Longtime staffer turns temporary assignment into a permanent position

Technician Regina Young celebrated 25 years as a Library employee recently, and does so from a new position, moving on after 18 years.

Prospective employees of the Library of Congress are used to seeing certain types of posts on the Library’s Careers page. There are evergreen posts for Materials Handlers, Attorney-Advisors, and many more. One of the posts that also come up are the temporary or Not To Exceed (NTE) postings. For many of those NTE postings, the job is only for Library staff, and only for a short amount of time, usually 120 days. Inside the Library, these are called “Detail” assignments, and are an opportunity for long-time staff to experience work in another office and possibly move on.

Two years ago, I introduced the readers of this blog to my coworker and friend Regina Young. Since then, Young has moved on to a new position in the Inventory Management & Document Fulfillment Section (IMDF) of the Collections Management Division (CMD). She did this after first working the job for six months on detail. She shares with us her experience.

 

Has it been difficult transitioning to your new position after so many years in Library Binding Section (LBS)/Processing and Preparation Section (PPS)?

My transition from my previous position as a Binding Technician where I was employed for 18 years into my new position as an Information Management and Document Fulfillment Technician was a smooth transition. This was a smooth transition because, I was selected in the division as a detaille for 120-days and was extended for an additional 90-days. This gave me the opportunity to know management, the staff, and the job.

 

Is there any difference between your permanent position and the detail position you held?

There are some differences from being permanent vs. holding the detail position. In this section there are a number of charge stations throughout all three buildings in which there are different job functions to be performed. The common denominator for all stations is the basic foundation for charging and discharging books for staffers, patrons, study shelf holders, Kluge scholars, special borrowers, Congressional staff and members, and Interlibrary Loan requests. Due to the time frame of the detail, there were selected stations that I was trained at for a month to ensure that I obtained the knowledge and skills to work those stations, providing excellent customer service to patrons as well as answering complex questions. As a permanent employee to the section, I am now able to work all charge stations between the three buildings, perform sublocation/cataloging work and complex review for problem resolution books by routing these materials to the offsite Fort Meade campus.

What was the process to get selected for the detail?

The process for being selected for a detail position is to one: read through the detail announcement, two: make sure that you have the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the said job description and three: make sure to get your supervisors’ approval to apply for the detail position of interest.

 

Do you feel that the detail adequately prepared you for your new role?

Absolutely! I agree that the detail position adequately prepared me for this new job role. I had a head supervisor, Kristina Grooms, and a supervisor, Marjorie Morgan, who made themselves available whenever I had a question. They always came around and did a check-in, in person to make sure things were moving smoothly and always had an encouraging word. I had an awesome IMDF Technician, Olga Buster, to train me. She made sure that I knew every detail and aspect of the job as well as IMDF Technician, Tyna Hepburn. I can honestly say that this is a section that pride themselves on “TEAM WORK”. Everyone in this section is a true team player and I am so happy to be a part of the team. Each person on this staff has been there to answer a question and to chip in and help when days are very busy. This is definitely a true statement when it comes to this team, “team work makes a dream work”. I work with some amazing men and women who work together on one accord to meet the mission and vison of the Library of Congress.

 

Is there anything you miss about your previous position?

I am grateful for my previous position as a binding technician. I met a lot of people and I learned a lot. I am thankful for the experiences gained in my previous section which aided me in my professional career as I have moved on. Taking the work experience gained, bringing those knowledge, skills and abilities into my current role as an Information Management and Document Fulfillment Technician.

On another note, I will definitely miss being on the Holiday Committee. As a whole, Binding and Collections Care Division/PPS made some enjoyable memories during the holidays that I will definitely cherish.

 

What piece of advice would you give to other Preservation staff considering such a move?

My advice would be to take the leadership development classes, training courses and the mentorship programs that are offered through the Library of Congress. These trainings set you up for success! I always say, “you have to put your all into something to get a positive result.” You have to apply yourself and let others see you outside of your section. I used this a rule of thumb as well as networking, which is very important to moving ahead in your professional career. It can be very challenging when trying to make a lateral move. I would say to stay the course and a door will open up in due time.

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