Hundreds of librarians, 60+
libraries, 4 time zones – 1 scheduling solution
There is one issue that almost
any library administrator, regardless of library size, looks to
with dread: staff scheduling. Large and small libraries alike
struggle with managing people, skills, availability, vacations,
and in some cases, union regulations, to ensure that all staff
members are scheduled and that any schedule gaps are quickly
filled.
But if you think your library
struggles with scheduling, imagine the scheduling struggles of
the MyInfoquest (http://www.myinfoquest.info/) project. Staffed
by over 200 librarians at 60 libraries in 17 states and in four
time zones, the project offers a free SMS text message reference
service to help libraries compete against similar pay-for
services such as ChaCha and KGB. With hours from 8:00 AM to
10:00 PM CST Monday-Thursday and 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM CST on
Saturdays, the idea of scheduling all of the participants and
their shift requests was daunting.
A solution came when Evanced
Solutions, Indianapolis (IN), decided to partner with WebClarity
Software Inc., based in Barrie, Ontario, Canada, to bring
PeopleWhere Staff Scheduling to libraries in the U.S. When
Evanced Solutions’ Coordinator of Customer Experience, Christine
Ayar, volunteered for MyInfoquest to answer reference questions,
she quickly saw that PeopleWhere could help coordinate the
massive schedule.
“It was pretty clear that we
needed to know who was ‘on desk’ for the project but with so
many libraries all over the country, it was a pretty scary thing
to try to coordinate all of that,” Christine described. “Evanced
had just started working with PeopleWhere and I could easily see
that the features of the software were just what MyInfoquest
needed.”
For Lori Bell, Director of
Innovation for the Alliance Library System and founder of the
MyInfoquest project, PeopleWhere was the answer to a continually
changing and evolving schedule. “With over 60 libraries and
individuals involved in the project, we really need a software
scheduling solution. PeopleWhere has provided this.”
The PeopleWhere
Advantage
The features that make
PeopleWhere a great solution for the MyInfoquest project are the
same features that make it an ideal option for any library.
PeopleWhere was designed with libraries in mind…
Libraries have a number of
generic options to choose from when selecting a staff scheduling
solution. However, none of these solutions take into
consideration the unique needs of libraries. PeopleWhere rises
above competitors because of the unique ways in which it
provides solutions to library-specific scheduling issues.
PeopleWhere not only manages
people but their knowledge and talents too…
Libraries of all types like to
track the knowledge of their staff members. If a college student
is working on a biology paper, isn’t it best to send them to the
library faculty member who is the subject specialist? Or if a
public library user is interested in auto repair, wouldn’t it be
ideal to know if the person in charge of developing that
collection is working that day to find the perfect book for the
library user’s needs? Or if there is an emergency in which a
staff member who knows CPR or is able to speak in a particular
foreign language is needed, can your staff locate them quickly
in your building or library system?
With the unique feature of
knowledge asset tracking, library staff and administration can
do all of the above. PeopleWhere tracks skill sets, degrees,
special knowledge and interest areas and ties that knowledge to
staff records and schedules, allowing administrators to not only
fill scheduling needs, but knowledge needs as well.
This is also a key element as
many libraries shift to new service models such as cross
training, supported self service, and roving reference.
PeopleWhere allows libraries to track the primary, secondary,
and tertiary skill sets of library staff members. Libraries can
capitalize on staff skill sets by ensuring that the most skilled
and knowledgeable staff members are working at locations where
they may be most likely work with library users who need them.
In larger systems, staff members that travel between locations
can be easily located using PeopleWhere, putting an end to time
and money wasting phone calls and scrambling to read paper
calendar documents.
In the case of MyInfoquest, as
the project grows, text message questions can be referred to
participants with particular knowledge areas so that answer
seekers receive information from a participant who is not only a
librarian but also a subject matter expert. PeopleWhere
eliminates the guesswork by quickly indicating the knowledge
assets of those who are working at any given time.
PeopleWhere makes the schedule
easy to view and highlights schedule changes and emergencies…
With so many participants in the
MyInfoquest project, there are also a high number of schedule
changes and edits. The schedule administrator can quickly view
schedule change requests upon login. Upon log in, a single
screen displays changes in the schedule and requested sick or
personal days, limiting the chance of schedule mistakes or
shortages at the library. When someone with a particular skill
calls in sick, searching for a qualified replacement is easy as
the software quickly identifies the best candidates to fill the
gap.
A schedule supervisor view
provides information on schedule changes, emails, time off
requests and pending changes in a glance.
PeopleWhere helps to build a
staff schedule with ease…
PeopleWhere allows schedulers to
input staff availability and requests, then click one button and
a schedule is created for any give time period requested. In the
case of MyInfoquest, after all participants were added, more
than 85% of the schedule was completed successfully. The
remaining gaps were caused by the need for evening volunteers,
days off for holidays, and gaps due to vacation requests. After
discussion with the MyInfoquest community, those gaps and
changes were quickly filled as volunteers offered to change
availability.
The complexity of the
MyInfoquest schedule became a reflection of how effective the
product could be. “Most libraries involved scheduling will find
tremendous benefit, as MyInfoquest has. Inevitably these
organizations will find dramatic reductions in the amount of
time a scheduler spends creating rotations from scratch,”
explains Allison Standen, VP of Business Development for
WebClarity Software.
For any size library system, the
ability to create a schedule almost entirely in one click is an
immense time saving solution. Hours and hours spent trying to
calculate days off and fixing the schedule to make room for
various time requests can be saved through the use of
PeopleWhere.
PeopleWhere calculates hours
worked, breaks, and more…
Because MyInfoquest is staffed
entirely by volunteers, it is important to track the number of
hours worked, so that no one takes on more hours than what is
deemed fair. PeopleWhere creates a visual display of hours
worked, highlighting in red those individuals or libraries that
have too many hours, and indicating in yellow those who have too
few.
In a library context,
PeopleWhere also helps in the management of coffee breaks and
lunches are easily managed and easy staff-side access lets
employees quickly see when they are on break and for how long.
PeopleWhere allows staff members to see their schedule quickly,
from anywhere…
Because PeopleWhere is
web-based, staff members can view their schedule from anywhere
they have Internet access. Both list views and calendar views
are available and can be printed out in the format that works
best for each individual.
MyInfoquest staff members find
this option to be best for them. Individuals who choose to cover
their MyInfoquest shift from home, rather than from their
library, can visit the schedule site to double check their
shifts.
A staff member can see their scheduled times, location, and
duties on one screen.
PeopleWhere provides staff
members with an easy to read month view of their work calendar.