I Was a Problem Employee: How to Be a Subtly Bad Librarian

Abstract The author presents a first-hand account of a self-identified problem employee. She focuses on her role as a new manager in a large public library. She identifies problem behaviors and the negative attitudes behind them. She lists a number of causes for becoming a problem employee. She looks at the failures of her supervisor and the library system, including the lack of communication, clear direction, and concrete feedback. She examines the shortcomings of her library school management course in preparing her to lead. She identifies self-doubt as another culprit. She confesses that she did not see herself as management material and lacked role models. She acknowledges that her early academic success made her resistant to seek help or to modify her work behaviors. She explains how her role as a problem employee was allowed to persist for several years. Finally, the author shows how she changed from being a problem employee to a productive member of the library staff. She offers both personal and generic suggestions for solving the problem of having problem employees.