What I read on the plane going to conference…
Posted on 23. Sep, 2009 by pattynbc@sonic.net in All Current Posts, Latest Posts: Patty Hector
Brag! The Art of Tooting Your Own Horn Without Blowing It. By Peggy Klaus
All too often librarians are not good at tooting our own horn. So after I saw this book mentioned by a librarian online, I decided to take it with me to read on the plane going to Gatlinburg. Although the book is geared toward career building, I think much of it applies to promoting our libraries.
Bragging and self-promotion don’t have to be obnoxious. You can tell your story in a way that authentically showcases your strengths and honors who you are. Klaus outlines key communication techniques that make for more dynamic bragging in any situation and every audience. She teaches you to take the emotional temperature of the listener, be authentic at all times and act like your best self even on rainy days.
I think Klaus is correct when she states, “…most of us remain curiously unable to articulate our stories and the diversity and extent of our skills, abilities, and attributes. We are equally unaware of how others perceive us and what exactly they like about us. We take ourselves for granted, thinking that we haven’t really accomplished anything, that we’re ‘just doing our jobs,’ that the recognition we seek will naturally follow our hard work.”
Even when we know we need to be marketing our libraries to the city council or county agencies or whoever, we don’t always know where to start. It’s all preparation, preparation, preparation. Klaus has a questionnaire (available online at http://www.klausact.com/brag/questionnaire.htm) to help you prepare an inventory of what you (or your) library have done. She also emphasizes using that information to tell the human-interest side of your story, to get personal, to use layman’s terms and to be enthusiastic and funny.
Want your story to go from boring to extraordinary? Check out Brag.
Overheard from CA librarians at the conference…
Posted on 18. Sep, 2009 by pattynbc@sonic.net in All Current Posts, Latest Posts: Patty Hector
I now have a whole list of ideas for how to help job seekers in the library (Helping Your Community Get Back to Work session)- the Job Search Toolkit wiki, utilizing the expertise of HR persons from local businesses to help patrons review and revise their resumes/applications/interview skills; show them how to access skills assesments and tutorials to learn new skills. — Jody Meza, Orland Free Library, CA
I attended a great program this morning called Getting IT online, and finally got the lightbulb above my head regarding Twitter. The presenters explained how you can put an RSS feed link on your library’s website so that all your Twitter posts will appear there! This would be great for our library, since I would then be able to post directly to the website without asking for help from the IT guy! –Margaret Miles, Plumas County Library, CA
I was here for the preconference on “Dewey or Do We Not” at the new Gatlinburg Public Library. This program really spoke to me about ways to update and merchandize our collections and library spaces to our customers. I took about 80 pictures of their library illustrating the ‘book store model’ modified dewey approach that they took for their library collection. It was an invaluable workshop for me. — Wendy Burke, Colusa County Library, CA
Here are three quotes and one statistic that resonated with me:
- “How you think about the customer is how you will treat them.” If you have a colleague who thinks that a library would be a great place to work, if the annoying patrons would only stop bothering them, that attitude will inevitably percolate through to the service that is provided.
- “Years wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul.” (Samuel Ullman) Times are tight and we are all being pulled and strained in all directions. We need to guard against losing sight of why we love libraries.
- “Today’s service is tomorrow’s reputation.” I lived in China for a year twenty years ago, in a city that had millions of inhabitants but only 40 foreign residents. I was always aware that I was the first foreigner that many of the people I encountered had ever met, or might ever meet. If I was having a bad day or bad moment and someone had a negative interaction with me, that could color their impression of all Americans, so I made an extra effort to always be gracious, patient, and diplomatic. The stakes are similar when you work in a service profession, and it’s important to remember that. — Laura Pappani, Nevada County Libraries, CA
If you are interested in trying gaming at your library, and you do not have a lot of money to purchase electronic games such as an X-Box or a Wii, there are free online games that you can direct your patrons to such as www.bellasara.com<http://www.bellasara.com> and www.blokus.com<http://www.blokus.com> . Patrons can also design their own games at www.scratch.mit.edu<http://www.scratch.mit.edu>. --Victoria Mrozek, Merced County Library, CA I primarily chose to take breakout sessions that covered the topic of building community and partnerships. Two workshops on the first day, one after the other "Community Leadership - it's not a spectator sport" with presenter Jim Connor opened up may possibilities for developing new relationships in our communities that could provide support for our library. This support might be in the form of volunteers as well as dollars. His training material should be on the ARSL web site and is worth reading through most especially if your funding sources seem to be dwindling, but also to open your eyes to some new possibilities for relationships that can provide new funding for your library. –Kristen Freeman, Humboldt County Library, Kim Yerton Memorial/Hoopa Branch
in the form of volunteers as well as dollars. His training material should be on the ARSL web site and is worth reading through most especially if your funding sources seem to be dwindling, but also to open your eyes to some new possibilities for relationships that can provide new funding for your library. –Kristen Freeman, Humboldt County Library, Kim Yerton Memorial/Hoopa Branch
It’s a Small, Small World
Posted on 13. Sep, 2009 by Andrea Berstler in All Current Posts, Latest Posts: Andrea Berstler
Ok – now that you are stuck singing this silly song for the next few hours, here’s why I called this post by such a title. One of the best parts of the ARSL conference, which is now officially concluded, is meeting and sharing with librarians, trustees and library staff from other parts of my state, other states and even across the county. Doing so has made me aware of several things.
First – the ARSL conference allows you to travel all over the county by traveling to one location. Here in Tennessee I have become aquainted with California, Texas, Kansas, Iowa, North & South Carolina, Maine, Alabama, Georgia as well as my home state of Pennsylvania. I have learned how their libraries function, are funded, the tales of their towns and villages, the stories from their trenches.
Also I have learned that while some librarian’s talk funny (you can decide which ones those are) we are often telling the same story. We have the same struggles, the same joys, the same insecurities, the same pet peeves; it is as if we run the same library, just in the next town or state over. If you will allow me to use an over-used phrase – we are all in the same boat. Their tales are similar to my tales, their funding woes are like mine, their insecurities are mine, their crazy patrons visit me in PA and their trenches look surprising like the ones I visit daily.
Perhaps that is why this conference and this organization has struck a resounding chord at the heart of so many? ARSL members and conference attendees know they are not in this alone and they know that someone else is working and may have already come up with a solution to the problem they just found that they have.
As we travel together over the next weeks and months – remember this. We are all in this together. The land of small and rural libraries is truly a small, small world.
Andrea Berstler
Diversity at the 2009 Conference
Posted on 12. Sep, 2009 by pimelibrarian@gmail.com in All Current Posts, Latest Posts: Sonja Plummer-Morgan
Gatllinburg, Tennessee
Such a supreme pleasure to meet so many people from all over the country at the 2009 ARSL Conference in Gatlinburg, TN. With one remaining day, I can see the fatigue on faces. However, our speakers were, thanks to the Conference Commitee and Don Wood in particular, outstanding and inspiring today, yesterday, and I know will be tomorrow too. Usurping the tired expressions is a look of satisfaction.
ARSL presents an incredibly well-rounded speaker’s bureau during their conference. What does this mean? Well, it means that participants hear from all types of librarians in myriad circumstances as a matter of course each year. This is as it should be. Our membership is a broad spectrum of persons in a variety of library and economic circumstances. What perhaps I am suggesting is that what makes the ARSL conference well-rounded are the speakers that represent the locale and, in this case, the State of Tennessee.
Examples of speakers–consultants, former ALA President, local author and columnist, a park ranger (representing the Smoky National Park), an officer from the Public Safety Coalition (how to stay safe when dealing with the public), a representative from the National Rural Assembly, speaker from the University of Tennessee MLA Rural Scholarships, and someone to speak about customers service and the importance of libraries to ecomonic development from the Department of Economic and Community Development. A beautifully coordinated set of speakers that, I believe, leaves participants with a snapshot of life in another part of our country and history.
What makes conferences special and memorable are several things, including the quality of speakers. Learning more about our profession, how to exact positive change, to communicate better, best practices, or even how to be a better librarian is priceless. The experience of the library-related information, hearing the ideas, meeting new colleagues, and gathering innovations relevant and retrofitted to your own mission, priorities, and community are a few significant things. Doing so, in a small way perhaps, builds our tolerance for diversity.
We learn information about a place, meet the librarians that live and work here, interact with local people, hear dialects, eat traditional foods, hear the stories, probe the local lore, and see the landscape that strongly imprints on our memories. All of this contributes to a greater understanding for our colleagues and their sense of place and brings us closer as professionals scattered throughout every corner of the country with our renewed understanding.
Greetings from Gatlinburg
Posted on 09. Sep, 2009 by Andrea Berstler in All Current Posts, Latest Posts: Andrea Berstler
Welcome to our new blog site, new website and new logo! It’s as if we have turned over a new leaf, and we are so glad to include you in the Grand Opening. As we go through the next few weeks, we will be glad of your comments, suggestions and ideas.
As for my blogs, I believe they will focus very much on programming, networking and partnering with local organizations to allow libraries to continue to reach their communities even with budget cuts at every turn. I hope to share the great ideas gathered from this year’s conference. I look forward to hearing from you as to the great ideas you have found in your piece of “God’s acre.”
Greetings from Gatlinburg!
Andrea
Welcome Readers & Ideas
Posted on 08. Sep, 2009 by pimelibrarian@gmail.com in All Current Posts, Latest Posts: Sonja Plummer-Morgan
It is exponentially good news that ARSL bloggers can communicate better than ever with members and constituents on the new ARSL website! It is my pleasure and honor to participate. Please be patient as our developers and project managers train us to use the site to maximize its usefulness.
As a reader, you can expect to find news that is relevant to librarians in small and rural communities, resources to assist your daily endeavors for best library practices, and other content that we believe you as members find interesting and useful. Moreover, your ideas are valued and this blog is the ideal venue for an exchange of ideas, to make us feel connected regardless of our geography, and to build a rural community that exemplifies the best networking and finest of librarianship. Future posts will contain interesting photos, links, and information.
For now, it’s off to the 2009 Conference in Gatlinburg, TN where we’ll learn together, exchange ideas, and at last get to meet in person.
Yours very truly,
Sonja
VP/Pres Elect
New ARSL Board Members
Posted on 03. Sep, 2009 by pattynbc@sonic.net in All Archived Posts, Archived Posts: Patty Hector
Our membership has spoken! Newly elected ARSL Board members are as follows
- Dwight McInvaill & Jim Connor
- Larry Grieco and Becky Heil were reappointed and Sonja Plummer-Morgan, elected VP/Pres Elect
Who are they?
Dwight McInvaill, Director, Georgetown County Library, Georgetown, SC
James D. Connor, MBA, IOM, Hastings, Nebraska
Becky Heil, Director, Dubuque County Library System, Farley, Iowa
Larry Grieco, Director, Gilpin County Public Library, Black Hawk, Colorado
Sonja Plummer-Morgan, Director Mark & Emily Turner Memorial Library in Presque Isle, Maine
Thank you to everyone who took the time to vote. Your voice matters and you as members are extremely valuable. Our membership is at the forefront of all planning, decisions, and discussions.
The American Library Association Annual Conference
Posted on 03. Sep, 2009 by pattynbc@sonic.net in All Archived Posts, Archived Posts: Patty Hector
The American Library Association
I was invited to attend a pre-conference a few weeks ago during the American Library Association Annual Conference in Chicago. It was sponsored by the Reference and User Services Association’s (RUSA) Committee on Library Services to an Aging Population and they wanted, not me in particular, but someone from ARSL to attend.