Manager State Library Grants 

(Female, Age 51) from Austin, TX

This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Female aged 51 who works as a Manager State Library Grants in Austin, TX. We have removed all names and personal information in order to protect privacy. This professional kindly spent a bit of their time to complete one of our job profile surveys so that prospective job seekers like you could read their insights. Please excuse any punctuation or grammatical errors in this profile.

At a Glance

Current Job

Basic data on your current job

Job Title Manager State Library Grants
Salary $45,000
Other Compensation None Set
Hours/Week 50
Company Size (not answered)
Location Austin, TX
Years Experience 14 years

Career Ratings

Opinions on your CAREER overall (i.e. not just your current job)

Years in Career 0
Education (not answered)
Income Rating 0 / 10
Interest Rating 0 / 10
Work-Life Rating 0 / 10
Fulfilment Rating 0 / 10

Current job Q&A

Describe the type of organization you work for.
State agency; just over 400 employees; providesis to preserve the record of government for public scrutiny, to secure and make accessible historically significant records and other valuable resources, to meet the reading needs of Texans with disabilities, to build and sustain statewide partnerships to improve library programs and services, and to enhance the capacity for achievement of individuals and institutions with whom we work.

Describe your job role and responsibilities.
Manages the Loan Star Libraries program, a program of direct grants-in-aid to over 500 public libraries, and the Texas Reads grant program, a small grant program to promote reading and literacy projects in public libraries. Includes coordinating with Accounting staff, monitoring budget and performance, and maintaining a statewide presence for the program. Develops, prepares, and disseminates program materials. Assists in preparation of administrative rule changes, budget recommendations and changes to the program as necessary. Consults with staff at public libraries, library systems, governing boards, local government officials, and interested citizens in all program areas including application process, performance measures, compliance with Uniform Grant Management Standards, and evaluation methods. Analyzes and evaluates programs; prepares reports on program use and impact.

Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
earn sick and annual leave monthly at the rates of 8 hours vacation; 8 hours sick

Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
under

Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Please explain.
Yes; I have over 500 librarians I deal with–normally, it is 10-20 a day. Some days are great; others not so. That all depends on the number of folks calling, what else I am trying to get done, and what kind of mood the caller is in that day.

Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Yes

Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Yes

Describe your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what you like/dislike about working in it.
office–cubicle environment. It is too open which makes it difficult for someone like me who is on the phone a lot.

Please rate each of the following aspects of your current job on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest/best):
Income: 1
Benefits: 2
Hours: 3
Co-Workers: 5
Supervisors: 5
Job Title: 8
Level of Responsibility: 7
The Actual Work: 4

A day in the life of…

Please describe a typical workday for you in your current job:

5am to 6am
6am to 7am
7am to 8am commute to work
8am to 9am log into computer, check email in box. complete general paperwork (time shhet etc.) catc up with Colleages and Supervisor
9am to 10am webinar run through

Practice web-based presentation on completing grant reports

10am to 11am conduct web-based prsetation to libraries wit over 100 ‘listening in’ to the actual presentation. Presentation was done using a web-based softare with audio from me and a colleague,. We used powerpoint to present the training.
11am to 12pm email/ call libraries–some had questions after listening to the presentation; others are asking general questions related to their grant
12pm to 1pm lunch
1pm to 2pm Grant managenent systenmeeting; meeting required attendee
2pm to 3pm editing statistics in grant managent system; foud seveal issues with the formulas that will have to be corrected
3pm to 4pm email/ call libraries–some had questions after listening to the presentation; others are asking general questions related to their grant
4pm to 5pm email/ call libraries–some had questions after listening to the presentation; others are asking general questions related to their grant
5pm to 6pm leabe work for day
6pm to 7pm
7pm to 8pm
8pm to 9pm
9pm to 10pm
10pm to 11pm
11pm to 12am

Table of Contents

How you got your job

How did you get your current job?
internal applicant; already worked here

What was the application process?
paper application

Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
yes; 1 interview; group setting along with a presentation

If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
Have you ever applied for a grant? What happened?

Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
not really; didn’t explain perimeters well, nor her expectations

Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
a little; reading a manual; meetings with supervisor and colleagues

Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
yes; without a master’s desgree in library science I’d be lost. It helps me to stay organized and to know how to ask the right questions.

If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
n/a

If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
do an internship or volunteer project at a library or nonprofit; learn a lot about grant management

What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
social skills, good listening skills, a sense of humor, empathy, well organized, ability to manage large scale projects

Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
yes

What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
find a mentor you respect

Long-term career plans

Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
yes; I wanted to help libraries

What are your current career goals?
To move into colsulting with libraries to improve services and long-range planning

Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
n/a

Prior work history

Please list your most recent jobs prior to this current job:

Title Length Salary Description
Prior Job 1 System Administrator 2 years 40000
Prior Job 2 Consultant 2.5 years 37000

Educational background

Please list your educational background:

High School GPA:2.7

GPA School Degree
College (Undergraduate)
or Technical/Vocational
2.7 West Va. U Journalism
Graduate or Professional
(Masters or Doctorate)
3 U of South Carolina Library Science