ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 130 / C &R L News E n h an cin g staff developm ent through search com m ittee participation By Thomas Wilding Associate Director fo r Administration Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Roberta Fagin Assistant Humanities Librarian Massachusetts Institute o f Technology New skills and knowledge of participatory management are gained in the process. S in c e the 1960s we have witnessed a continuing interest in the study of organizations, relationships within them , and individual competence in rela­ tion to organizational effectiveness. Issues such as interpersonal communication and group decision­ making have been explored in depth, resulting in greater experimentation on the part of managers. Educational institutions, profiting from industry- based research, have become more active advo­ cates of participatory management. Administra­ tors have accepted the premise th at organizations reflect the effectiveness of their employees and, as a result, personnel and staff development programs have found greater support. Academic libraries have been strongly influenced by these develop­ ments, as indicated by increasing response to such offerings as the programs of the Office of Manage­ ment Studies of the Association of Research Li­ braries and the ACRL continuing education pro­ grams. A common example of participatory m anage­ ment in academic libraries is the use of search or se­ lection committees in the hiring of professional staff. While the prim ary objective of the search committee is the hiring of new librarians, a valu­ able by-product is the development of skills and the acquisition of knowledge by staff members, lead­ ing to greater organizational effectiveness. W ith greater awareness of the potential for such staff de­ velopment through participation in search com­ mittees, administrators, supervisors and staff can capitalize on this potential, and plan for effective utilization of new skills and knowledge in everyday library operations. Skills and abilities Search comm ittee members gain a variety of skills and abilities ranging from interviewing tech­ niques to candidate evaluation and selection, from basic communication skills to consensus decision­ making. Interview ing techniques. W hile group inter­ views may differ from individual interviews, many techniques learned in one are applicable to the other. Less experienced staff members have the op­ portunity to learn from others how to phrase ques­ tions to elicit meaningful responses. Even experi­ enced staff m em bers gain from learning w h at others have found to be successful questioning tech­ February 1989 / 131 niques, the proper pacing of an interview, w hat questions might be illegal, and the like. Communication skills. The success of the search process depends heavily on the ability to communi­ cate well. Developing an effective and attractive job announcem ent requires the ability to w rite clearly and concisely, presenting information so th at the reader can understand the position and the requirem ents. O btaining references requires a number of communication skills: w riting, formu­ lating questions, listening, and sometimes probing. Search committee members have an opportunity, both in the reference process and in the interview, to improve their ability to listen carefully to re­ sponses and to focus additional questions based on those responses. In a group interview, this takes on additional significance as committee members pro­ ceed synergistically to explore themes in greater depth or to expand into new but related areas. A successful interview can determine the appro­ priateness of a candidate for a position, and offer the committee members an opportunity to improve their public relations skills in presenting a positive image of the position, the library and the univer­ sity. Group skills. For many academic librarians, the search committee process will be the first of many occasions perm itting participation in group deci­ sion making. Search committees, like task forces, are essentially pro tern groups for accomplishing a specific assignm ent. They brin g together staff members who do not ordinarily work together but who must learn how to function well as a group. Group members may have to play different roles to carry out the group’s assignment; for example, co­ o rd in ato r, dom inator, and harm onizer. W ith awareness of these roles and their im pact on the group process, members will be better able to mon­ itor the group’s progress and increase its effective­ ness. The increased use of groups by academic li­ b ra rie s for d ecisio n -m ak in g n ecessitates th e development of such skills. The search committee may serve as a forum for learning other useful group techniques. There will a t tim es be co n flictin g views on th e relativ e strengths and weaknesses of candidates. Achieving consensus will depend upon each m em ber’s ability to recognize the validity of other opinions as well as to articulate one’s own views. Less frequently, m a­ jor conflicts may arise requiring the chair to inter­ vene and resolve the issue w ithout straining rela­ tionships. Leadership skills. Leadership implies the ability to motivate others to accomplish the task at hand. The chair carries the major leadership responsibil­ ity for the group. The chair must be an effective team builder, delegator, and coordinator. Since the duration of the group is short, the chair must be able to establish his or her authority rapidly and create an atmosphere conducive to m utual trust and rapport allowing open discussions of candi­ dates’ strengths and weaknesses. As delegator, the chair allots the work of the group equitably and monitors progress. As coordinator, the chair, like the producer of a movie, ensures th at all of the pieces come together in an organized and efficient manner. Interview schedules frequently include li­ brary administrators, faculty, and staff in both for­ mal and informal settings. There may be opportunities for other committee members to develop leadership skills in the process. It is im portant th at all parties meeting w ith candi­ dates be well prepared. The chair may delegate to other com m ittee members the responsibility to m eet w ith groups and individuals beforehand to explain their roles and help them formulate ques­ tions. After the interviews, these same liaisons can gather feedback, synthesize it, and present it to the search committee. In this way, members of the committee may test leadership techniques in a rela­ tively controlled setting. Knowledge Skills and abilities learned in the search process can frequently be transferred directly to the day- to-day responsibilities of staff members. More sub­ tle is the value of the knowledge about the organi­ z a tio n g ain ed th ro u g h search co m m itte e participation. The position. Search committee members need to have information about the position under re­ cruitm ent and its departm ent. In order to describe the position and its requirements, members must understand the history of the position and the na­ ture of the responsibilities. Staff members from within the departm ent can educate others on these topics as well as on how the position fits into the de­ partm ent and relates to other positions. Documen­ tation such as annual reports, task force reports, and other studies can provide valuable orientation. Readings from current library literature may pro­ vide a broader context in which the committee can operate. Organization. O rganization charts provide a graphic display of an organization’s structure, and the library’s annual report describes organizational achievements and goals. A more meaningful un­ derstanding may be gained through participation in the search process as a result of exposure to staff from other areas of the library and discussions w ith library administrators. Frequently staff members can gain insights into major problems or issues fac­ ing the library. Values and philosophy. Search committees pro­ vide an excellent channel through which library administrators can convey the organization’s val­ ues and philosophy. Discussions centered around mission statem ents and objectives are effective means of raising consciousness and providing a framework in which organizational change is pos­ sible. Either as a member of a search committee or 132 / C&RL News in charging the committee, an adm inistrator seek­ ing greater innovation, creativity, risk-taking or trust can discuss the im portance of these values and the need to communicate them in the search pro­ cess. Additional learnings. There are numerous other learnings possible for committee members. Expo­ sure to other staff members and candidates in­ creases awareness of a variety of management and personal styles. Discussions w ith personnel officers can increase knowledge about personnel policy and procedures. Campus-wide issues, relations w ith the faculty, and other community issues may arise during the course of the interview requiring com­ mittee members to be well informed. Summary Search com m ittees have become a stan d ard means of involving staff in the recruitm ent and h ir­ ing of academic librarians. This involvement has the potential for considerable enrichment of staff. Committee members have the opportunity to learn or improve interviewing techniques, to communi­ cate more effectively, to gain a better understand­ ing of group process, and to sharpen leadership skills. Increased knowledge about the organiza­ tion’s values and philosophy, structure and goals is a product of this participatory process. Ideally, staff development activities provide in­ dividual learning and result in organizational im ­ Letters Audio Tape Transfer To the Editor: I read with great interest M artin Levitt’s article “A Case Study in Audio Tape Transfer” in the No­ vember issue. The American Philosophical Society (APS) should be applauded for taking the initiative to address the deterioration of tape recordings in its collection. Too few libraries and sound archives are as ambitious as the APS in following through on their initial preservation impulses. Unfortunately, enthusiastic response to initial impulses, if not well thought through, can lead to inappropriate preser­ vation action. The methodology used in the initial stages of the APS transfer project is appropriate and follows the approach taken by most libraries and archives pre­ paring to do a preservation study. Once preserva­ tion needs were assessed, however, several im por­ tan t decisions were m ade based on inconclusive or inappropriate information. As a preservation spe­ cialist, with a working knowledge of both print and non-print preservation procedures, I would provement. Many of the skills th at individual staff m em bers a c q u ire th ro u g h p a r tic ip a tio n in searches, and much of the knowledge, can be uti­ lized in the execution of their norm al responsibili­ ties and can be transferred as well to future projects and committee assignments. Managers have the opportunity to see staff in a variety of settings and can, therefore, make better assessments about their staff development needs and strengths. Finally, w ith a better understanding of the organization and an awareness of the ideas and perspectives of others, individual staff members can contribute to an evolving organizational culture and identity. Either accidentally or deliberately, some staff development will occur as a result of the search committee process. Administrators can capitalize on the potential for staff development and plan for its effective utilization. D uring the orientation of committee members, administrators can point out the variety of opportunities th at will arise and en­ courage members to take full advantage of them. At the conclusion of the search it would be useful for the committee to review w hat the members have learned and how new skills and knowledge might be applied. At no additional cost, a wise adm inistrator can derive substantial benefits from the search process. By investing a bit more, the same administrator can increase even more the value of the search pro­ cess to the staff development program. ■ ■ like to raise the following points regarding this project. 1) W hy, despite your apparent understanding of accepted (albeit “conventional”) reformatting pro­ cedures did you choose the “more radical” and un­ tested RD AT format? Not only is RD AT relatively unavailable in this country (enough of a reason not to select it for long-term preservation) but its effec­ tiveness as a preservation medium has not to my knowledge been independently assessed. Indepen­ dent testing helps one avoid being sold a bill of goods by persuasive hardware/softw are represent­ atives. Even though there is a strong tem ptation to embrace the latest and most up-to-date technology for use in our libraries and archives, we must re­ mem ber that one of the primary axioms of conser­ vation and preservation is the concept of reversibil­ ity: Do nothing th a t cannot be undone. In audio preservation this means do as little as possible to the original signal, and preserve it using available, proven technology. 2) In planning the project there appears to have been little or no effort made to consult with other February 1989 / 133 sound archives or professional organizations. If the APS had contracted the Association for Recorded Sound Collections (ARSC), or one of the major U.S. sound archives (Library of Congress, Stanford Archive of Recorded Sound, Yale, New York Pub­ lic Library, and others) prior to implementing the IBM audio engineers’ recom m endations, they w ould likely have been told about the associated Audio Archives (AAA) Preservation Committee. T he Comm ittee has for the last several years been preparing a document, with NEH support, th at examines in detail the preservation of sound recordings. The final version of the report was pub­ lished last April and many of th e recommendations were in draft form well before that date. (Associa­ tion for Recorded Sound Collections, Associated Audio Archives Committee, Audio Preservation: A Planning S tu dy. Silver Spring, Maryland: Associa­ tion for Recorded Sound Collections, 1987. Copies may be ordered from Elwood McKee, 118 Monroe Street #610, Rockville, MD 20850.) The study, which makes recommendations for the long-term archival preservation of sound recordings, does not endorse any of the current digital form ats fo r pres­ ervations purposes. Their reasons are: a) “ . . . be­ cause there are no nationally accepted standards for the various digital recorders and formats, b) be­ cause the audio industry has yet to resolve its con­ flicting systems, and c) because neither equipment nor formats have yet been tested or proven reliable in an archival setting for making archival preserva­ tion transfer copies of sound recordings” (from the AAA study). At the rapid rate with which new re­ cording systems and associated hardw are are intro­ duced into the consumer m arket, there is no guar­ antee that the latest digital recording system will be around in 10 (much less 100) years. 3) Digital transfer of analog materials also raises a philosophical issue. When a continuous analog signal is sampled and digitized, it is assigned a string of binary values which correspond to the an­ alog signal’s frequency and amplitude. This pro­ cess, called encoding, is similar to taking a “snap­ shot” of the analog signal many times each second. These binary codes are stored on magnetic tape (or disk, as w ith CDs) and then decoded for playback. C urrent industry-established sampling rates for digital recording are designed to encompass most (but not all) sounds w ithin the hum an hearing range. While digital recording processes are con­ stantly being improved there is serious concern by audio specialists and engineers th at the current sampling rates are simply too low to adequately capture the sonic information from a well recorded analog source. W hile analog-to-analog transfer may introduce noise (tape-hiss) into subsequent copies, analog-to-digital conversion actually re­ moves sonic inform ation perm anently from the original analog source during digitization. 4) Generally, one should not rely solely on Con­ sumer Reports for product endorsement or techni­ cal assessment. Rather, one should seek advice from independent technicians and sound engineers who are not affiliated with for-profit operations. Occasionally, manufacturers do work with preser­ vation specialists and conservators to develop spe­ cialized products. However, the preservation of valuable m aterial should never be the test “guinea pig” for new hardw are or software products. Un­ fortunately too few manufacturers in the commer­ cial audio and video field understand the archival mission as one of access and preservation beyond the forseeable future. In an effort to provide working guidelines for the preparation, microfilming, chemical processing, quality control, and storage of archival records for preservation purposes, librarians and archivists working with industry specialists have developed standards which address each step of the micro­ filming process. These standards have helped foster a better working relationship between librarians, preservation specialists, and microfilming agencies by making clear exactly w hat is meant by preserva­ tion microfilming. Through vigorous campaigning by ALA/RTSD and others the w ord is getting out that there is in fact a “right and w rong” way to plan and carry out a preservation microfilming project. Similar efforts are under way in the sound archives community but much still needs to be done. The AAA report is an im portant and useful contribu­ tion th a t brings together cu rren t preservation knowledge and expertise. Those charged with re­ sponsibility for collections of sound recordings should read the report and get involved. It is only through increased communication between collec­ tion curators, sound archivists, and librarians that standards and procedures to preserve our recorded sound heritage will be developed and practiced.— Mark S. Roosa, Andrew W. Mellon Preservation A dm inistration, Intern, L ibrary o f Congress, Washington, D.C. The author responds: The APS adopted RD AT for several reasons, not the least of which was the recommendation of IBM technical specialists. IBM was utilized on a consul­ tan t basis and had no vested interest in ’’selling” any form at over any other. Thus, advice on RD AT was indeed sought from ’’independent technicians and sound engineers.” Consumer Reports merely confirmed their assessment. T h e sa m p lin g r a te of D A T — 16 b its p e r sample—was certified by IBM speech recognition specialists as well above the acceptable limit of 12 bits. As for the comparison of analog-to-analog versus analog-to-digital transfer, the assertion th at sonic inform ation is lost in the latter process is rather misleading: According to Professor Ken J. Pohlmann, Director of the Music Engineering Pro­ gram at the University of Miami, the information lost is above 20kHz, th at is, above the range of hu­ m an hearing, and extraneous, unintended sound 134 / C &R L News below the noise floor of the analog master. In other words, the chances of losing any p art of the in­ tended information-bearing signal during digital- to-analog transfer is extremely rem ote. On the other hand, during the analog-to-analog transfer process, sonic information is added to the original signal in the form of tape hiss, obscuring poten­ tially information-bearing frequencies. Professor Pohlmann also points out in his book Principles of Digital Audio (Indianapolis: H oward W. Sams & Co., 1985, p. 179) th at “w ith analog storage, there is no opportunity for error protection processing: if the recorded signal is disrupted or distorted, then the signal is irrevocably damaged. W ith digital storage, the nature of binary data lends itself to re­ covery in the event of dam age.” To those who might find these technicalities ar­ cane, consider this example: Imagine making fifty duplicate generations of a source tape—tape one the master for tape tw o, two for three, and so on— by an analog process. The last tape would of course sound terrible compared to the original tape. Using RD AT, the last tape would be absolutely indistin­ guishable from the first. The ability of DAT to be cloned adds a measure of security to the APS proj­ ect. Should it become necessary at some point in the future to duplicate the collection again, no signal will be lost at all. Of course other sound archives were consulted in the initial stages of this project, including the Li­ brary of Congress. In fact, much thought was given to having LC ’s specialists do the entire job, but this course was reluctantly abandoned for the reasons given in the article. A tour of L C ’s audio conservation area was particularly inform ative and helped to identify some of the equipm ent th at would be required to undertake the project. T hat RD AT is an unconventional approach to audio conservation is undeniable. In this respect, it is not surprising th at this p art of the APS project is inconsistent w ith the recommendations of ARSC (of which we are well aware). However, we are satisfied th at the process is reversible, and th at the risks have been minimized. We do not agree that because a preservation technique is new and there­ fore unconventional, it is inappropriate. Much thought and research about the options available convinced us th at the risks in adopting RD AT were w orth taking. The APS project was conceived as a m edium- range solution th at will keep our options open for the future. Most im portantly, systematic and posi­ tive action has been taken th at will facilitate access an d stem th e d ecay of th e L ib r a r y ’s au d io collections.—Martin L. Levitt, American Philo­ sophical Society Library, Philadelphia, PA. ■ ■ ACRL executive summary Professional development The final reporting for the NEH H um anities Workshop Project was prepared and submitted to the National Endowm ent for the Humanities. The new project, for historically black colleges and uni­ versities, moved along w ith applications from p a r­ ticipants coming in at m onth’s end. Enhancing library service capability The ACRL office continued to provide advisory services and free distribution of standards. Advocacy and liaison Bill Moffett will develop this them e for his presi­ dential year. A fourth draft of the Accreditation Manual, by P at Sacks and Sara Lou W hildin, has been sent to ALA Publishing. Research and publication A special design will mark the issues in the Fifti­ eth Anniversary year of College & Research L i­ braries, beginning in January. Look for the gold covers, discreetly marked “1939-1989.” Arthuree W right agreed to chair the Research Committee and is eager to settle on a clearer mis­ sion for the Committee by the 1989 Annual Confer­ ence in Dallas. At Midwinter, the Committee dis­ cussed th e w o rk of th e U .S. D e p a rtm e n t of Education’s Office of Library Programs in the area of research, Charles Martell’s “Research Perspec­ tive” editorial in C&RL, and possible new direc­ tions for themselves. Jo An Segal visited the Choice offices, which have been recently autom ated. Choice will host an awards ceremony in honor of the publication of Rooks fo r College Libraries, 3d ed., and the auto­ mation of their magazine’s production. The first tape version of Rooks fo r College Libraries has been sold. Strategic management directions The major activity of the month was preparing the 1990 O perating Plan and Budget. Staff also brainstormed on work reorganization, hoping to improve both the quality of service and worklife at ACRL. — Jo A n S. Segal. ■ ■