What would you like to know?

The Library is a “business casual” work environment. Most of us prefer a hands-off management style; we rely on coworkers knowing what needs to be done and doing it. Like many libraries, we can be understaffed, so things can get pretty busy. In addition to our individual responsibilities, we also pitch in to cover critical absences or to complete large projects such as inventory, large class instruction, or the annual Book Sale. Obviously, we’d rather always be fully staffed, but the situation can work to our advantage by providing excellent opportunities to cross-train and improve efficiency.

Section divisions (Reference, Cataloging, ILL, etc.) within the Library are well defined but very fluid—we can go “outside the box” to improve existing services or create new ones. Many of us have developed special projects based on personal interest (of course, these projects have to match the Library’s objectives and priorities). Paraprofessional staff share some of these same opportunities. Because of our small size, communication and teamwork are highly valued—you must work and play well with others. We spend a lot of time coordinating activities, collaborating on projects, and using each other as sounding boards.

Consumer Warning: The lack of a rigid hierarchy, the self-direction, the almost constant change and the necessity of lots of face time with coworkers makes for a challenging work environment. We take advantage of the situation to push the boundaries of our jobs and use others’ experience or opinions (and believe me, we all have opinions on almost every topic). It’s not always comfortable but it's never boring.

Resources: Like all libraries, we'd also rather have more resources. However, we have a wide selection of databases and e-journals, and collection strengths in a number of science and engineering subjects. Check out our website to try our online catalog, Catalyst, and to view holdings and electronic collections. Accessible technology includes the campus network, our LAN, networked printing, and PC workstations for all of the faculty and most of the paraprofessionals. We have a good working relationship with the campus Computing Center and the Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries. Our integrated library system is ExLibris Voyager.

The professional staff (library faculty) have an MLS or equivalent; some have additional degrees or specializations. We are employed on annual contracts and, reflecting promotion criteria, can expect to meet demands for planning, policy making, research and contributions to the profession. As professional staff we occasionally put in more than 40 hours a week. The paraprofessional staff are Colorado state classified employees and work according to state guidelines for a 40-hour week. They have specific skills and experience relevant to their jobs, and paraprofessional work (and evaluation) is focused on daily tasks and short-term planning. Paraprofessionals have opportunities to cross-train in other sections and to work closely with the library faculty on larger projects.

Professional Evaluation and Promotion: Library faculty are eligible for promotion, with the ranks of Assistant Librarian, Associate Librarian, and Librarian. Promotion procedures mirror those of the teaching faculty. And yes, we've tested this and you can get promoted. The typical work assignment for library faculty is:

Professional responsibility (cataloging, reference, etc.)	80%
Service	10%
Original contribution (research, publishing, etc.)	10%

Specifics depend on job description and annual goals and objectives. A percentage of a librarian's annual salary increase is dependent on annual evaluations. “Service” includes in-house, campus, professional, or community service. “Original contribution” can include in-house studies, conference presentations, or WebPages, but should include at least some activity in the professional peer-reviewed sphere.

Our organizational structure is very flat, with only 3 levels: The Director, the library faculty, and the paraprofessionals (state classified ranks with Tech I, II, and III levels). All library faculty report to the Director.

View Organizational Chart

Each section is headed by a library faculty person who manages that section and directs the section-related activities of other staff. For example, the Reference section is managed by the Head of Reference, who directs reference activities and works with staff who provide reference services. At this time all library faculty provide some level of public reference assistance.

This is one of our strong points: we are very big on professional development. Everyone has opportunities to improve their professional skills and increase their marketability (we know you won't necessarily stay here forever). Our resources aren't limitless (or even abundant) so you may not have the hottest computer or full funding for every activity, but we try to make this as rich an environment as possible in the professional sense. Seniority is not king, either. Junior faculty have the same opportunities—after all, who needs more professional development?

This is what you get....

• Release time for professional activities such as conferences or workshops and schedule flexibility for continuing education.
• Funding for professional and continuing education activities (workshop fees, conference registration, travel expenses, etc.); course enrollment at CSM for credit or audit.
• Encouragement and support to do research, publish and present at professional venues, or to host professional events on site.
• Close interaction with teaching faculty and collaboration with peers on internal, campus, consortium and state-wide projects.

The normal business of running a library still has to get done so it's not a constant whirl of travel and meetings, but we are able to update professional skills, audit university classes, present at and host conferences, publish, receive grants, and do other cool things too numerous to mention here. Oh what the heck, here are some:

Professional Organizations: Staff are members of the following organizations:

• American Library Association
• Association of College and Research Libraries
• Library Information Technology Association
• Special Libraries Association
• Mountain Plains Library Association
• Colorado Library Association
• Colorado Preservation Alliance
• ExLibris North American and International Users Groups
• North American Serials Interest Group
• Western Area Map Librarians Association
• Geoscience Information Society
• American Geological Institute
• American Association for Engineering Education
• International Association of Social Sciences Information Service and Technology
• Regional Government Publications Interest Group
• Society for Cinema Studies
• Mining History Association
• Colorado Historical Society

Collaborative Projects: We've worked on the following (remember how we love collaboration):

• Prospector Colorado Unified Catalog, with representatives from other major libraries in Colorado and Wyoming.
• Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries consortia collection development.
• Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries Institutional Repository
• CSM Technology Fee grant proposals (3), within the Library and in collaboration with the campus Computing Center.
• Colorado Digitization Project grant, with the World Mining Hall of Fame and Museum in Leadville, Colorado.
• Migration to Endeavor’s Voyager library system from CARL in 6/2000, with almost every member of the library staff, along with the University of

Wyoming libraries.

• Hosting the Western Area Map Librarians annual meeting on campus.
• Hosting the International Conference on Cultural Heritage in Mining, Metallurgy and the Geosciences on campus.
• Cataloging materials for the Golden Pioneer Museum.

Campus Activities: Library staff:

• Serve as on the Faculty Senate.
• Helped organize the campus Art Show and host it at the Library.
• Serve as voting members of the Undergraduate, Graduate, and Research Councils.
• Participated on various curriculum review committees
• Served on search committees for other departments’ faculty.
• Serve on campus committees such as the Intellectual Property Committee, Safety Committee, and McBride Honors Program Tutorial Committee.

• Teach credit courses.