Working at Sno-Isle Libraries: Employee Reviews

3.0

Interesting place to work. Not for everyone.

Librarian (Former Employee) – Snohomish County, WA – November 12, 2018

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.

Pros

Competitive pay, many libraries in their system

Cons

Management, employees, environment, job duties

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1.0

Brier library- Poor Management...

Volunteer (Former Employee) – Brier, WA – November 21, 2018

I tried to do volunteer over here. They even don’t like to talk. Brier library new staff unfortunately, do not represent all communities. Management need to think wide.

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5.0

productive fun place to work with books

Teen Volunteer (Former Employee) – Marysville, WA – June 6, 2018

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.

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2.0

Unsupportive Management,

Librarian (Former Employee) – Washington State – October 29, 2016

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.

Pros

Competitive pay

Cons

Focus on Quantity over Quality, Very little support from management

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4.0

Great place to work at , great people to work with!

Page (Current Employee) – Marysville, WA – May 4, 2012

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.

Pros

flexible hours, great atmosphere and advancement opportunities.

Cons

not enough hours for page position.

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3.0

Ok, not great

Web Developer I (Former Employee) – Tulalip, WA – October 13, 2015

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... Scare tactics are a pretty big part of the "don't rock the boat" mentality here.

I would recommend this workplace if the job was right and advancement was not as important. Do your pay negotiation at the beginning because a raise outside of the normal cost of living stuff will never happen ever. less

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5.0

Great customer-centered library system.

Public Service Assistant I (Former Employee) – Monroe, WA – March 14, 2017

The management at Sno-Isle is awesome. The workplace is welcoming and supportive. I would have loved to continue my employment with this company, but circumstances necessitated a move back to the east coast.

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5.0

Great place to work

Public Service Assistant I Sub (Former Employee) – Marysville, WA – October 26, 2015

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.

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