Building Community among Staff through Engagement and Recognition

The Access Operations Program at the UC San Diego Library consists of 29 staff based at 3 locations, working 2 shifts, and a variety of weekly schedules.  Its current merging with another 6 staff from the Library’s Learning Spaces Program adds more complexity to establishing a sense of community among program staff.  Goals of effectively working together to support library users through diverse service offerings are served when staff are bound by shared purpose, connection with peers, and an overall sense of community.  Recognition of staff and their achievements also builds morale and motivation and contributes to community.  This poster will share some simple tools and activities implemented in the UCSD Library to address the leadership challenge of recognizing staff contributions and helping to build a sense of community among staff spread across a variety of work locations, schedules, and shifts.   Examples include “remote BINGO” games, quarterly staff celebrations, staff engagement posters, and an intranet recognition board