Corporate
library at any organization is a tool of employee development. It is a tool of knowledge
management by collating, preserving through internal and external sources and
enriching employees to for organizational and self-development. Typically, same
as ROI on training, the measurement of the efficiency of Libraries or ROI of
the libraries is difficult to measure.
But
the improving efficiency library service or the service level
of library for internal customer can be done in many ways.
There
was question from library professional in one of the 'librarians forum', about understanding what the ideas for
improving Corporate library service are. Since, I have handled a corporate library
as a part of my earlier role, where various ideas executed by me have given success
to increase the book borrowing by employees. I am sharing some of them, which has given the positive impact.
1. Book
on your Desk scheme – In case organization is having the library at
one location, away from manufacturing unit or branch office. Main reason of low
library use is location/time constraint.
In
this scheme employee can request for the book from his desk via phone or email.
The library attendant arrarges to send the book to his desk along with book
card. Employee receive the book on his desk, where he saves his time and happy
with the service. In my case the I managed library supporting for 4 major plant
locations and branches in India, Where the locational receptionist, Travel
arrangers, HR partner at the location and the employee traveling to the
location supported to reduce the book transfer cost. But one need to have good
networking across locations.
2
Online database -
Availability of online database of books along with brief book synopsis, creates
avenue to employee to know available books.
3.
Book review -
Publishing the book review in monthly newsletter, Internal emails or Mail news
posting helps to create excitement in employee about reading the book.
4.
Library MIS. (Mgmt Information system). - Circulate the use of book by employees
to Department heads and HR Managers. This creates positive impact, where the
Department heads suggests employee to read more books.
5.
Relevant book purchase - Based on the budget, you can ask the department
heads, employee to suggest the books to purchase. This creates buy in by those
departments and employee. The books must be procured and made available at
shortest time.
6
Creating an audio book library - Many time CEO and directors prefer to
listen than read during travel, audio books helps to save their time.
7 Suggesting
a book. - Based
on the employee role and his/her requirement you need to suggest books. Whatever
the books available in the library for employee
though it is for personal or professional development must be suggested personally
8.
Have a good mix of book. - With my experience, 50 % General Management, 30
% Technical books , and 20 % others ie. self-help, fiction books helps to cater
need of all employee or any learning organization
9. Archive
training material : - Training material of each internal or
external training program is a great sources of learning. The librarian must
keep a inventory of training in the organization and make sure that one or two copies of training material handbook are kept in library. Librarian has to look
in references of the books in training material and ask to Training program
director if s/he would like to have those book on shelf.
10.
Connet ! Connect ! Connect ! - Whenever any new employee joins, librarian
must send information about the library. and invitation letter. At first 15
days of employment if the new employee connect with the library s/he
sticks with it. e.g. for new department heads, we were sending the book called
" First 90 days". (Author Michael Watkins),which offers proven
strategies for moving successfully into a new role at any point in one's
career. This creates the ‘CONNECT. with employee while S/he us onboarding. It
also emphasis organizational approach of about employee development.
11 Support leaders for
their projects. - As a
corporate librarian, One must anticipate the requirement of organization
on each initiative with having dialogues with each business unit head or
function head. S/he must proactively understand the requirement about books, like business
management. Strategy, Business Transformation, Business excellence (includes
6sigma,TPM, 5s), Talent management, Sales improvement, customer service
improvement.
Any book which is read, well in time by employees can reduce the cost of classroom learning or any other intervention. Smaller books shared by librarian to employees named Who moved my cheese, Go-getter, Fish, Raving fans, can create tsunami of positive change in smaller department without involving any training efforts.
At a longer run, the vision of the Corporate librarian should
be creating a learning organization through enabling employee reading of right library books and right phase of organizational change initiative.
