Recently Asked Questions (RAQs)

[Editor's note: "Ask HR" got this question from an academic library. As readers will see, the question and answer explore issues about identity that may impact some readers deeply.  We welcome your comments on how to address questions of about personal and sensitive topics in the work environment effectively and compassionately; comments may be sent to adams@losapllc.com.]

I have a work-study student who has worked for me since they were a Freshman, they are now a Junior. I have noticed that this student is transitioning, their voice is deeper, they now have facial hair, etc. I have always referred to them by their government name, but when looking at some of their art work, I noticed they use a different name.

How do I ask what name they would prefer me to use without offending or making the student uncomfortable?

We are an association library that would like to appoint our interim director to the permanent position, but we are concerned: Do we have to have a search?  Are there any legal concerns with simply moving ahead and voting to give them the position?    

Recently, Zoom introduced new AI features and updated their terms of service agreement, indicating that any user data can be used to train their AI products (TOS 10.4: https://explore.zoom.us/en/terms/). There was a backlash and Zoom quickly put out a clarification and stated that these features are opt-in only (https://blog.zoom.us/zooms-term-service-ai/). Despite this clarification, I am wondering if there are any privacy or FERPA concerns that librarians and educators need to be worried about since Zoom is still used heavily in both library and school worlds. Should we be looking for alternatives or is this just the way of the world now?

The library is chartered as a school district public library and thus exempt from NYS sales tax. Due to a mold issue we ended up having our HVAC contractor rent two humidifiers for us, the contractor made the arrangements and we paid for the rental via the contractor. The contractor told the renting business that we were tax exempt. The renting business refuses to remove the sales tax. They claim that the sales tax exemption only applies to purchases and not rentals. I have not been able to find anything that verifies the claim of the renting agency.

We have been approached by a community member who would like to donate land to the library that abuts our property. Are there any legal concerns we should be aware of before accepting this gift? Would we need a real estate attorney?

Thank you!