Moving Beyond Checklists: Centering The Importance of Onboarding

Education Session Description: The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that over the next decade, there will be 15,200 library job openings annually (2022) due to “workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force.” So how will we ensure that these new employees are adequately onboarded? Onboarding is a vital part of a new employee’s experience. In this session, we hope to have a candid discussion about onboarding in libraries, with a particular focus on health sciences and special libraries. Our panelists will share their most recent experiences and how they are working to improve onboarding at their organizations. We want to provide a space to engage and share best practices around onboarding within libraries. New employees can be left without proper direction on navigating their job or organizational culture without adequate preparation. Onboarding goes beyond paperwork and checklists. Participants will have the opportunity to think critically about onboarding practices at their institutions and what changes could be made to improve the experience. We will engage with attendees in the conversation via polls and small group discussions. This will be an opportunity for attendees to participate actively and provide insight into this crucial conversation. They will leave the session with some takeaway strategies for creating and revising their institution’s onboarding practices. Our hope is that this will lead to actionable steps for all levels to make onboarding more effective for new employees.