Tulsa City-County Library Reorganizes Senior Management
CEO elevated to strategic position, can work from home; COO manages daily operations
Lynn Blumenstein -- Library Journal, 6/30/2009
- Leadership redistribution said to be normal process
- Two new deputy directors added
- No layoffs planned
The Tulsa City-County Library (TCCL) has restructured its top management staff, notably assigning former deputy director Laurie Sundborg as chief operating officer (COO). She will be responsible for the daily management of the library system.
TCCL CEO Linda Saferite will become chief executive and strategic initiatives officer, dedicating her efforts toward long-strategy, and also responsible for fundraising and finding a site for the new downtown library, according to a report in the Tulsa World. The new job responsibilities were determined by TCCL’s Library Commission, Sundborg told LJ.
These changes, which include the addition of two new area managers, are part of a regular redistribution of responsibility among all of the leadership team, said Sundborg. She noted that TCCL had area managers 20 years ago and in the past made do without a deputy director. She is able to take on new responsibilities because of the new managers.
Still, as noted below, some staffers have raised concerns, and comments, including from some library workers, on the Tulsa World article are heavily critical of the management.
New duties
Saferite maintains control over finances, human resources, communications, and the endowment and development issues. Sundborg will now be in charge of outreach and literacy efforts and act as a liaison with Friends and volunteer organizations. Suanne Wymer, deputy director, will manage all public services and all facilities with the help of the two area managers.
Sundborg said that, while the changes weren’t determined by financial concerns, the library has had to reduce expenses by 8.5 percent. TCCL "does examine every position when it becomes open," she said. "We’ve been frugal," said Sundborg, who noted that there won’t be any layoffs and none are expected. "We’re even adding a few positions at the branches."
Concerns raised
The Tulsa World article also noted that Saferite already works from home Fridays and sometimes Thursdays. Two former library employees and one former commissioner were quoted as saying that, coupled with her transfer of daily management duties to Sundborg, Saferite's diminished daily presence could affect morale.
Current commissioners unanimously approved the schedule for Saferite, who said that she works a total of 70-80 hours a week. Because of the library's fundraising function, she told the newspaper, the library is unlike other government entities.
