Book Companion:

Library and Information Center Management,
Seventh Edition

Speak No Evil : The Non-Critical Organizational Culture at Hope Library

Gerri stood at the Circulation Desk reading a book that had recently been donated for the library's book sale. As she read ever-so-thoughtfully through the book, she failed to regard the line of patrons growing in front of her check-out terminal. Patrons patiently waited to check out their books while Gerri turned the pages of her tome, seemingly oblivious to the existence of her audience.

When Rhoda, who was working a shift at the reference desk twenty-five feet away, saw what was happening, she walked over to the Circulation Desk and asked Gerri whether she needed any help. "Oops," cried Gerri, in a voice both frail and prickly, when she looked up and saw how many people she had detained. "I'm sorry!"

After one of the more disgruntled patrons was served, he walked over to Rhoda and said, referring to Gerri, "She's a stereotypical librarian." Surprised by the remark, Rhoda could only guess what the patron meant.

Employees at the Hope Public Library loved their jobs and their community. That's not to say either was a walk in the park. The jobs were difficult, demanding, and fast-paced, and the pay was lower than that at any other public library within miles. The community served was very low on the socio-economic ladder, which meant that the library had more than its fair share of social problems to deal with. But the community at large was as fine as gold, and the role the library played in it was acknowledged by all to be invaluable. The public service commitment of the staff made the Hope Public Library a destination in the community.

Most of the employees at HPL worked together as a well-oiled machine. A rare group, they were very conscientious and aware, and they looked out for one another, pitching in when extra help was needed. The manager, Mandy, had been a Hope reference librarian for years before recently agreeing to accept the position of boss. She was as kind and sympathetic as could be, but she was not a very effective agent of change. In fact, she took the job at the request of her coworkers in order to avoid the change that would be inevitable if an unknown quantity were brought in from the outside to be manager.

One remarkable aspect of the library's culture had developed over the years. It was considered taboo to say anything negative about a coworker. Somehow this unwritten rule expanded to include not saying anything negative about a coworker's performance. But eyes can convey messages that leave words unnecessary. This meant that undercurrents developed amongst staff when someone was consistently not meeting the demands of the job.

And during Rhoda's tenure at the library, she came to realize that everyone had the same challenges working with Gerri. She refused to answer the telephone, one of her duties, if there was even one patron at the Circulation Desk. If a person could not find a book on the shelf, Gerri would announce that she was leaving her post to go help with the search. One could never be sure when she might return to the desk to resume her obligations there. If anyone commented to her directly about any of her activities or where improvements might be made, she would shriek loudly, and stubbornly refuse to participate in a constructive discussion. She could not or would not fix a paper jam in the photocopy machine. She could not or would not do any computer troubleshooting. She would not keep up with postings in the library log, where news, memos and procedure changes were posted. When she had an opportunity for job enrichment -- which often included training to use library resources -- she took advantage of the time out, but never put to use what she learned. She seldom exercised independent judgment, and called for a co-worker or supervisor whenever a decision needed to be made. She was forgetful, often leaving work unfinished or mishandled for someone else to make right. Often, she just seemed to be a conduit or an obstacle for getting work to people who would actually do the job.

The part of Gerri's job that she loved most was being in charge of gift books. Gifts were donated every day, sometimes by the boxload. Gerri checked through the donations regularly, recommending ones for adding to the collection, and then shifted the leftovers out to the continual book sale in the library's lobby. In fact, Gerri was never happier than when she was wearing her surgical mask and latex gloves, digging through donations, looking for diamonds in the rough. While this sort of collection development would normally be part of a librarian's job, it was generally agreed that Gerri was the person for the job. She was the most widely read of all the library's employees, she knew the collection [and its holes] very well, and it was the part of the job that required the least amount of people contact.

All her coworkers believed Gerri was a bit a hypochondriac. She knew about every disease, and had had most of them. Additionally, she was legally blind. To look at her, one would never guess she was 62 -- she was fit and good-looking -- but to listen to her moans and sighs, one might be convinced she was twice 62. She didn't get much sympathy from her put-upon coworkers, though, and the days Gerri called in sick were like snow days for them! Whee!

It might be assumed that retirement was just around the corner for Gerri. But she had only worked for Hope for a couple of years, had no retirement built up anywhere else, and she regularly announced to anyone who would listen that she would be working the rest of her life since she had no money and no family.

What concerned some of the long-timers at Hope was that issues with Gerri were beginning to remind them of the ones surrounding one of one of their former supervisors a few years earlier. She had developed dementia in her 70s, yet had still come to work every day, pushed book carts into bathrooms, disappeared in the stacks, and caused disruption in all parts. Her family, her church, and the local chapter of the NAACP had been anxious to see her maintain her position at Hope. Eventually it did become clear to all stakeholders that the workplace was not where she should be spending her days, and she retired.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch. While Gerri's supervisor and Mandy expressed boundless sympathy and patience for her, Gerri's coworkers were getting fed up with pulling her weight.

Is this a situation that can improve? How can changes be made in a long-standing organizational culture? If you were one of Gerri's coworkers what would you do?

Case written by Cynthia C. Pierce, a UNC-CH SILS graduate