One might think that having a website called the Efficient Librarian would mean that I am all in for efficiency. To an extent, that is true. Most of the time it makes sense to find the simplest way to complete tasks to save time and energy. For example, making a habit of the Two Minute Rule makes sense to move forward on quick tasks as soon as they show up.

However, there are situations in which efficiency has a downside. Too often we get locked into one way of thinking. This leads to doing things efficiently but never questioning why they are being done in the first place! For example, several years back I learned that my library system was compiling a very specific quarterly statistics report. When asked what we did with the numbers, the reply was that the final report was being placed in a drawer and never used. In the past there might have been a purpose, but it no longer applied. I immediately told them to stop compiling this report and everyone was relived.

Additionally, efficiency can be the enemy of experimentation. If new ideas and approaches are needed, doing the old ways more effectively is worthless. Therefore, it is helpful to regularly take time to reflect on our systems. Asking the following questions may provide insight:

• Why are we doing this?
• What value does this produce?
• Is there something else we could be doing instead that would be more valuable?

Even if the task remains valuable, there may be better ways of doing it, either through technology or a newly discovered best practice. Changing over to a different approach will be less efficient while it is implemented. However, the savings over time as the new approach sinks in reaps benefits.

For example, a dozen years ago my library system went all in on self-check and self-return technology. Staff definitely had a learning curve in understanding the new systems and teaching the public how to effectively use them. However, time savings for staff along with fewer repetitive stress injuries made the transition worthwhile. In fact, it did not take long for staff members to openly wonder why we didn’t make the switch sooner!

For homework, take time this week to look at one of your systems or tasks. Ask the questions above to determine if it is useful to continue doing it. You might be surprised by the results!