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Maria Fierro

LIS 707

Abby Annala

Leadership in the Berwyn Public Library

Abstract:

Three managers from the Berwyn Public Library (BPL) were interviewed on the

leadership in the library and the general workflows between managers and their teams. During

the interviews, many themes were talked about, but the focus of the conversations usually fell on

these related topics: modes of communication, conflicts and their resolutions, flexing, and traits

or characteristics that they find important in a leader. This paper analyzes how the leadership at

the BPL is successful.

Introduction:

The Berwyn Public Library (BPL) is a medium-sized library with three floors. The

director, Tammy Sheedy, has been the director since 2018, although she has worked at the

Berwyn Public Library since 1975 when she started as a page. Currently, Tammy Sheedy does

not have an MLIS, but she is currently a year into the LEEP program run by the University of

Illinois at Urbana-Champagne. Tammy Sheedy leads a team of eight managers, and those

managers lead their teams within their departments. Out of the eight managers at the library,

three were interviewed on the leadership in the Berwyn Public Library. The interviews

conducted touch upon their leadership skills as well as their director’s. Common themes that the
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librarians focused on were modes of communication, conflict resolution, flexing, and important

leadership traits.

The librarians interviewed were the following:

- Deborah Bolda is Head of Collection Management and Head of the Audio/Visual

Department. She has been working at the BPL for thirty-two years. She does not have an

MLIS, but she has a BA in education. Since she is head of two departments, she moves

between the second and third floor to manage a team of ten people.

- Juan Estrada is Head of Reference. He has been with the BPL since March of 2021. He

received his MLIS from San Jose State in 2010. Previously, he has worked in two small

libraries: the Lansing Public Library and the Glennwood Lynwood Public Library. He

has been working in libraries for twelve years. Estrada manages a team of five people.

- Kathi Behrendt is Head of Youth Service. She has been working at the BPL for forty-six

years. She does not have an MLIS, but she has a BA in education with a concentration in

library science (completed 21 credit hours). Behrendt manages a team of five people.

Communication:

Since the Berwyn Public Library has three floors, and each floor had its departments,

communication amongst all staff can be a challenge. When asked how staff communicate, all

librarians answered that email is their primary mode of communication. Every morning, each

department must send out a mass email called the Morning Minutes. The point of the mass email

is to let all the other departments know of any significant updates in their department for that

day. Included in those emails is information on any events, programs, and meetings going on. If

any staff calls off, that information goes into the email as well. Essentially, it is any information
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of significance or interest. The point of the Morning Minutes is to keep the entire staff informed,

that way if a patron asks about a certain event or for a certain person, any staff member would be

able to answer their question.

When each librarian was asked about what they thought about the Morning Minutes and

whether they thought they were successful, they unanimously agreed that the Morning Minutes

are useful to them. Behrendt remembers that before the Morning Minutes, each department

would physically meet each morning at 9 am. This turned out not to be a sustainable system

since each department has its own duties to complete before opening the library. Behrendt points

out that “the Morning Minutes are essentially doing the same thing that the meetings were,

except that the Morning Minutes are more efficient.” With this system, they save time, and they

keep staff informed on daily workflows.

Besides email, the managers meet with the director weekly on Wednesdays. Bolda states

that she always makes sure to summarize key points and send out an email to all her staff to keep

them informed. Additionally, the director meets with each manager individually once per month.

When the librarians were asked if they liked these individual meetings, they all agreed that they

are useful to them. All pointed out that the director is extremely busy, especially now during the

summer of 2021 since the library has finally fully reopened after a pandemic and there are still

many programs and events -- like the summer reading program and its kickoff event– that needs

to be managed. Since Sheedy is busy, allotting time once per month to hear manager concerns is

useful. This provides them with the opportunity to speak more privately. Behrendt argues that

individual meetings build rapport and trust. For this reason, the managers also meet with their

team once a week and individually monthly.

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Having various modes of communication is efficient in a library because it ensures that

every person feels heard. An introverted person who might not speak up on an issue during a

collective meeting might feel more inclined to voice their opinions during a one-on-one meeting.

In the book The Introverted Leader: Building on Your Quiet Strength (2009) by Jennifer B.

Kahnweiler, Ph.D., it is argued that introverts and extroverts require different modes of

communication. What an introvert might find effective, an extrovert might not (124). Having

different modes of communication allows for everyone the opportunity to be heard in whichever

mode they feel most comfortable.

Conflicts with Patrons:

When asked about conflicts between patrons and librarians, all librarians agreed that

conflict has been common, especially recently with the pandemic adding additional stress.

Estrada argues that people who come to the library and argue about issues like a small library

fine, he believes that they are not actually arguing about the library fine. People come into the

library, and they might be upset or stressed due to outside circumstances, and they take it out on

people whom they think they have control over. “The point is to not internalize what they say,”

recommends Estrada. Steidle (2018) argues that “if we are stressed, we may listen poorly.

Instead, with increased self-awareness, we can observe these occurrences with greater insight

instead of letting them drive us” (36). Estrada does not allow stress from conflict to affect him,

but instead, he turns it into an opportunity to listen and observe to enact positive change.

One of Estrada’s proudest achievements is that he pushed the Lansing Public Library to

go fine free. Estrada thought that it was unfortunate that many people would stop going to the

library because of the fines. He often encountered cases where people could not get a library card

because they had fines that they had since they were children. It was absurd to keep up a fine
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system that is not working, and that instead keeps patrons away. Estrada emphasizes that the

fines collected make little to no contribution to the budget, and they only work to make patrons

feel unwelcomed. The fines were not working as an incentive to return the items on time, and

they were one of the main reasons why conflict arose in the library, so “getting rid of the fines

would benefit both the patrons and the library staff.”

Design thinking is “a creative approach, or a series of steps that will help you design

meaningful solutions for your library.” (IDEO, 2015, 6). Design thinking in a library setting

means re-thinking and brainstorming to find creative solutions to library-specific problems. An

essential aspect of design thinking is empathy and user understanding: “design thinking is a

deeply empathic and intuitive process” (6). Instead of being reactive to patron conflict, Estrada

was able to assess where the conflict was stemming from and what could be done about it. He

was able to re-think the fining system, recognize it as unsustainable and not useful, and worked

towards making the library go fine free for the benefit of both the patrons and the library staff.

This way of design thinking will prevent much future conflict.

Conflicts with Staff:

Behrendt remembers a conflict that she had with a previous BPL director. The incident

was that the director of the library told Behrendt that she needed to move the children’s picture

books from the shelves and into bins. Behrendt says that the “attitude and tone” of the director

made her resist the change. She argues that the way the director suggested the change was rude

and gave her no room for input, which made her dig her heels in and resist. Surprisingly, once

that director left, she decided to finally move the books from the shelves and into the bins, and it

turned out to be a positive change. The patrons preferred the bins because it was easier for their

children to use. In The Introverted Leader (2009), Kahnweiler argues that “assertiveness is often
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incorrectly confused with aggressiveness, but assertiveness is characterized by mutual respect

and clear, open, and honest communication. Aggressive behavior, on the other hand, is

disrespectful and shuts people down.” (48). Behrendt admits that she should have implemented

the change sooner, but she felt disrespected by the director, and she shut down.

Bolda also provided an example of when she had to deal with conflict in the workplace.

As the collection manager, she noticed that the reference librarian has ordered books that she

thought should not have been purchased. One of the books purchased could have been more

accurately described as a 15-page pamphlet, and another was a book usually recommended to

academic librarians for academic library collections. She let the reference librarian know that

those types of books should not be purchased anymore, and the reference librarian thought that

she was overstepping her bounds as the collection manager. They both had to go to the director

for input, and the director agreed with Bolda. Bolda admits, though, that the conflict was rooted

in personality clashing. “He was very headstrong,” she comments.

Flexing:

Both conflicts at the BPL might have been resolved with a little self-awareness and a

willingness to “flex” towards someone else’s social style. In “Social Styles and the Art of

Managing Up” by Darling and Cluff (1987), social styles and tips on flexing towards each style

are delineated. To flex is to try to accommodate or to be understanding of other peoples’ social

styles, which are analytical, driver, amiable, and expressive (354). Although everyone has a bit

of every style, most lean towards one style more than the others. By bringing awareness to social

styles, one can become a better leader or coworker by analyzing how that person functions and

how their personality style responds to different situations. It is important to note that the

“concept does not promote a shift in basic social styles or an imitation of the administration – but
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the discovery of mutuality. The best and perhaps most productive interpersonal relationships can

be formed when styles become complementary when strengths and weaknesses become

compensatory” (354). A person should not flex into being inauthentic, but instead should find a

way to complement each other. As Steidle (2018) points out: “As we diffuse conflict with

patience and empathy, we can forge agreements built on human understanding, making it more

likely that we can work towards change as allies rather than opponents.” (36). Working with one

another 's style will only provide for growth as a library.

Characteristics and Traits in Library Leaders:

The librarians were asked to assess the leadership skills of the directors who have been at

the BPL, or of any director in any library in which they have worked. A few comments were

made about what was and was not successful in the library leadership. Behrendt, for example,

quickly commented that Tammy Sheedy is the best director that the BPL has had in recent years.

When asked what made Sheedy the best, she answered: “I have had directors that don’t back you

up, I’ve had directors that like to pit you against each other, [and] who didn’t have a vision for

the future.” Behrent complained that many of the directors were traditionalists, meaning that they

were content with not making changes to the library. They also did not have a vision for where

the library should go. If someone completed a task incorrectly, the person was not corrected but

was simply ignored. The qualities that she appreciates in Sheedy are that she is fair, is strict, has

vision, and she engages with her staff by leaving her office She likes walking around to check in

on everyone, and often reassesses how current workflows are functioning and if anything needs

to be improved. Sheedy makes sure to listen to her staff, letting them completely express

themselves before offering a solution, and she is open to innovation and growth. Kahnweiler

(2009) writes about what pushes someone to be a good leader: being assertive, delegating for
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your staff, and being open-minded (47). The staff at the BPL agree that Sheedy encompasses all

these qualities.

Bolda made a similar comment about Sheedy. Unlike Behrendt, she did not complain

about past directors, but she said that she also believes that Sheedy is a great leader, also calling

her “strict but fair.” Bolda praised Sheedy for welcoming innovation and looking at situations

with a fresh pair of eyes, with the intention to enact positive change in the library.

The ALA Round Table (2006) posted a has a list of qualities or traits that leaders should

have on their ALA blog. In the list, the qualities that both Behrendt and Bolda agree Tammy

Sheedy has are:

- Has and communicates purpose, direction, and meaning.

- Listens, empowers others, generates trust, negotiates collaboratively, resolves conflicts.

- Decisive: get the facts, assess information, and act, even if all information is not

available, or others are not happy with decision

- Bases decisions and strategies on sound intuitive and rational judgments and accurate

appraisal of the potentialities of coworkers and opponents, etc.

Bolda also commented on Sheedy’s habit to leave her office to engage with staff. Kahnweiler

(2009) talks about “a management strategy that gained popularity in the ’80s was MBWA –

Management by Walking Around. The idea was to encourage managers to get out of their offices

and engage with people.” (41). This creates a sense of trust and creates a path towards clear

communication. Staying in the office all day, day in and day out creates a bad impression. It also

makes it seem like the director is unavailable or that they simply do not care about their staff.

Conclusion:
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For successful library leadership, it must be considered how communication is enacted,

how are conflicts dealt with and resolved, how leaders, managers, and coworkers in general

interact, and how to better develop essential traits and qualities of a leader.
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References:

Kahnweiler, Jennifer B., PhD. (2009). The Introverted Leader: Building on Your Quiet Strength.

Berret-Koehler Publishers, Inc.

IDEO. (2015). Design Thinking for Libraries: A Toolkit for Patron-Centered Design. IDEO.

Retrieved https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/18FN76ofJLHvRMpwqZQ1nMuV

-AeGPvsZK

Darling, J. R., & Cluff, E. D. (1987). Social Styles and the Art of Managing Up. Journal of

Academic Librarianship, 12(6), 350. https://dom.idm.oclc.org/login?

url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=bth&AN=7847398&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Steidle, Gretchen K. (2018). Leading from Within: How Mindfulness Drives Effective

Leadership and Social Innovation. Leader to Leader.

"Leadership Traits", American Library Association, November 29, 2006.

http://www.ala.org/rt/nmrt/initiatives/ladders/traits/traits (Accessed June 24, 2021)

Document ID: 15c6f4c1-8c2c-62a4-618d-f02cf93e3d57