'Tis the Holiday Policy Season

          Every year as Thanksgiving approaches, IOWALIB is lively with chatter about holiday closings. The typical query asks how many libraries close the Friday after Thanksgiving…what about Christmas Eve…New Year’s Eve?

          Holiday closings would seem a simple thing, but instead proves to be a continually vexing problem. It’s really not so much which dates to choose—there are only a finite number of holidays and the same ones roll around each year! The deeper problem, I believe, is personnel-related.

          The majority of small town libraries operate on part-time hours with part-time staff. And in most cases, part-time staff receive few, if any, benefits. So when the library closes on a holiday, staff isn’t paid for that day—the crux of the problem.

          Library boards should answer this as a matter of personnel policy. Remember library boards have the authority to determine staff salaries and benefits, like holiday pay. Boards can opt to follow city HR policies—in whole or in part; they could choose to allow holiday pay for library staff apart from what the city allows. These are important discussions that come into sharp relief each year as Thanksgiving approaches.

          Granted, HR issues are harder to wrestle with and can’t be readily answered in this space. But let’s come back to the easier question—the dates themselves. What about the Friday after Thanksgiving…Christmas Eve…New Year’s Eve? All good questions, and there is a way to avoid this angst each year.

          Simply do what Storm Lake Library Board does. Every October, Storm Lake PL Board places “holiday closings” on its agenda. With next year’s calendar in hand, the board targets all the major holidays that the library and/or city offices will close. And then—they write it down! The list of the coming year’s holiday closings are posted for the staff and public, and a copy is provided to the board at its next meeting.

          Now that it’s November, it’s a perfect time to follow suit and put this item on your upcoming agendas. With policy deliberations, boards are well advised to follow the 3 Ds: discuss, decide, and document. Holiday closing decisions are similar to inclement weather decisions. Document what’s decided and try it for a year. Make adjustments as needed. But putting the decision in writing is the best way to “pay it forward” for next year, for new staff and new trustees coming on the scene.