Staff Profile - January 2015

Amber Crystal Holley has some positive methods that she applies to everyday life and her career.  So far, these SOP's (standard operating procedures) in her career and elsewhere seem to be working well for her and she has some principles we could all adopt.

Q: What responsibilities do you have as the new Youth Services Manager?

A: As the Manager for Youth Services I have the privilege to act as the head of the Youth Services Leadership Team, which includes the eight YS Librarian IIIs, as well as our Early Childhood Specialist, Susan Mankowski. We all work to ensure that all 21 of our locations are offering library services that support the educational success of our youth. I also coordinate system wide initiatives that support this goal, including offering professional development and coordinating programming around the system.

I’m also looking forward to refocusing our youth services programming to encourage the educational success of our youth. Youth programs that focus on educational success were noted as one of JPL’s strategic goals because our youth are falling behind in all academic areas. We, as a public institution, are uniquely placed to not only support academic initiatives, but to help provide a model for life-long learning and an enjoyment of the pursuit of knowledge. We are not just the “keepers of books” and I’m excited by all the opportunities available to youth services staff to explore what the library can mean for the youth of today and adults of tomorrow.

Q: Starting with JPL in 2004, you managed AYL, then served as CW Region’s Senior Youth Services Librarian and later moved into the position of Librarian III in the Youth Services Department with Laura Minnich. Your experience in these areas will no doubt promulgate some innovative ideas for JPL’s Youth Services. Would you share some of the plans you have for YS?

A: I’ve moved around JPL even more than that! Sometimes I like to joke that if I’ve gotten too settled wherever I am, it must be time to move! But it has been an awesome experience. I think I’ve really gotten a feel for the different neighborhoods that JPL serves and all of our many and varied customers. It has really taught me a higher level of flexibility and given me an understanding that each library, although part of a larger organization, has individual needs to serve its local population.

Since I’ve been in a lot of different areas of the JPL system I’ve seen a lot of duplication of efforts and areas where Youth Services staff could be helping each other. We should be sharing ideas, information, and supplies more than we do currently, so I will be looking for ways to improve this sharing whenever possible.

Q: Did you have a career prior to coming to JPL, and if so, how does that experience contribute to your current position as Youth Services Manager?

 A: My career prior to JPL was Professional College Student. I jumped directly from my undergrad experience at New College of Florida to graduate school at USF to my first job as a librarian at the Beaches Branch of JPL.  But I can tell you that my part-time jobs during those years were formative. For a while, I cold called people across the United States to ask them about their media habits. I quickly learned how to make a personal connection rapidly over the phone with people from all walks of life. I also learned to let go of the bad conversations and enjoy the good ones when they came along. My times at the Post Office taught me to be an efficient cog in the wheel and gave me a love of audiobooks. My time as a librarian for the youth prison system gave me an exposure to a certain group of children and my first good library customer stories.
 

Q: You have excellent organizational skills—does that come natural to you, or is it a skill you developed in your career, and why do you consider it to be essential to success?

 
A: I have always been fairly organized because I like to get things done. If I can be organized about whatever it is that I am doing, it gets done quickly, neatly and with a minimum of fuss. And if I’m organized, I can get more done.

My favorite part about being organized is that it allows me to avoid thinking about what I have to do next because I have that all written down. Instead, I can spend more time thinking about better ways to do things and new things to try.

Also, since I’m organized, I’ve learned that I can do some pretty big and pretty amazing things. All I need to do is outline my plan and figure out the small, achievable steps. Then I set a bunch of mini-deadlines and before I know it, I’m done.

 
I can’t say that the ability to be organized is something that I was born with. It’s something that I work at and I’m constantly improving upon and trying new tricks.
 

Q: What would you say was the happiest day in your life?

A: I’ve had some happy days, but honestly I try to live my life happy. Life is a journey and if you can’t enjoy the ride, what’s the point? A few years ago I watched this really amazing TED talk by Shawn Achor. He talks about why happy people are happy and gives some simple ways that everyone can make their daily lives happier. So I do things and arrange what I can of my life to make myself happier. Did you know that happier people are about 30% more efficient and productive?

 http://www.ted.com/talks/shawn_achor_the_happy_secret_to_better_work/transcript?language=en