, plus how to develop an individualized staff development plan and how to navigate the online tool. Please stay tuned for more information.

LIBRARIES WELCOME VISITING SCHOLAR

Purdue University Libraries welcomes a second visiting scholar from China, Ms. Tianfang Dou. Dou comes to us from Beijing where she is the Deputy Director of the Systems Department of the Tsinghua University Library. “I had the pleasure to meet Tianfang Dou when she first visited Purdue in September 2012, with a group from Tsinghua Libraries (INSIDe, 9/19/12).  I am so pleased to have Dou return to Purdue and to have the opportunity to work with her more closely, said Beth McNeil, associate dean for Academic Affairs.

Dou will spend the next three months in the D2C2, studying our research data systems and services as well as identifying and collaborating on new scholarship in library science that can be engaged between Purdue and Tsinghua. "Dou hit the ground running, meeting with more than a dozen of our librarians and becoming embedded in the PURR team. She brings a wealth of experience, and she has already made valuable contributions to our work in the short time she has been with us," said Michael Witt, associate professor and Head of D2C2.

Tianfang Dou
Visiting Scholar
Tsinghua University Library

I am so glad to join the Purdue University Libraries as a short-term visiting scholar. I have been here for more than three weeks and will stay here until July. I went through the wonderful short spring in West Lafayette and enjoyed the Purdue campus, which was in full bloom as all the trees and flowers began to fill in their branches.

Purdue University and Tsinghua University are well known for their excellent research and higher education and the two libraries both face the same challenges in the rapidly evolving information age. Dr. Mullins as well as my Dean at Tsinghua hopes we can enhance our collaboration to meet the challenges, especially in the domain of data services. I came to Libraries to work with the PURR team and learn from your experience in data management.

I am a system librarian focused on E-resources management research and services development based on data aggregation. I am responsible for the implementation of multiple software related to E-resources, such as Metalib, SFX and Primo. I also contribute to the mobile services development.

I look forward to sharing my experiences with all of you and am very happy to be here. My office space is located in Stewart Center, Room G50 and be reached at 49-46659 or by email at tdou@purdue.edu.

LIBRARIES NEW STAFF

Line Pouchard
Assistant Professor
Computational Science Information Specialist

I had the privilege of joining Purdue University Libraries on April 1 as an assistant professor and Computational Science Information Specialist and “Big Data” Cluster Hire. In this new role, I will be providing data services to Purdue faculty and students whose work involves “big data” and pursuing my own information science research.

So you might ask, what is “big data?” My answer is that it is a lot of things to many different audiences and stakeholders. In the research and scientific world, “big data” involves data that is high in volume, or streamed at very high rates, or that is highly complex in nature, and a lot of specialized technologies. “Big data” is found in the sciences but also in the humanities with the computerized analysis of text.

Following my MLS at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, I performed research on metadata, the Semantic Web and ontologies at Oak Ridge National Laboratory for 14 years. I am a member of the DataONE federation. DataONE makes data and services in the earth sciences available to many scientific communities and has developed best practices for data management and preservation. As I have a PhD in Comparative Literature, this position is a tremendous opportunity to bring together some of my previous activities. I was born in France and have lived in the US for more than 20 years.

I became acquainted with Purdue University Libraries’ intensive effort on data through a presentation of the PURR repository at the Joint Conference on Digital Libraries in Indianapolis in July 2013. When I heard that a position was available, I was very interested in investigating and it seemed like a good fit for me professionally. I bring to Purdue a passion for connecting people and creating synergies to solve challenging problems by putting pieces of intellectual puzzles together.

STUDY BREAKS HELPFUL TO STUDENTS

The Hicks Undergraduate Library hosted several study break activities during prep and finals weeks to help students relax and refocus while studying.

Therapy Dogs, International brought several dog teams to the Hicks’ main common area. Students were allowed to visit and play with the dogs to help lower the students' stress levels.

Julia Lopez-Kaley, MT-BC provided customized activities with goals of decreasing stress and identifying ways to recognize and manage symptoms in a musical context.

Additionally a variety of classic board and card games were available to allow students to de-stress and have fun and instructors from the Purdue Recreation Center provided instruction on various stress reduction techniques including meditation, progressive muscle relaxation and guided imagery.

APRIL SMILE AWARD

Lisa Purvis’ name was randomly drawn from all those who were SMILED upon in April. She received a $25 Von's Book Shop gift certificate.

All faculty, administrators and staff are invited to send a note of appreciation for a kindness or thoughtfulness given, assistance provided to or by a Libraries, Press or Copyright Office colleague.

To learn more about how to participate in our SMILE Program, please visit and bookmark this page on the Libraries Intranet: http://intranet.lib.purdue.edu/display/HR/SMILE+Program.

LIBRARIES STUDENT STAFF

Editor’s Note: Since 1973 I can remember several instances where the Libraries has had a number of siblings working throughout its system. Featured in this issue is not only a family of three sisters but triplets from Kokomo, Indiana.

Brittany Sanders
Senior
Animal Sciences/Pre-Veterinary Medicine

Q. What Library or Library Unit do you work in and what is your job?
A. I work at the circulation desk in the Life Sciences Library.

Q. What do you like most about your job at Purdue Libraries?
A. I have the best boss.

Q. If you could add a class to Purdue’s curriculum, what would it be?
A. History of fencing.

Q.  Who would you like to meet and have dinner with?
A. Jane Seymour.

Q. What do you do for fun?
A. Fence saber, read, outdoor activities, visit with friends and family.

Q. Future Plans?
A. I have been accepted to Purdue University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and will begin classes in this fall.

Kiersten Sanders
Junior
Veterinary Technology

Q. What Library or Library Unit do you work in and what is your job?
A. I work at the Roland G. Parrish Library of Management and Economics.

Q. What do you like most about your job at Purdue Libraries?
A. The diversity of the students.

Q. If you could add a class to Purdue’s curriculum, what would it be?
A. Writing historical fiction.

Q.  Who would you like to meet and have dinner with?
A. American author Dandi Daley Mackall.

Q. What do you do for fun?
A. Read and write.

Q. Future Plans?
A. Open a veterinary clinic.

LeAnna Sanders
Junior
Veterinary Technology

Q. What Library or Library Unit do you work in and what is your job?
A. Student assistant at the iDesk in the Roland G. Parrish Library of Management and Economics.

Q. What do you like most about your job at Purdue Libraries?
A. It’s neat to interact with such a diverse group of students. Krannert School of Management has a lot of international students..

Q. If you could add a class to Purdue’s curriculum, what would it be?
A. Shelter medicine for veterinary technicians.

Q.  Who would you like to meet and have dinner with?
A.  Canadian-American actress Megan Follows.

Q. What do you do for fun?
A. Read , play plans, run and visit with family.

Q. Future Plans?
A. Work in a private practice veterinary clinic with my sisters.