OCPL Branch Managers Handbook

Hello from the Acting County Librarian

Dear OCPL Branch Manager,
At OC Public Libraries, we believe that every branch manager is a
valuable member of the management team. You contribute to
internal customer service by managing our staff well and creating a
workplace with high staff morale. Together with staff we act on our
mission of empowering and enriching our communities.
Whether a new manager or a seasoned one, we hope this
handbook will provide you with valuable information about OC
Public Libraries’ organization along with an overview of Human
Resources, safety and facilities issues, and other aspects of the job.
Please take a look and let your supervisor know if you have any
questions.
We hope that you will find your job as branch manager a fulfilling
and rewarding one.
Sincerely,

Sherry Toth
Acting County Librarian

PART I:
OCCR, OC Public Libraries
and the County of Orange

OCCR, OC Public Libraries and the County of Orange
OC Public Libraries is a program under OC Community Resources
(OCCR) in the County of Orange. Other programs in OCCR include
OC Animal Care, OC Parks, and OC Community Services.

OC Animal Care provides refuge for animals in the eighteen
contract cities and unincorporated areas of Orange County,
promotes community outreach and education on responsible
pet ownership, provides adoption services, and enforces
federal, state, and local animal control laws.

OC Parks ensures that residents and visitors benefit from the
regional parks system, educates and encourages residents and
visitors to discover the parks system, responsibly manages
public funds and revenues, and acquires, maintains and
preserves park land.

OC Community Services links eligible customers to a wide
variety of community resources that will help them to achieve
self-sufficiency, seeks and secures alternate sources of funding,
provides safe, affordable, and accessible housing and shelter
opportunities, and provides comprehensive employment
assistance and development services.

OC Public Libraries provides the community access to a wide
collection of materials in multiple formats along with
knowledgeable, friendly, and experienced staff to support the
information needs of the community.

OCCR provides services to all 3.1 million residents of Orange County.
Orange County is governed by the Board of Supervisors: five elected
officials that are responsible for overseeing the management of
County government for their respective districts.

County of Orange Org Chart
OCCR Org Chart

Our Vision, Mission and Values
OCPL Vision
Open doors, free access, community.

OCPL Mission
Empower and enrich our communities.

OCPL Values
Empower people
Serve everyone
Provide freedom of access
Engender a love of reading and learning
Make a difference in people’s lives

OCPL Culture
OCPL strives to

• Meet the informational, educational, and recreational needs of
the growing, diverse population of Orange County

• Be technology leaders in the community
• Grow our community partnerships
• Be an integral part of the education system
• Be a welcoming, inviting space for our communities
• Staff our libraries with qualified professionals
• Be fiscally sustainable
OCPL Encourages
• Teamwork

• Innovation
• Creativity
• Positivity
• Good judgement
• Aspirational environments
• Healthy workplaces

Our Library System
OCPL serves 1.6 million people in our 24 member cities and
unincorporated areas in 33 library branches throughout the County
of Orange, plus a library in the Orangewood Children’s Home. A
map of our branches may be found on our website: Library Locator

Our Branch Libraries

Aliso Viejo Brea
Costa Mesa - Donald Dungan Costa Mesa - Mesa Verde
Costa Mesa Technology Cypress
Dana Point El Toro
Foothill Ranch Fountain Valley
Garden Grove Chapman Garden Grove Main
Garden Grove Tibor Rubin Irvine Heritage Park
Irvine Katie Wheeler Irvine University Park
La Habra La Palma
Ladera Ranch Laguna Beach
Laguna Hills Technology Laguna Niguel
Laguna Woods Library of the Canyons
Los Alamitos/Rossmoor Rancho Santa Margarita
San Clemente San Juan Capistrano

Seal Beach Mary Wilson Stanton
Tustin Villa Park
Westminster

Library HQ: Your Support Team
Library Headquarters is located at 1501 E. St. Andrew Pl. in Santa Ana
and is home to both OCCR and OCPL Administration staff.
Who’s at HQ?
The administrative team that makes system wide decisions is
commonly referred to as the Policy Team (PT) and consists of:

• County Librarian
• Assistant County Librarian
• North Regional Manager

o Oversees Brea, Cypress, Garden Grove Chapman, Garden
Grove Main, Garden Grove Tibor Rubin, La Habra, La
Palma, Los Alamitos Rossmoor, Stanton, Villa Park,
Westminster branches

• Central Regional Manager
o Oversees Costa Mesa - Donald Dungan, Costa Mesa -
Mesa Verde, Costa Mesa Technology, El Toro, Foothill
Ranch, Fountain Valley, Irvine Heritage Park, Irvine Katie
Wheeler, Irvine University Park, Library of the Canyons,
Tustin Branches

• South Regional Manager
o Oversees Aliso Viejo, Dana Point, Ladera Ranch, Laguna

Beach, Laguna Hills Technology, Laguna Niguel, Laguna
Woods, Orangewood Children’s Home, Rancho Santa
Margarita, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano Branches
• Bibliographic Services Manager
o Oversees Cataloging, Acquisitions, ILL, the ILS, Warehouse
o Onsite Bibliographic Services staff include ILL Department,
the Circulation Coordinator, Acquisitions, Cataloging and
Warehouse staff
o Materials Evaluators work in the branch libraries
• Communications/Outreach Librarian
• Programs Coordinator
o Oversees READ OC

READ OC
READ OC is part of OC Public Libraries and provides tutoring in basic
reading and writing to adult learners throughout Orange County. In
support of this Core Program, READ OC also offers four other
programs: Families For Literacy (FFL), READ Jr., Working for Inmate
Literacy Now (WIN) and the Career Online High School.

WAREHOUSE
Warehouse staff support OCPL by:

• Sorting and delivering mail and books as part of the daily
shipment

• Collecting and managing surplus items for all of OCCR

Other County Tenants at Library Headquarters Building Include:
• CEO IT
• OC Parks Maintenance
• OCCR Contracts

Budget
Because OCPL is a special district, the library receives 95% of its
revenue from a dedicated percentage of the property tax collected
in the County of Orange. OCPL is not a part of the County of
Orange’s general fund. The remaining 5% of the library’s funding is
generated through grants, donations, and fines and fees collected
in the branches. Copies of the current, and past, budgets may be
found on the County Website, CEO Finance and Budget page.

Library Advisory Board (LAB)
Created by a County Board Resolution in 1996, the LAB has 26
members; it comprises 24 council members appointed by the
member cities and two County Supervisor members appointed by
the Board of Supervisors. Members serve two-year terms and receive
no compensation. The LAB meets three times a year and acts in an
advisory capacity to OCPL; they review our budget, operations and
policy decisions and make recommendations to the Board of
Supervisors. Meetings are open to the public in accordance with the
Brown Act.

Santiago Library System
OCPL belongs to the Santiago Library System, a state-funded
network of ten public library jurisdictions and one associate member
library in Orange County. The system seeks to promote cooperation
and coordination of library collections and services to meet the

informational, educational, cultural and recreational needs of all
residents of the Orange County area.
Member Libraries

Anaheim Public Library
Buena Park Library District
Fullerton Public Library
Huntington Beach Public Library
Mission Viejo Public Library
Newport Beach Public Library
OC Public Libraries
Orange Public Library
Placentia Library District
Yorba Linda Public Library
Associate member library
Orange County Public Law Library

Santa Ana Public Library is the only public library in Orange County
that is neither a member nor an associate member of SLS.
Orange County Public Law Library and OCPL are County funded
entities.
Remaining members are city libraries which are funded locally.

Service Model: Tier System
OCPL employs a Tier Branch model which ranks OC Public Libraries’
branches based on population of city, square footage of the facility
and robust circulation. Robust circulation is calculated for each

branch library using internet utilization statistics, number of
information queries, foot traffic, program attendance totals and
total number of items circulated. The resulting Tier Rankings allows
OCPL to standardize staffing levels system wide, provides
promotional opportunities for staff and facilitates succession
planning.

PART II:
What a Branch
Manager Does

What a Branch Manager Does

Every day:

• Greets each staff member
• Checks email
• Checks voice mail
• Works the service desk
• Walks the perimeter of the branch
• Visits the public restrooms
• Shelves books
May:
• Process CAPS+
• Raise the flag

Once a week:
• Walks the perimeter of the outside of the building

Every two weeks:
• Approves time cards

Once a month:
• Holds a staff meeting
• Turns in reports:
o Monthly Activity Report (MAR)—due by the 5th of the
month
o Branch Manager’s Monthly (to regional manager)—due
by the 10th of the month
o Janitorial Report (to Maintenance)
o Gift Log (enter on SharePoint statistics page—due by the
10th of the month
• Attends a System Wide Management (SWMM) or Regional
meeting—First Wednesday of the month
• Attends a Friends meeting

Once a Year:
• Safety inspection
• IIPP training for staff
• Creates a budget for the Friends of the Library

As Needed:
• Meets one-on-one with staff
• Coaches individual staff members
• Attends committee meetings
• Submits NeoGov requisitions for hiring
• Sits on an interview panel
• Hires staff
• Signs up new staff for IT, Training Partner, activates a key car,
and uses the checklist for new employees
• When a staff person separates, de-activates IT accounts and
key cards
• Writes performance reviews
• Sends in building services requests for Maintenance or surplus
• Covers a branch for another branch manager
• Deploys staff where needed
• Tidies the branch

Your Role in Middle Management

A branch manager is a supervisorial management position and part

of the supervisory management unit. Library administration are

considered Administrative Management. Together we are part of a

management team that works toward the same strategic goals for

the good of the organization. It is your role to communicate

between administrative management and line staff (the people

who report to you). You communicate up and down the chain of
command. It is your job to bring administration’s directives and
strategic goals to line staff and to support administration’s goals. You
can do this by aligning your staff’s performance action plans and PIP
goals to administration’s goals. It is also an essential part of your job
to communicate in a positive manner to staff. You also bring staff
concerns to the attention of library administrators, typically to your
regional manager. Though you manage one location, it is important
to have a system wide perspective. This is important, when hiring
staff, to think about how the person would fit in within the
organization, not just at your branch. It is good experience to
manage different locations throughout your career. It will give you
the opportunity to work with different people, to learn about the
needs of different communities, and to develop your management
skills.

As part of the Supervisory Management Unit, you have a
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the County. Your MOU,
along with the General Unit and Administrative Management MOUs

can be found on the HR website.
http://www.ocgov.com/gov/hr/er/mous

The HR Process
Hiring staff is arguably the most important assignment you will have
as a manager. It is important to hire qualified candidates who will
thrive in the busy, sometime challenging culture of the public library.
While many people may be qualified for the job, we hire based on
the “best fit” for the position. This means that the candidate should
have the necessary qualifications that will benefit the library system
as a whole. One should look for aptitude and a positive attitude. The
best candidate will be flexible, resilient, dependable and have
strong communication skills. The public library changes hourly,
sometimes by the minute. The person you hire will need to be flexible
enough to take on different tasks throughout the day, such as
working the behind the scenes, shelving, answering the phones,
helping someone in person, and have the ability to help people of
all ages and from many cultures. The person you hire should be

resilient, as we sometimes deal with difficult patrons and challenging
situations. The person should be dependable, as we need someone
who will show up on time every workday and give his or her best
effort to the day at hand. The person you hire should be able to
communicate effectively with staff, the public, city personnel and
library administration, as they will have occasion to communicate
with all of them at some time during their employment.

Onboarding: Once a person is hired, you will be contacted by
Human Resources and given the staff person’s employee number.
Use this number to request a new account from the IT Help Desk. See
the policy, Checklist for New / Transfer Employees on the policies
page for a list of steps to take when a new employee starts at or
transfers into your branch. Link:
http://occrintranet/sites/ocpl/ocplpolicies/SitePages/Checklist%20for
%20New%20and%20Transfer%20Employees.aspx. Some of the items
on the checklist include activating a key card for the employee and
setting up IT and Training Partner accounts.

Probation is an extension of the job interview. The probation period
lasts from six months to one year, depending on the position.

Candidates are usually on their best behavior and put their best foot
forward during the probation period. This is a period of time in which
to thoroughly train candidates so that they can succeed in the job. If
someone does not understand how to do their job successfully, or
has a poor attitude, probation is the time to coach the candidate
toward improving these behaviors. If, after coaching, the candidate
is not able to improve, they may be released from probation.
Managers should work closely with their regional manager and the
HR department when considering releasing someone on probation.
HR will walk you through the process.

Performance Action Plans Each staff person should receive a
performance action plan within 30 days of hire or within 30 days of
their last performance review. The performance action plan sets out
goals for the employee for the year. The goals should match
department goals and support the library’s mission. The annual
customized competency and PIP goal should be set at this time.
These are personalized goals that should be set collaboratively by
the manager and the employee. Categories for the customized
competency can be found in the PIP Handbook. It is up to the

manager and employee to ensure that goals are “SMART” goals
(that is, specific, measurable and verifiable, action-oriented, realistic
and time-bound). The PAP is a good time to address any
performance deficits by setting goals that address problem areas.
The PIP goal needs to be set, but is optional for the employee to
complete. Therefore, it is important to set goals that are not essential
to branch operations but which help the employee stretch in their
job skills or to try something new. If an employee is not performing
adequately, an improvement plan may be written. This plan should
clearly set out what the employee needs to do to succeed in their
job. At the end of the PAP cycle, the manager writes a
performance evaluation for the employee, noting their skills in each
competency and noting any places where improvement is needed.
Recommendations for improvement should then be noted on the
next year’s performance action plan. See the PIP Manual for more
detailed information about the PIP process. Link:
http://www.pipworks.com/

Writing Performance Action Plans and Reviews

Every manager should read the PIP Manual in order to understand
the performance cycle and the manager’s responsibilities for
collaborating with staff members on their performance action plans
and performance reviews. The PIP Manual goes into detail about the
core competencies for staff and supervisors and the importance of
setting SMART goals. Each core competency should include several
SMART goals written specifically for the employee. Each goal should
set a clear expectation for the employee. A formula for writing a
SMART goal is: Verb + item/task + system wide goal (if applicable) +
deadline. An example of this might be, “Weed the foreign language
collection of items published before 2000 by March 1.” Another
example using a system wide goal is, “Work with the Office on Aging
to host three adult programs about job searching so that we can
empower our senior patrons and host these by June 30.” In general,
use action words and specifics when writing goals. A PIP goal must
be set each year. The PIP goal is not mandatory, so don’t set a goal
which is necessary for branch operations. An employee may choose
not to finish their PIP goal, but a goal must be set.

The performance review is based upon the employee’s
performance in a given year. If you have been coaching and
meeting with your employee during the year, their rating should not
come as a surprise. You should be working with HR if you plan to give
a “does not meet expectations” rating. If this is the case, you would
have likely given the employee a memorandum of expectations
and possibly an improvement plan. Most employees will receive a
“meets expectations” rating. If you want to give an “exceeds
expectations” rating, discuss with your regional manager first before
writing up the performance review. A “meets” expectations will
receive a one-step pay increase and an “exceeds” receives a two-
step increase.

Informal Feedback Informal feedback is ongoing, in-the-moment
development advice given by managers to employees outside the
formal performance review. It is important to give informal
feedback to staff members. A positive word goes a long way. Notice
good work and acknowledge it in person or by email message.
Encourage staff to notice the good work of their co-workers. This can
be done during staff meetings or by using a positive message bulletin

board in the branch, for instance. You can encourage staff to
nominate their peers for employee of the month. Constructive
criticism may be necessary when giving feedback. Give feedback in
a neutral and calm way and allow the staff person to respond.
Consider feedback that staff give to you. Listen to staff and consider
their points of view. Feedback should be specific, timely, proactive,
relevant, and constructive.

Coaching is a more complex process where the manager gets to
know the employee and is able to tailor a coaching style to that
person. It is a dynamic, organic process that develops over time and
may change when circumstances change. Every person has a
different style of communication and different needs. It is up to the
manager to find out what works best with each employee. Some
employees need a few words of guidance and some require more
than that. A manager should assess each employee’s strengths and
weaknesses and find ways to help employees grow. Coaching
means noticing what your staff is doing and paying attention.
Coaching may mean one-on-one conversations with the employees
to learn about their work challenges and career aspirations.

Conversations help build trust. When there is trust between
employees and managers, it is easier to provide constructive
criticism when necessary Constructive criticism may be a necessary
part of coaching. Some people fear presenting a person with
constructive criticism because they fear confrontation, but even
someone who fears confrontation can learn to deliver criticism in a
calm and thoughtful way without any confrontation. Being
prepared ahead of time helps when planning to have a difficult
conversation. It is part of a manager’s responsibilities to provide
constructive criticism. After having a coaching conversation about
an employee’s performance, follow up with an email summarizing
the conversation so that you both have a record of it.

There are two kinds of coaching conversations: performance and
development. Conversations about performance address projects,
specific skills, knowledge or abilities. Conversations about
development address possible areas of growth for the individual,
such as career paths and pursuing enhanced skills. In each case the
manager should ask the employee open ended questions about the
topic and discover what will help the employee succeed. The

manager should gather information, bring in resources that can help,
clarify what has been said, and check for mutual understanding of
the conversation. See “The Coaching Model Process”:
http://www.ocgov.com/civicax/filebank/blobdload.aspx?blobid=61
301

Documentation: As a branch manager, it’s your job to document
conversations and correspondence about staff members’
performance. Create a “drop file” for each staff person. This can be
a file folder or you can use software like OneNote. The drop file
should contain documentation of any verbal or written disciplinary
action that takes place. For instance, the drop file should contain a
copy of any coaching conversation email that you send to a staff
person and their response to it, if any. (You would follow up any
coaching conversation with an email that documents that the
conversation took place.) You would also keep copies of the
employee’s improvement plans, memoranda of expectations, or
further disciplinary actions taken with HR. You would also keep notes
on good performance that you observe, or any notes or letters of
appreciation that your staff person receives from patrons or other

staff members. The drop file can also hold policy signature pages,
EEO signature pages, the NIMS training certificate and other
documents such as these.

Appreciation: It’s the manager’s job to keep asking staff about
what’s going on in the branch. Staff want to feel appreciated. Ask
staff members how they like to be appreciated. An easy way to
show appreciation is to thank staff at the end of the work day. Thank
staff for the work they do in person and by email.

Discipline After coaching and counseling, the verbal reprimand is
the first step in the discipline process. This means clearly stating to the
employee what they need to do to improve. This should be followed
up with an email summary of discussion to document the
conversation. If the behavior continues, a written memorandum of
expectations may be written to the employee. This will clearly outline
what is expected and what the employee needs to do to change.
Work with HR before and while writing a memorandum of
expectations. If there is no improvement at this point, you will work
with HR on further disciplinary action which can include suspension
and or lead to dismissal. At any time during this process, you can use

the Improvement Plan in the PIP packet. It can be used to
specifically address deficits in performance and lay out specific
plans for following up on progress, such as meeting with the
employee at a set time to discuss progress.

EEO Reporting: All employees are required to take EEO training and
to read and acknowledge the Supervisor’s letter each year
regarding the commitment to EEO compliance in the work place. If
you see an EEO violation or one is reported to you, you are obligated
to report it to the EEO office.
http://www.ocgov.com/gov/hr/eeo/complaint

Training New Staff: It is the manager’s responsibility make sure new
staff are trained to work in a branch. Some training may be done by
other departments or be delegated to your librarians, but it is
ultimately up to you to make sure that a staff person knows how to
function in a branch. Some items of knowledge include:

✓ How to shelve materials at your location
✓ Patron interaction and expected customer service
✓ Expectations of professional behavior

✓ Aspects of the reference interview and when to hand off
a question

✓ How to hand off a question to another staff member, i.e.,
from library assistant to librarian

✓ How to assist patrons with all aspects of the collection
✓ How to use the ILS for most functions, including

adding/editing material
✓ How to use the public catalog and databases
✓ Branch safety procedures
✓ How to find policies and other information on SharePoint,

the OCPL website and the County website
✓ Use the checklist created by Bibliographic Services with

your staff members to ensure they know about all service
desk procedures.

It is expected that managers will have staff review the Service Desk

Checklist for Staff, found on the Bibliographic Services page under

“Training.” Link:

http://occrintranet/sites/ocpl/BibSvcs/_layouts/15/WopiFrame2.aspx

?sourcedoc=/sites/ocpl/BibSvcs/Training/Service%20Desk%20Check

list%20for%20Clerical%20and%20Reference%20Staff.xlsx&action=def

ault

HR Nuts and Bolts

✓ Pamela Niemi does our recruitments

✓ Huong Dang can answer any questions about personnel
records and dates for performance reviews

✓ Use the NeoGov website to open a requisition to fill a vacant
position. Use this list of approvers in this order:
o Regional Manager
o Sherry Toth
o Veronica Yeste-Alarcon
o Connie Chang
o Nicole Cove

✓ Submit PAPs and performance reviews to your regional
manager.
o The regional manager will review, sign and send you back
the paper copy.
▪ Scan all pages of a performance review into one
PDF and send to the OCCRPerformanceEvaluations
mailbox and copy your regional manager.

▪ PAPs are for internal use only and should not be
emailed to HR

o Give original paper document to the staff member
✓ When to contact HR

o When you believe that a staff member may
o When you believe that HR intervention would be helpful
o When a staff person may not pass probation
o During the discipline process
o For any EEO violation
✓ Checklist for new and transferred staff can be found here:
http://occrintranet/sites/ocpl/ocplpolicies/SitePages/Checklist
%20for%20New%20and%20Transfer%20Employees.aspx

✓ Exit checklist for separated or retired employees can be found
here: http://occrintranet/hr/Records/Forms/AllItems.aspx

Facilities and Safety

Building Managing the building is a key part of a branch manager’s

job. Indeed, managers often are surprised by how much attention

and time one spends on managing the various aspects of the library

building.

Safety is everyone’s concern and everyone’s responsibility. Staff

should follow safety guidelines and work in a safe environment. Staff

should not create unsafe environments because of their personal
work habits.

Building Safety: Maintaining a safe environment for staff and patrons
is the most important element in managing the building. Staff should
have read and be aware of our safety policies and trained yearly in
the IIPP, and take part in a fire drill and evacuation drill each year.
Staff should be aware of all possible exits from the building. The
branch should be clutter free and all ingress and egress areas clear
so that staff and patrons can enter and exit the building safely.
Safety inspections should be done monthly. The OCCR safety
manager will hold a yearly safety inspection at each branch. It is the
branch manager’s responsibility to make sure that any safety
hazards indicated on the report are addressed. Some may be
addressed by branch staff but some may need to be addressed by
OCCR Maintenance [see Maintenance and Building Services
Request].

Staffing Facilities: Two staff persons should be in the building at all
times, and two staff persons should be present when opening or
closing the building. Staff should not be in the building before or after

shift hours, unless there is an exception made by the regional
manager. In addition, two staff members or a security guard should
be present when issuing a suspension letter to a patron. At the end
of the business day, all staff should exit the building together.

Public Safety: Patron interactions are usually polite transactions in
which branch staff fulfill the information need of the patron. They are
generally pleasant and even rewarding. However, it is also possible
to encounter difficult or problem behavior in patrons. A very useful
policy is Addressing Problem Behavior and/or Distressed Individuals.
[link]. Any time that a staff member feels threatened by an individual
or situation, they or the branch manager should call 911.

Surplus items: Fill out an Exediter, selecting Asset Transfer/Surplus
Request and route to the warehouse manager. Someone will pick up
your item and take it to the warehouse. Use this type of Expediter to
send large items to another branch.

Maintenance: When you need a repair at your location, fill out an
Expediter and choose Building Services Request. Describe the
problem and route to the OCCR Service Desk and copy your

regional manager. It is often helpful to attach a photo of the

problem to the Expediter.

Capital projects: Building remodels or refurbishments will be

coordinated by the County Librarian, the Assistant County Librarian

and your regional manager.

Facilities and Safety Key Points

✓ Two staff persons need to be in the building at all times
✓ If a staff member feels threatened, they should call 911.
✓ If a patron does not comply when told that they have violated

the Code of Conduct, write up a Risk Management incident
report, found here:
https://ocgov.sharepoint.com/Collab/SvcAreas/GRC/Risk/Pag
es/Forms-and-Resources.aspx
✓ Staff may request a suspension letter for a patron who persists in
violating the Code of Conduct. The regional manager will
forward to the County Librarian, who will decide whether or not
to approve the ban letter.
✓ Two staff persons or a security guard should be present when
issuing a suspension letter to a patron.
✓ To surplus items or to send to another location, fill out an
Expediter selecting Asset Transfer/Surplus Request and route to
David Lu.
✓ When a repair is needed, fill out on Expediter and choose
Building Services Request and route to the OCCR Service Desk.
✓ Staff should leave the building together at the close of the
business day.

Friends of the Library
As a branch manager, you will be expected to form and sustain a
relationship with your branch’s Friends of the Library group. The
Friends of the Library are there to support the library’s mission and
goals. They support the efforts of the branch where they are located
by providing funds primarily for programs, books and supplies. They
raise money through book sales and donations. Many Friends
operate a bookstore in a library branch. The Friends lease the space
from the library and must carry insurance for their volunteers. Friends
groups are 501c3 organizations (non-profit) and have a board of
directors. They make decisions independently of the library. As
branch manager, you act as an ex-officio member of the Friends
board, meaning that you are a non-voting member. Friends’ boards
usually meet once a month and you should attend the meetings.
Your role is to provide information about the library’s needs and
goals. Typically, the branch manager will present the Friends board
with a budget request for the year. These requests should be in
support of library programs, supplies, the collection, or the facility.
The Friends may also donate monies to fund system wide OC Public

Libraries programs or collections, such as Literary Orange or the
eBook collection. Friends may also support building maintenance or
refurbishment projects but these must be developed with the
cooperation of library administration. Friends also donate for the
purchase of furniture or other interior and exterior projects. If the
amount of the donation is $10,000 or more, an ASR needs to be
written and submitted to the Board of Supervisors, who will accept
the donation. The ASR needs to be written several months in
advance in order to be reviewed by OCCR and placed on the
Board’s consent calendar. A regional manager will write up the ASR
and shepherd it through the process.

Friends members are usually passionate about the library and want
to help the library succeed. They may feel ownership for the library
they serve. Members will often serve for many years, and see staff
come and go. They may have volunteered longer than the branch
manager has been employed as a librarian. It is important to respect
the experience and commitment that Friends volunteers bring to the
organization while remembering to keep the relationship professional
and the FOL board focused on the library’s needs and goals.

Friends of the Library Key Points

✓ Friends groups are non-profit, 501c3 organizations that support
the library.

✓ Branch managers act as ex-officio (non-voting) board
members and attend meetings.

✓ Branch managers provide the Friends with information about
the branch’s goals.

✓ Branch managers usually submit a budget request to the
Friends group once a year.

✓ Requests should be in support of library programs, collections,
or other needs.

✓ Maintain a professional relationship with appropriate
boundaries.

✓ Any maintenance or refurbishment projects, including furniture,
should be discussed first with your regional manager before
proceeding.

Policies and Procedures

A branch manager should be conversant with the Policies page of

OC Public Libraries, located on SharePoint. No one expects you to

memorize all of our policies. However, you should be able to locate

the policy and procedure information that you need. The policies

are divided into different categories and there is a keyword search

function on the top right of the page. You may be asked by your

staff or the public to clarify policies and the Policies page is where

you can go to find the answer. All of the policies and procedures
have been vetted by OCPL Administration before posting. (If you see
any errors or inconsistencies, please let your regional manager know,
so they can be investigated.) The Policies page is a living document
and there may be changes to policies, which will be announced to
staff. In order for staff to familiarize themselves with our policies, they
are required to read all of the OCPL policies and sign an
acknowledgment form, which you will keep in their branch file. If
they transfer to another branch, the file can go with them. When
policies are significantly changed, staff should also sign an
acknowledgment form regarding the changed policy. This would be
announced as an updated policy and shared with staff.

Leadership, Teamwork and Staff Morale
As a manager, you should strive to become a leader in your branch
and in the library system. A leader can be defined as someone who
sets a direction, creates a vision, and inspires, motivates and
supports team members. One can lead from any level, but the
expectation is that branch managers will strive to become leaders.
Leaders are known for integrity, professionalism and ethical

behavior. They do the right thing even if it’s difficult to do so. Branch
staff model their behavior on the branch manager’s behavior. If the
manager pitches in and helps out, staff are more likely to do the
same. If the manager is polite and attempts to get along with
everyone, staff are likely to follow this lead. If the manager clearly
communicates expectations, the staff is likely to live up to them. All
of these behaviors contribute to staff morale. Staff are more likely to
work as a team when morale is high. Teamwork can be an
expectation of the manager. The branch manager should be a
leader and also be a part of the team.

Handbook Acknowledgment Form
By signing this form, I acknowledge that I have received a copy of
OCPL’s Branch Manager Handbook. I understand that it contains
important information about OCPL’s policies and culture, that I am
expected to read the handbook and familiarize myself with its
contents and that all the policies in the handbook, as well as the
policies listed on the Policies page on the OCPL Intranet, apply to
me.
I acknowledge receiving the Branch Manager Handbook.

_________________________
Signature

__________________________
Date