~Service Learning Entry #8~

My final volunteering experience happened over spring break. I spent that Thursday night at the library, pretty much doing the usual. In children's I did the normal paper-folding and book-shelving. Once I moved to Circulation, I was given a key and a handful of posters and told to "find a place for them" on the bulletin board outside the door. Easier said than done. I thought it was going to be a simple task until I actually saw the board. It was full, from corner to corner, of posters about just about anything you can imagine, from Joplin Little Theatre plays to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. I worked for quite a while trying to get them all to fit. In the end, I only covered up part of an AARP poster and folded under a lot of wasted space. I suppose this is where my years of newspaper layout come in handy. Had I actually tried to lay it out as well as I would a newspaper page, I would still be there now, 2 weeks later. The cool part of working on it though, was that I was right at the entrance to the building, so I got to see a lot more people than I normally would. I have to admit that the majority of the time that was more scary than cool though. It was good at times though. One older man stopped to chat with me on his way in the door, and he couldn't sing his praises loud enough. He thought the library was a great place, and that what really made it was the great people that worked there. I couldn't do much more than smile and nod at that one. Is it bad that I didn't clarify? :) Nah. Anyway, I was really surprised by how many people spoke to me on their way in or out, even if some of them were kinda creepy. I feel bad saying that about people, but sometimes...

After I'd finished my attempt at the bulletin board, I headed back inside, which disappointed Susan. I think she thought I'd be out there in the cold all night trying to figure that out and she wouldn't have to think of anything for me to do. She sent me off to the back with the paperbacks again, which only takes about five minutes. After that I went back to Children's for a while and shelved the display books so the shelves could be cleaned. By the end of the night I'd shelved all kinds of books, and I finished up with the large print section at about 9:05.
As for a cultural analysis of the library staff, I'm really not sure where to begin. Maybe it's more that I'm not sure what terminology to use. Either way, I think I've already said a lot of what I observed. I've discussed how age separates the staff into subcultures and how it determines leadership. I might have mentioned that it seems personality also separates those cultures, but I might have just thought it. Either way, I think personality differences determine what roles each member plays in the organization. For example, the younger, more outgoing girls work in the Children's section. Their personalities fit their work because working with children simply requires more energy and excitement than Circulation, for example. Now, while there are some younger people who work in Circulation, all of them are quieter and less outgoing, at least at work, than those in Children's.

I'd like to discuss a few more of Schein's terms regarding organizational culture, but I'm not at all sure I understand them clearly. I might as well give it a try. The library doesn't seem to have too many strict "rules" for it's employees. While I believe they are instructed to dress nicely, it seems that dress is more of a group norm than a rule. A few of the employees have to wear polo shirts and khakis, but for the most part they just avoid wearing jeans. They do have a few strictly inforced rules for the public. For instance, there are no cell phones allowed inside the building, and smoking is prohibited everywhere on the property except for one entrance. As for the overall climate of the library, which I believe refers to the morale among the staff, there seems to be a very positive work environment. I didn't notice any rivalries between workers, and didn't sense any power struggles. In general, they all seem to get along well, and a few are even close friends.

That's really all I know for now. Hopefully I will gain a little better understanding of the cultural analysis once class begins meeting again and I will be able to develop this a little more fully.