Forum Spotlight - Human Resources & Administration Forum (HRAF)
August 8, 2024
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For Human Resources and Administrative professionals who are looking to navigate the complexities of the employee relationship or those who may be responsible for one or more job functions that fall within the realm of an HR and ADMIN Professional. The Human Resources and Administration Forum (HRAF) exists to help libraries with the many complexities in their HR and ADMIN roles in day-to-day operations by giving them a space to discuss issues relevant to their experiences.
To reach this population, HRAF has spent a lot of time discussing the needs that best meet the size and geographic location of libraries throughout the state of Illinois. We have a diverse leadership team that is composed of professionals with a plethora of knowledge from new to more experienced professionals who serve in HR and/or Administration roles. We are hoping to reach out directly to library staff for input on the most challenging issues they face. By reaching out, HRAF hopes to offer a safe place for professionals to network, learn new skills, and share resources (conferences, webinars, presentations, etc.). Keep an eye on the HRAF webpage where we'll have a Google form of potential topics for those attending the HRAF Unconference at the ILA Annual Conference to complete.
Though HRAF is only in its creation stage, the Forum has already contacted Reaching Forward South and Reaching Forward North attendees and created a survey to gain an understanding of the needs of the library. The survey is still open so if you have not already filled it out, please do. HRAF is currently planning an unconference session at the 2024 ILA Annual Conference where we can meet interested individuals and potential members to find out what topics you would like to see the Forum address and in what format. Participation in Forum events is free and open to everyone, including non-ILA members, though Forum leadership is a benefit of ILA personal membership.
In the near future, HRAF plans to start a hard membership push. Though the details of this push are still being worked out, we are hoping to gain more members who can help give the Forum a wider variety of ideas and perspectives. We hope that HRAF can serve as a safe space to discuss common issues that are presented within daily operations, as well as ways to combat these issues. If you have any questions for HRAF or want to get involved, do not hesitate to reach out to Sarah Anderson, board liaison, at sanderson@ila.org.
This spotlight was written by Jill Trevino, a forum member and the Human Resources Director at the Illinois Heartland Library System.
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