Leadership Conference Notes

The District Library Center Leadership Workshop took place on June 4 and 5. Many opportunities to seize this moment to showcase your leadership skills in changing times were highlighted while district center and system leaders assembled in a “brain trust” to talk about leadership strategies that could help bring PA libraries to greater success.

Below you’ll find a few highlights from the meeting and some of the ideas that were discussed. Here, see the detailed notes from Nancy Deering Martin that were recorded from discussions at the meeting: leadership-conference-summary060809 We used the attached list of questions to prepare for the meeting. Big Questions It might be a nice exercise to try to answer the questions yourself or to use them with staff to start them to thinking about ways to improve libraries. Ideas that came out of the discussions and networking with others during the meeting included extensive talks about regional and statewide collaboration on technology, statewide library card, a statewide referendum for more stable funding, and much more.

M. Clare Zales Update Highlights:
Leadership is about showing up and being present in the community. Leadership is individual and shaped by accumlated experience.
During this “fiscal crisis” our ideas and values of leadership will be essential. We all know that changes in the library community are coming and we will need principled leadership. We need all the different types of leadership responses to be shared. We need to stay informed and motivated because this is a challenge like no other in Clare’s career.
As for the budget, the cycle is off-trend in that it started with S.B. 850 instead of with the House. The databases that POWERLibrary offers would cost more than $40,000/library and if lost may be hard to get back. Especially critical is the precedent that could be set if Keystone funds, restricted receipt funds, are eliminated for libraries and are allowed to be spent on other things. Ask politicians why the deep cuts to libraries? Tell the stories about how your library gives users opportunities that help to keep them off of food stamps and other assistance programs.
There is so much at risk. Even our status is threatened. Lead through this time with commitment and verve.

Nancy Deering Martin on Change Leadership:
The periods of calm that used to allow time for recovery and preparation are infrequent now. We need to learn how to communicate and implement change better.
Identify and act on staff who are either Engaged, Disengaged, or Actively Disengaged.
People don’t leave organizations though, they leave bosses.
The greater number of decision makers the less likely something will happen.
Lead more lament less.
There is often a great difference between intent and results. Good leadership brings projects to good results.
Don’t let “tyranny of the inbox” conquer you.
Identify your own leadership strengths and your individual style. Work with it. (A good exercise for identifying strengths was completed.)
Spend more time on Planning and Problem Prevention to reduce time spent fire fighting. Your routine organizational work will someday be less daunting.

POWERLibrary Marketing
The Ivy Group will be working to create a marketing plan for POWERLibrary. They told us about their plan to make POWERLibrary more accessible and accepted ideas and feedback. The planning for this project is still in the research phases.

See what other libraries are doing for advocacy:
NCLD’s advocacy campaign
Example from NY