GLC Library Program Administration 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A library director receives a public records request under the Georgia Open Records Act. What is the standard response timeframe?
- 3 business days to provide or acknowledge (Correct answer)
- 10 calendar days
- 30 days with no exceptions
- Immediately upon request
Correct answer: 3 business days to provide or acknowledge
Georgia's Open Records Act requires agencies to provide records or written acknowledgment within three business days of the request.
Question 2: When conducting a staff performance appraisal, a supervisor rates everyone 'average' to avoid conflict. This bias is known as:
- Halo effect
- Central tendency error (Correct answer)
- Recency bias
- Contrast effect
Correct answer: Central tendency error
Central tendency error occurs when evaluators rate all employees near the middle of the scale to avoid extreme ratings.
Question 3: Which document establishes a library's overall purpose and guides all programmatic and policy decisions?
- Annual report
- Collection development policy
- Mission statement (Correct answer)
- Organizational chart
Correct answer: Mission statement
The mission statement defines the library's fundamental purpose and serves as the foundation for all other planning and policy documents.
Question 4: A library wants to start a seed library program. The most important administrative step before launch is to:
- Order seed packets in bulk
- Draft a seed lending policy covering liability and return expectations (Correct answer)
- Announce the program on social media
- Apply for an LSTA grant
Correct answer: Draft a seed lending policy covering liability and return expectations
A written policy addressing liability, seed return expectations, and program scope must be established before any new program launches.
Question 5: In developing a library budget, 'zero-based budgeting' differs from incremental budgeting in that:
- It uses last year's totals plus a fixed percentage increase
- Every line item must be justified from scratch each cycle (Correct answer)
- It allocates funds only to new programs
- It requires legislative approval for every expenditure
Correct answer: Every line item must be justified from scratch each cycle
Zero-based budgeting requires managers to justify every expense anew each budget period rather than simply adjusting prior-year figures.
Question 6: Which Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirement is most directly relevant to library program administration?
- Providing large-print materials only
- Ensuring programs and services are accessible to individuals with disabilities (Correct answer)
- Offering free assistive technology to purchase
- Filing annual accessibility reports with IMLS
Correct answer: Ensuring programs and services are accessible to individuals with disabilities
The ADA requires that library programs, services, and facilities be accessible to people with disabilities, covering physical access, communication, and programming.
Question 7: A branch manager notices circulation is declining but program attendance is rising. The best administrative response is to:
- Immediately cut programming staff to invest in collections
- Analyze trends, gather patron feedback, and reassess service priorities (Correct answer)
- Report the issue to the state library without internal review
- Close the branch for a full inventory
Correct answer: Analyze trends, gather patron feedback, and reassess service priorities
Data-driven decision-making requires analyzing multiple metrics and patron feedback before reallocating resources or changing service models.
GLC Library Program Administration 3
A library director receives a public records request under the Georgia Open Records Act.
What is the standard response timeframe?