Sno-Isle Libraries
Sno-Isle Libraries Employee Reviews
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Great place to work if they know what to do with you
The hardest part about this job was feeling like your talents were being properly utilized. They love to promote high-performers to management roles and there are often too many cooks in the kitchen: a very top heavy organization (count the management personnel!), which means that if you're trying to get anything done, you need a lot of buy-in from a lot of people.
Interesting place to work. Not for everyone.
I will preface this by saving I came here from a large, extremely diverse library system. Some people had worked in libraries their whole lives, and others had just came from other careers. Most were friendly and willing to get to know
one another, no matter where they came from. The Sno-Isle Library System has so far been the complete opposite of that experience. People here act the same, talk the same, and unfortunately, do not represent all of what the communities are that they serve. My first day had people of other ethnicities literally staring at me with their mouths wide open, and one told me, “Wow, we never see people like you working here!” That was my first warning bell. Add to that a lack of direction from managers, pressure to handle multiple (as in 10+) projects at one time, and do an abundance of things on top of that everyday forced me to seek other opportunities. None of these job duties were disclosed during the interview process (of course not... otherwise I would not have taken the position) so I am truly saddened that I have to leave.
one another, no matter where they came from. The Sno-Isle Library System has so far been the complete opposite of that experience. People here act the same, talk the same, and unfortunately, do not represent all of what the communities are that they serve. My first day had people of other ethnicities literally staring at me with their mouths wide open, and one told me, “Wow, we never see people like you working here!” That was my first warning bell. Add to that a lack of direction from managers, pressure to handle multiple (as in 10+) projects at one time, and do an abundance of things on top of that everyday forced me to seek other opportunities. None of these job duties were disclosed during the interview process (of course not... otherwise I would not have taken the position) so I am truly saddened that I have to leave.
Pros
Competitive pay, many libraries in their system
Cons
Management, employees, environment, job duties
Would you recommend working at your company?
Help people considering your employer make a good choice.
productive fun place to work with books
the most enjoyable part of the job as talking with others about the books they have read. I was a volunteer so I don't know what an average day to day was like but from what I witnessed it is a good place to work with benefits.
Unsupportive Management,
When I was hired they made a point of expressing how much they want everyone to succeed and that they were adamant and dedicated to helping you do just that. Right up until you encounter difficulty. Advice was vague, help was non-existent and the interaction with management at that time became very chilly.
They also appeared to have far more concern for the numbers, results that could be tallied by arithmetic. When asked to discuss program results, the number of attendees was always paramount. There was very little consideration for the value of the experiences that the patrons had.
It's also fairly telling that the turnover rate for the system is oddly high.
Libraries exist to serve the people of a community, not to serve their own interests by confusing attendance with quality.
They also appeared to have far more concern for the numbers, results that could be tallied by arithmetic. When asked to discuss program results, the number of attendees was always paramount. There was very little consideration for the value of the experiences that the patrons had.
It's also fairly telling that the turnover rate for the system is oddly high.
Libraries exist to serve the people of a community, not to serve their own interests by confusing attendance with quality.
Pros
Competitive pay
Cons
Focus on Quantity over Quality, Very little support from management
Great place to work
Wonderful place to work. Knowledgeable and helpful staff. Supervisors very approachable. Job tasks were well organized and easy to follow and complete. Beautiful library in gorgeous surroundings.
Pros
Supervisors encouraged advancement and tried to help one suceed.
Cons
Only part time.
Ok, not great
I worked in many positions for this company over many years.
Work/life balance could have been better. There is a strong importance on going above and beyond, without adequate time to do that without eating into your personal life. The higher up your position the more this becomes an issue.
Compensation was low in hindsight. You don't get paid very well compared to other workplaces in the area, but the other benefits are outstanding. Vacation days, medical, retirement, etc are all top notch.
Job security is great. This makes it not a worry that you'll be terminated for no reason, but also brings some lazy workers to the table. Some people did the bare minimum at all times here. Some people worked hard. It was a large spectrum. Advancement opportunities are varied. People tend to stay in positions long term because of this. To advance a new position needs to be created (rare) or someone needs to leave. Current employees are given heavy priority to fill open positions.
Management was poor in my experience. There are many people in higher up positions that do not posses adequate skills to effectively manage the workload beneath them. I imagine this is because there is a lot of value placed on people that have been there a long time versus skills possessed.
Culture is good and bad. There is a lot of "learning" happening here, which is great I think. There is also a lot of political BS happening here, especially behind the scenes when looking at job placement, opportunities, and pay. The HR department is run terribly and will go out of their way life given the chance. - more...
Work/life balance could have been better. There is a strong importance on going above and beyond, without adequate time to do that without eating into your personal life. The higher up your position the more this becomes an issue.
Compensation was low in hindsight. You don't get paid very well compared to other workplaces in the area, but the other benefits are outstanding. Vacation days, medical, retirement, etc are all top notch.
Job security is great. This makes it not a worry that you'll be terminated for no reason, but also brings some lazy workers to the table. Some people did the bare minimum at all times here. Some people worked hard. It was a large spectrum. Advancement opportunities are varied. People tend to stay in positions long term because of this. To advance a new position needs to be created (rare) or someone needs to leave. Current employees are given heavy priority to fill open positions.
Management was poor in my experience. There are many people in higher up positions that do not posses adequate skills to effectively manage the workload beneath them. I imagine this is because there is a lot of value placed on people that have been there a long time versus skills possessed.
Culture is good and bad. There is a lot of "learning" happening here, which is great I think. There is also a lot of political BS happening here, especially behind the scenes when looking at job placement, opportunities, and pay. The HR department is run terribly and will go out of their way life given the chance. - more...
Great place to work at , great people to work with!
A typical day involves fine sorting, and shelving library materials, assisting patrons ( providing information on library services mostly) and some minor clerical work.
Management is incredible, mature and friendly people and the same goes for co-workers.
Management is incredible, mature and friendly people and the same goes for co-workers.
Pros
flexible hours, great atmosphere and advancement opportunities.
Cons
not enough hours for page position.