"Do What You Can..." Redux

I find myself right back where I have been a lot of times before during my 24+ years of service: a one-person shop. Regardless of staff numbers, while I am breathing and in the employ of Beaufort County Library I promise to always take good care of the materials entrusted to the BDC physically and share those materials with customers according to best practices in the special collections and archives fields of endeavor. 

Here's how I plan to "Do What You Can, With What You Have, Where You Are" until I find a likely successor to Olivia's position and s/he begins training inside the Research Room: 

Materials-Focused Activities and Responsibilities: 

• Good stewardship of the materials entrusted to the BDC is - and ever shall be - my priority #1.
• I will continue to work directly with Val of Technical Services on the vertical file, archival box labeling, and ordering projects.
• I will continue to supervise docent projects.
• I will submit one of the digital projects underway to the Lowcountry Digital Library by Halloween - or die in the attempt.
• I will update existing posts on the BDCBCL: Links, Lists & Finding Aids blog - as I can. Emphasis will be on those posts related to an upcoming local history program and/or posts not updated within the past three years. (The switch to SIRSI software means that I have to edit most all of the 137 posts there anyway.)
• I will solve the 500 or so problems discovered during the BDC inventory project (March 2022 - June 2023) - as I can. I want the inventory completely finished before I exit so that my successor will arrive knowing exactly what is here for them to steward and share as of the date of my exit.
• I will prepare online Finding Aids to the Archives based on those written by former BDC support staff for researchers to understand the depth and scope of our archival collections - as I can.

People-Focused Activities and Responsibilities:

 

• I shall emphasize delivery of materials and services to In-room Researchers.
• I will acknowledge all incoming requests for assistance within 24 business hours of receipt.
• I will only undertake those tasks that can be successfully completed within 1 hour of research time per off-site customer request.
• Deliverables will be processed within 15 working days of receipt of request.

What Has to Go By The Wayside Until a New Assistant is Hired, Trained, and Proven Reliable for a period of at least 4 months:

* The appointment schedule returns to its Fall 2022 array: 3 slots most weekdays: 10 to Noon; 1 to 3 PM; 3 PM - 5 PM except when other duties require. To make an appointment: bdc@bcgov.net ; 843-255-6468. No walk-ins; no same day appointments.

* I will embrace the reality that it is not humanly possible to provide the number of local history programs that current library customers and library staff in other units would prefer given current BDC personnel and long-established BDC priorities.   

* The BDC Research Room will be closed for the entire day on Local History Program or community event days. Note: If a local history program or community event happens to fall on a Saturday, then the Research Room will close on a weekday of my choice the following week so that I stay within the County's 40 hours per workweek expectation.

* Posts to the BDC's Facebook page will decrease dramatically.

• I'll do my best to post a Monthly Overview on or near the first day of each month. 
• Highest priority will shift to researching appropriate "Materials Mondays" and "Black History Note: Wednesdays" posts on the days when I am physically at work. 
• If I am on leave or it's a program day or if the Library happens to be closed, I shall not be obligated to research and write a Facebook post on that Monday or Wednesday. 
• "Finding Aid Friday" posts will be irregular at best.

* At an average of 40 hours of labor per cubic foot of archival processing, arrangement, and description, Finding Aid work will have to fall once again to the wayside. Even checking past work of former staff who contributed to the foundations for Finding Aids takes on average 6 to 10 hours of concentrated review per document. Thus, I will post finding aids to the BDCBCL blog and write a Facebook "Finding Aid Friday" entry only when practical.

* Connections blog posts will decrease to the essentials. 

Applications are currently being received and evaluated for employment as the next Library Assistant/Beaufort Collection staff member.