Pros
This administration is taking a really fresh look at library services and challenging some of the traditional ways of running libraries that have not scaled well to modern library service. It has been very exciting to see long-standing assumptions be challenged and innovation to flow more freely in the last few years.
The director has one of the strongest servant-leader ethics that I've ever seen, almost to a fault. He will go to great lengths to help support employees and make sure they succeed. I've never worked for someone who cares so personally and deeply for the well-being and success of every single employee.
Structural re-organization that has happened in the past few years has finally offered a clear path to advancement. Job titles are much more stratified and allow employees to keep building their skills and step up the career ladder. This administration has been very willing to create new jobs for people to try and fit their niche, and when one position didn't work out very well, they tried something different. While I empathize that it's difficult to get used to new and changing roles, I also appreciate how much this administration does to try and find the right role for people, while still doing what is best for the organization. I have also personally benefited from this, with roles being created that allowed me to use my skill set to bring the greatest benefit to the organization, even if I didn't have a perfectly matched job description on paper for a while.
The director works very hard, but I hear him advocating for a healthy work-life balance multiple times a week to various staff. We had been overstaffed in the past which contributes to a misconception that we are understaffed or don't offer full-time positions. I appreciate that we are now hiring more people to fill out our staffing and re-launch programming, including multiple full-time positions.
I feel that this administration is more open to constructive criticism than any other I've worked for. Some feedback is always hard to give, but I genuinely believe that the director wants to hear it and grow. There were certainly some mistakes made early on, but when the director is made aware of them, I feel that he makes a real effort to correct them, and in many cases, he has. Employees have to be willing to initiate that difficult discussion, but I know that the director always takes it to heart. I personally have delivered several very tough bits of feedback, but a good conversation has always come of it, even if he ultimately disagrees with me.
Wages were pretty flat under the previous administration, but the current administration has been working to aggressively "catch-up", particularly for clerks and assistants. Pay has gone up significantly in the last few years for that group of employees, and administration continues to try and correct the pay scale.
The best thing about working here is the sense of pride I get. Patron service comes before all else, and it feels really wonderful to see the positive impact we have on people's lives every day. I love being able to contribute to a excellent patron experience. This service culture comes from an administration that was finally willing to make some hard changes that were needed to update and modernize our service, and I applaud their doggedness in doing so.
Cons
There has been a lot of organizational and structural change that has needed to happen in the last few years. Several years ago, our system was stagnant and unremarkable, and since then it is trying to be something better. This has, however, caused a lot of turbulence and challenges. I wasn't sure if I should list this as a pro or a con though, because I think failing to address the need for change is worse.
As with any organization going through the level of change this one is, there is indeed a higher degree of disorganization and confusion. Sometimes things change very rapidly and it is difficult to keep everyone rowing in the same direction. The support infrastructure that is needed to help stabilize the organization is underdeveloped. However, administration is aware of this, and has just recently created a new professional position to correct this.
Some of our services, such as programming, and also institutional knowledge have suffered due to the pandemic and the organizational upheaval. Administration is aware, but I feel that we haven't had much traction in correcting it. I believe that the above feedback about bolstering our support structure will do a lot to help address this.
Especially as a professional, you will always have a VERY ambitious to-do list. You must be able to prioritize, and also adapt those priorities quickly to rapidly changing needs. Administration will work with you on how to set your priorities, but you need to be proactive in seeking guidance out. This isn't necessarily a con, but it is certainly a challenge. Even for people good at managing priorities, it can feel overwhelming at times.
Wages for professional staff have been stagnant as compared to clerks and assistants. Administration have focused more on front-line staff in recent years and correcting those salaries first, as they should. But, it has left the professional salaries a bit flat.