Telecommuting in Libraries: Benefits and Challenges
December 14-15, 2011
Hosted by Jennifer Duncan
Please join us for an e-forum discussion. It’s free and open to everyone!
Registration information is at the end of the message.
Each day, sessions begin and end at:
Pacific: 8am – 4pm
Mountain: 9am – 5pm
Central: 10am – 6pm
Eastern: 11am – 7pm
Description
Library work is ever more mobile, with both technical and public services work often easily done from a laptop at any location. For those of us who often work at home in the evenings anyway, we know that there is plenty to be done that does not require that we ever set foot in our library’s building. In fact, it is often easier to accomplish some work away from the distractions and intrusions of the workplace. At the same time, societal changes such as increased commuting time, the pollution that long commutes generate, the rise in the numbers of dual working-parents or other caretakers, and the generally increased pace of modern life make working from home (or some other location) more desirable than ever. Employers often cannot offer wage increases and many employees are even seeing an erosion of their benefits; however, telecommuting allows employers to provide an appealing benefit to their employees in tight budgetary times.
This e-Forum will be an open discussion about how to use telecommuting to best manage work-life stress. We will discuss topics such as: arguments supporting telecommuting in general as well as specifically within the library profession; the support for flextime within your institutional environment and how to self-advocate; how to manage your own expectations as well as those of your colleagues’ and your patrons’; the limitations and challenges of working from afar; the importance of face time; time management; and best suggestions for successful telecommuting that facilitates work-life balance. Please be prepared to share your own ideas and solutions.
Jennifer Duncan is the Head of Collection Development at Utah State University and successfully telecommuted to her job in Utah from Washington, DC for several months. She has authored articles on flexible work schedules and work-life balance in a library setting.
*What is an e-forum?*
An ALCTS e-forum provides an opportunity for librarians to discuss matters of interest, led by a moderator, through the e-forum discussion list. The e-forum discussion list works like an email listserv: register your email address with the list, and then you will receive messages and communicate with other participants through an email discussion. Most e-forums last two to three days. Registration is necessary to participate, but it's free. See a list of upcoming e-forums at: http://bit.ly/upcomingeforum.
*To register:*
Instructions for registration are available at: http://bit.ly/eforuminfo. Once you have registered for one e-forum, you do not need to register again, unless you choose to leave the email list. Participation is free and open to anyone.
Posted on behalf of the ALCTS Continuing Education Committee