Washington District Libraries

Disclosure

2012-01-02T06:38:00.000-08:00

When you sell a house you are legally obligated to "disclose" problems or issues with the property. You actually have to sign a disclosure statement.What about when a library board hires a new director? I'm wondering about the "disclosures" required when discussing the position with interview candidates. Shouldn't the board disclose financial challenges, building issues as well as any other

State of Despair

2011-12-21T16:36:00.000-08:00

At a recent gathering of district library directors a significant portion of conversation included the "state of despair" that is Pennsylvania. Most specifically, as it applies to hourly wages and salary levels for librarians. Not to mention the lack of a state retirement system or health care.One library director, when asked if she had filled a recent part-time position said that "yes, she had

35 Reasons to LOVE Your Library!

2011-12-08T07:45:00.000-08:00

I put this togther for the Off The Shelf program: 35 Reasons to LOVE YOUR LIBRARY by Melinda Tanner, MLS, District Consultant 1. Get the answer to a question online 24/7 with Ask Here PA. www.askherepa.org2. Find auto repair help or a biography for a favorite author with POWER. www.powerlibrary.net3. Get expert help! (Librarians are the original search engine.)4. Use the library Internet

Steve Jobs

2011-10-07T05:52:00.000-07:00

Posting this as food for thought for libraries. We can learn a lot from Steve Jobs.His message:1. Do what you love2. Put a dent in the universe3. Sell Dreams not products4. Kick start your brain5. Create insanely great experiences6. Master the message

ARSL 2011

2011-09-15T06:42:00.000-07:00

I have been attending the annual conference for the Association for Rural & Small Libraries since about 2000. I've missed only one since. Each year I say "it is the best conference I attend"--and that stands true for 2011. This year the conference was held in Frisco, TX. (A newer, upscale community near Dallas that everyone wants to live.) Each year the conference is held in a different state.

Librarianship IS a profession!

2011-08-24T04:53:00.000-07:00

How many doctors you know shovel the sidewalks at the hospital? How many bank presidents clean toilets or mop up after a toilet at the bank overflows? How many attorneys wear jeans to work because they have to spend the day on their hands & knees disconnecting computers & equipment? How many school teachers are paid minimum wage with no benefits? How many of the members on a public library's

Douglas County Colorado's "got it going on"!!

2011-08-01T11:54:00.000-07:00

What are the things "that matter" at your library? Do you even know what they are? Take a look at your statistics and arrange them in order by volume. Jamie LaRue, Douglas County Library System Administrator, did this and found that of the things provided by his library system, the things that mattered were the items with the highest volume of "transactions": 1. circulation 2. physical

Freedom of Speech

2011-07-22T16:44:00.000-07:00

is Blog Junction.This particular blog is from WebJunction and talks about 24/7 Librarianship: Reaching Patrons with digital tutorials. The list of training ideas can be very helpful. Whether you decide to do the training digitally or "the old fashioned way"--it will remind us not to "assume" that library users actually KNOW about all of the

Mindset Shift

2008-12-09T23:08:00.000-08:00

I was asked to submit an article for the state's report to IMLS on the Federal LSTA grant. Our board training grant has become "well known" in libraryland. One of our outcomes for that project was a noticeable mindset shift. Enough of one anyways to see changes and progress. Yeah!! It will take nuturing and yearly trainings & reminders, but what an accomplishment!Now, if we can just have a

Future (Part II): Michael Stephens

2008-12-07T13:46:00.000-08:00

Michael is a big believer that the library is a growing organism. (Is yours?)He referenced two reports by OCLC:"Perceptions of Libraries & Information Resources" and "Sharing, Privacy & Trust in our Networked World".The first report indicates that people want seamless.He likes to eavesdrop, especially at library conferences. At PLA, Minneapolis he overheard: "Everytime people really like

Future of Libraries: Thomas Frey

2008-12-07T12:36:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, I attended a conference on the future of libraries (sponsored by ACLA).The two speakers were: Thomas Frey, Senior Futurist at the DaVinci Institute, Louisville, CO and Michael Stevens, co-author of Computers in Libraries, Library Journal and Assistant Professor in the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at Dominican University in River Forest, Illinois.Thomas Frey

Rubber to the Road...

2008-12-01T11:04:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday, December 3, the librarians from both library systems will meet to map out a new direction for the next decade! Yes, as Karen pointed out, 2009 is the last year of the decade and if we think the first 10 years went fast... Our discussions about a common theme, logo, "system" of providing library services have happened at the right time. We need to do something "big" to get

Just for fun!?!

2008-11-19T07:18:00.000-08:00

I starting pulling out the "nuggets" from the Rural Libraries Conference in Sacramento. The theme was "Go West. Discover Gold @ your Library." So, nuggets, is appropriate...The Keynote Speakers were George Needham (OCLC) and Joan Frye Williams. They reminded us of the Beloit College Class of 2012 "mindset" list. This list comes out every year and can help give us some insight about the youth

Outside our four walls

2008-11-15T18:28:00.000-08:00

One of the ideas that came out of the "radical ideas" session, came from one of the Citizens Library board members. He thought that it was important for public libraries to reflect "popular culture". At the time of that meeting, the new, highly anticipated Indiana Jones movie was due to premier. He thought that would be a great way for libraries to get folks in. He's right! Libraries should

The Reunion

2008-11-07T04:29:00.000-08:00

It was great to have Michael Kumer back in the building last night!With our group of 20, he led us through a facilitation. It is something that he had done with the Greater Canonsburg Board and has since done with library boards all over the state."Bad press" is what prompted the session at Canonsburg--right before their individual board training session a negative article was published in the

Keystone 2009

2008-10-21T10:04:00.001-07:00

I checked the Commonwealth Libraries page and didn't see any information regarding the 2009 application or the new procedures. I will let you know when the application is available. In the meantime, here is the information from the Keystone workshop handout regarding the new procedures:Letter of Intent (Due January 30, 2009). There is a set of requirements for this letter. Please talk to me

A bit lighter...

2008-10-08T09:08:00.000-07:00

Okay, sorry! I didn't mean to make your head hurt with that last posting.Here is something a bit lighter.As most of you are already aware, I am speerheading the creation of a new roundtable for PaLA to focus on the needs and concerns of rural and small libraries. It seems only natural since PA is comprised of mostly small libraries and in some areas there really are more cows than people. To

"Futureproofing"

2008-09-30T17:07:00.001-07:00

The common theme of the ARSL (Association of Rural and Small Libraries) conference in Sacramento was: futureproofing. The term was coined by Joan Frye Williams and describes "changing how and why we do things to ensure our relevance". Moving beyond "victim thinking" and moving forward by way of a "glass is half-full" approach. Instead of "cutting" services in lean times, we need to "rethink"

Building Advocacy Muscle

2008-09-16T16:40:00.000-07:00

Karen's title! And so appropriate.The 30-minute board training session was prompted by the "Off the Shelf" Benefit. This event is our first annual event and guess what? IT IS SOLD OUT!We will have a captive audience: 300 attendees. Each one of you has the opportunity to be a library advocate and ambassador.Challenge: Ask yourself what it means to be an ambassador for libraries.Why are you

Off the Shelf...

2008-08-27T17:14:00.000-07:00

Finally a signature event!Peacock Keller had wanted to sponsor a fundraiser for a community organization. Lucky for us, they chose the libraries.The Citizens Library development committee has been meeting and discussing this event for months. The partners, the staff members and the Marketing director are very involved, enthusiastic and very proactive. They have generated a lot of publicity for

Mindset shift

2008-08-05T09:32:00.000-07:00

The final report for the board training has been turned in. The biggest indication of success: the mindset shift.Everyone (well, almost everyone) is thinking differently! I can see it with the Michael Kumer board trainings AND also with the sessions that we have had with Karen Kern. It isn't about hiring a consultant who can tell you what you are or aren't doing "right". It is about learning

Southwest Chapter

2008-07-17T09:14:00.000-07:00

One the most frequent comments on the trustee training evaluations was how helpful the "networking" aspect was. Networking is not just helpful for trustees; but also for librarians. I know that "lately" we have been "meeting'd" out and that it is difficult to get away for meetings/events, especially when you are working at a smaller library. Just keep in mind that you need to feed your

MBWA

2008-07-03T10:42:00.000-07:00

Managing by Walking AroundI "believe" this concept was coined by management guru Tom Peters back in the 80's. If you aren't familiar with it, it involves getting out of your office and walking around (your library). The purposes being to: * make yourself visible (to your staff, your users, your stakeholders); * demonstrate that you are actively engaged in the day-to-day activities;

Leadership, con't...

2008-07-01T06:20:00.001-07:00

So, I find myself thinking a lot about leadership. Perhaps, because we are in the midst of a leadership change.The qualities of a leader that Pat Wagner talked about (anticipating change, optimism, setting the tone for your staff) do not require an investment of "time"--these are positive, automatic responses to the day and the situations each day brings. Not everyone is a "natural leader"--it

Leadership

2008-06-30T13:37:00.000-07:00

The multi-district workshop featured Pat Wagner of Pattern Research. The topic was Everyday Leadership. She talked about how managers can be good leaders; but, leadership is not management. In the handout Pat descibes the "model for leadership": Leaders: create compelling futures; model their best behavior; inspire other to to their best; inspire others to participate in creating the future.

Where is ALA?

2008-06-18T06:58:00.000-07:00

As I sit here reading through the latest edition of American Libraries (June/July 2008) I am wondering "where is the national campaign for America's libraries?" (school and public).On page 28, we learn that the Mesa, AZ public school district is "on the verge of eliminating all 87 of its school library media specialist positions". WHAT?!? When ALL of the research has proven that kids who read

Capstone Session, May 21

2008-05-29T09:49:00.000-07:00

Kudos to every library that not only participated in the Capstone Session on May 21, but also for the laundry list of accomplishments! Yesterday, while working reference, I read through everyone's summaries. I am just blown away by the activity, the dedication, and the planning. Library boards have dusted off by-laws, rewritten and changed them, changed the structure of their boards and their

Code of Ethics

2008-04-02T12:33:00.000-07:00

The following eight principles were adopted June 28, 1995 by the ALA Council. These statements provide a framework for our profession. I. We provide the highest level of service to all library users through appropriate and usefully organized resources; equitable service policies; equitable access; and accurate, unbiased and courteous responses to all requests. II. We uphold the principles

Preschool Connections

2008-03-30T10:14:00.001-07:00

Six district libraries have received the Preschool Connections Grant. 4 mandatory training sessions were part of the grant requirements. The following "gems" are from my notes:100 Ways to Love Your Library--each library should have this PR/Mktg. Toolkit. FIND IT and USE IT!ALA has a great toolkit: Get Caught Reading. Take pictures of folks "caught reading" from within your community and

Whose Library Are You?

2008-03-12T18:04:00.000-07:00

Is your library meeting the needs of your community--really? Or, is your library providing services your staff or perhaps your board "thinks" you should? Public libraries have a tendancy to cater to the conveniences (and even "ideals" ) of their staff rather than their public. With all of the competition for funding, can we afford to have these "traditional" attitudes?You can't make people

Fundraising

2008-02-04T09:03:00.000-08:00

Dee Jay Oshry presented a training session on Fundraising January 26.In painting the funding "scene", he suggested that we begin (if we haven't done so already) to "isolate" programs and go to Foundations to fund programs--using the "general operating" set aside for programming for other uses.Individuals are the hardest group with regards to fundraising. They are a very "untapped" resource. It

ARSL Update

2008-01-15T06:45:00.000-08:00

You have heard me mention the Association for Rural and Small Libraries (ARSL) on several occassions. I speak highly of their annual conference and really do feel that it is one of the best conferences I attend. After the conference, I posted an update with regards to the partnership between ARSL and Webjunctions.Changes are once again occuring with the organization. It was the intent of

Reference Workshop

2007-12-05T11:07:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a full day with lots of great information. In the morning, Carol Steele and Rama Karamcheti covered The Reference Interview: Do's & Don'ts and A Reference Top 10: 10 Common Types of Questions & Where to Find the Answers.The packet from the workshop also included a list of 25 Open-Ended Questions for Reference Interviews (http://infopeople.org/training/past/2004/reference ).Homework

Reader's Advisory

2007-11-16T15:58:00.000-08:00

According to www.genreflecting.com the definition of Reader's Advisory is as follows:"Quite simply, it is the act of putting people together with the books they love. Librarians, booksellers, literature teachers—anyone in the business of helping readers find the books they love—are readers' advisors."It is a topic that we have never "really" discussed or offered "training" for. But, is it

Board Members

2007-10-18T17:56:00.001-07:00

One repeating theme of the sessions at the PaLA Conference was how important it is for libraries to have the "right" board members.The OH speaker at the PCBL luncheon suggested that the success of OH libraries and their excellent funding history can be attributed to the strength of their Boards and Friends. But, primarily, the "political strength" of their boards. Board members in OH have "

Why it Matters!

2007-10-03T05:57:00.001-07:00

The ARSL Conference in Columbus was terrific, once again. The keynote speakers this year were especially enlightening.To open the conference, we heard from Mary Baykan (Librarian of the Year), from Hagerstown, MD. The one quote that I noted was: "we serve those who fund us AND those who use us--they are not the same." This is so true! I really do believe we spend too much time "preaching to

ARSL Update

2007-10-03T05:33:00.000-07:00

ARSL Partners with WebJunctionThe Association for Rural and Small Libraries is now partnering with WebJunction and is moving resources to its new home at Webjunction.org/ARSL. You can find ARSL journal articles, newsletters, organization and event information, and discussions on the site now; watch for more migration of content in the coming weeks.Go to: http://www.webjunction.org/arsl

That four letter word: weed!

2007-09-19T06:33:00.000-07:00

Five of the district libraries are receiving Preschool Connections LSTA grants. Mandatory training sessions are part of the grant requirements. Training session one was held on Sept. 11 and the topic was: "Collection Development 101", the presenter was Margie Stern who is the Coordinator of Children's Services for the Delaware Library District. Margie's training was a nice reminder by someone

Kumer Training

2007-08-28T11:11:00.000-07:00

At Saturday's Washington County System Board meeting, the discussion inevitably turned to the Kumer training sessions and the expectations we have for change. We admitted that our expecations may be "too high"--afterall, Michael doesn't walk on water; however, the possiblity of change is exhilarating. As we talked about some of the excuses used by boards for not doing something new or not

Tech Soup

2007-07-12T12:31:00.000-07:00

Mary has mentioned Tech Soup on several occasions for CHEAP software, but I wanted to once again remind everyone.Bill Nickles, our part-time tech guy, handed me an article from Tech Soup entitled: "Why nonprofit managers must use RSS--and how to start". I guess I didn't realize, or had forgotten, that Tech Soup is also a resource for articles for professional development.As I am coordinating the

This is PA--get over it and move forward!

2007-05-21T07:36:00.001-07:00

At this year's Trustee/Friends Institute, the common "theme" with at least 3 of the speakers was libraries and the "culture of victimhood". Specifically how libraries (especially in PA) need to stop thinking and acting like victims and instead think and behave like savvy, small businesses. (And, NO, this doesn't mean to start charging for storytimes!)What this means is, that since library

Advocacy

2007-04-18T09:56:00.000-07:00

Webjunction has an article entitled "Advocacy Brainstorm." You can find it under the "Resources" section; scroll down to "Library Management" then click on "Marketing".Advocacy is most effective when the message is delivered by library volunteers (they aren't "paid" to like the library). Your biggest advocates should be the library board and your Friends group. Your library patrons and your

Customer Service

2007-04-02T06:42:00.000-07:00

"If you don't like change, you're going to like irrelevance even less!" --General Eric Shinseki, Chief of Staff, U.S. Army, quoted by Tom Peters.Joanne Roukens, Executive Director of the Highlands Regional Library Cooperative (NJ), gave a very frank look at libraries and customer service. (March 27, 2007--Greentree Radisson).She reminded us that library users are our customers: "they come to us

ROI: Return on Investment

2007-03-09T12:04:00.000-08:00

In December 2005, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania commissioned the School of Information and Library Science (SILS) at the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill) to conduct a study highlighting both the economic and other benefits achieved through the use of public libraries.The project involved four integrated surveys and public library statistics provided by Commonwealth Libraries. The

Read About It...

2007-02-21T16:33:00.000-08:00

If you get a chance, check out the article entitled: "Are You Asking the Ultimate Question?" by Tom Storey. It can be found in OCLC's newsletter "Next Space": www.oclc.org/nextspace . Consultant, Fred Reichheld, has discovered in his 25 years of studying customer loyalty that one question determines an organization's future: "Would you recommend us to a friend?". His book Ultimate Question