Government Librarians Get Savvy:
A Roundtable

By Cassandra Harper, ASRC Management Services at the Office of Water Resource Center

Dworkin discussed challenges that many librarians face in special libraries and practical methods for addressing these issues.  Those challenges involve demonstrating your worth and value to your organization.  Dworkin utilized the Administration's communication department to create a distinctive library brand, including a logo for the library's website and bookmarks to insert in checked out books.  The bookmarks included the librarian's contact information, a brief description of library services, and hours of operations.  Dworkin also developed networks and mentoring relationships among the Administration's senior executives.  She developed network connections through face to face reference interviews with clients, sponsoring training sessions, attending meetings, and accepting new responsibilities that benefit the organization.

The highlight of Dworkin's presentation included how she accepted non-traditional projects that benefited the NYC Human Resources Administration.  For instance, she edited two technical reports and served as the Administration's interim press secretary.  The projects served to promote the library, her technical skills, and develop contacts in other organizations that can be future sources of information.  Dworkin worked to fulfill a need within the organization to create a repository for the agency's history.  She did not shy away from accepting a new task to organize the papers of former Administration's Commissioners.  She feels that accepting new tasks highlight the library within the organization.  She tapped into a need to provide information services to the legal department, which does not have law librarian, by providing training sessions on LexisNexis and research services.  Dworkin's savvy marketing strategies highlight the benefit of the librarian within the NYC Human Resources Administration and the importance of providing the staff with accesses to information.