54 Survey Results: Survey Questions and Responses If you indicated above that your library experienced an “Other challenge(s)” in staffing outreach events, please briefly describe it. N=6 Never Some facilities have noted challenges in recruiting and maintaining volunteers, especially those facilities that are in rural areas or out of proximity to a university. In general, we have been impacted by budget and staffing cuts. Staff collective agreements make staffing evening and weekend events difficult. 1X Managing time and expectations for events 3X It is a particular challenge to schedule students or non-professional staff on evenings or weekends. 6X or more Budget for travel and program expenses. We have so many supervisors and inconsistent expectations for evaluations. Some supervisors value and reward participation in outreach while others do not. The inconsistency can lead to issues staffing events and sending consistent messaging across the library system about participation in outreach events. Additional comments N=5 Library students are typically not used for these activities but this is a branch-by-branch logistic. Making outreach a priority at the library can be challenging. Staff are always welcome at events, but it isn’t considered a professional priority. Most of the above apply to us, but frequency is difficult to determine. Student workers do not staff outreach events. Other questions are hard to answer because some volunteers may choose not to volunteer due to time. We do not track those who do not volunteer, only those who do. There is ongoing perception from some library staff, especially at the paraprofessional level, that they do not have time nor receive support/recognition for what they see as volunteer or elective activities. 21. Do any library personnel have outreach responsibilities specifically written into their position descriptions? N=57 Yes 54 95% No 3 5%
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