Feedback, Grievance, and Evaluation Procedures

Purpose

The Feedback, Grievance and Evaluation Procedure delineates the guidelines for the Oil Creek Library District to receive and respond to feedback, settle grievances, and conduct District evaluations.
Feedback is understood to be any suggestion for improvement or general question regarding District services. Feedback is accepted from any member library director, staff, volunteer (including Board members), and patrons.
A grievance is understood as an issue that needs an outside mediator for resolution. If the issue is with the Consultant, the mediator will generally be the Administrator. All other grievances will generally be mediated by the Consultant. The grievance process is not intended to resolve in-house conflicts (e.g. staff vs. director). It is intended to help resolve issues between two or more member libraries, a board/director conflict, or an issue the member has with District services. Any Staff or Volunteer, including Board members, of member libraries may initiate this process.
Evaluations are understood to be evaluations performed on District services. District employee evaluations will be conducted in conjunction with the policies of Oil Region Library Association.

Expectations

It is expected that any feedback given will be constructive and professional. It is expected that all parties will work to resolve any grievances in good faith, following the reporting protocol.
It is expected that if the District feels that they are not able to implement the feedback or be helpful in resolving a grievance that they will respond accordingly to the submitter with the reasoning and any other helpful resources.
It is expected that evaluations will be conducted regularly and in good faith with all affected parties.

Record Keeping

A log of all feedback and grievances will be kept at the District office. The District will strive for keeping a balance between the desire for anonymity and the need to keep individual concerns from affecting the group dynamics.
The District will share relevant responses to questions and feedback with member libraries in a consistently accessible manner. Any applicable issues and concerns that arise through the year will also be addressed and reviewed during the mid-year and annual strategic review processes.
Evaluations of District services will be shared in summary with all member libraries and will be maintained at the District office. Evaluations of District will be kept confidential and in the Personnel files held by Oil Region Library Association.
Records will be kept according to the Oil Region Library Association Document Retention Policy unless otherwise specified.
 

Procedures

Feedback Reporting and Resolution

1. Feedback can be submitted via the online form posted on the website. Verbal and informal feedback will be tracked to the extent possible in the feedback logs.
2. A District staff member (generally the Consultant) will respond to the feedback within approximately one week of receipt, whether a change will be made or not.
3. If applicable, the feedback suggestion will be taken to the District Advisory Council or District Executive Committee.
4. If a change is made according to the feedback, the submitter will be notified directly, if contact information was provided. The change will also be noted in the feedback log.

Grievance Reporting and Resolution

1. It is expected that any member library will address an issue or concern directly with the affected party first.
2. If the situation fails to be resolved, the concern will then be addressed to the Consultant via the Grievance reporting form. (Note: if the issue involves the Consultant, use the Grievance with Consultant form.)
3. If the Consultant fails to resolve the concern, the concern may be brought to the Administrator.
4. If the Administrator is unable to resolve the concern, it may be then brought to the District Advisory Council. The decision of the District Advisory Council will be final.

 

Evaluations

1. Quality Evaluations
   1. The District delivers all evaluation materials prior to each meeting. It is expected that all participants will maximize the quality of discussion at meetings by taking the time to review the materials and pose any questions in advance.
   2. The District conducts an annual evaluation of District services, including Consulting services, to gather honest and appropriate feedback.
   3. The District invites all member libraries, including branches, to evaluate the strategic plan and develop initiatives so the District service population is as represented as possible.
   4. If an issue or concern is noted, the Feedback, Grievance and Evaluation Procedures will be followed.
2. Strategic Planning Evaluation
   1. Annual Review Process
      1. District staff completes an in-house review.
      2. Each member library completes independent assessments of the District’s achievement of stated goals as well as its individual contribution to meeting said goals.
      3. District staff and member libraries meet together to develop a cohesive evaluation from their combined perspective.
      4. The District Advisory Council reviews the formal evaluation.
   2. Mid-Year Review for Current Fiscal Year
      1. The member libraries complete a mid-year review of the current strategic goals and adjust as necessary.
      2. The mid-year review is reported to the District Advisory Council.
   3. Goals Statement for Future Fiscal Year
      1. The member libraries develop an annual goals list, based on the strategic initiatives of the plan, in conjunction with the budget to ensure appropriate funding.
      2. The Goals Statement is approved by the District Advisory Council.
3. District Staff Evaluations
   1. Member libraries will be given the opportunity to evaluate the District Consultant and the Youth Services Coordinator in relation to the services provided. All other District staff, except the Administrator will be evaluated for their District service by the District Consultant.
   2. The District Administrator will take any member library feedback into account when performing the annual evaluation for District Consultant. All member library feedback will be included in the evaluation paperwork for the District Consultant.