What Was I Saying?

Wait a minute. . . what was I saying?. . . where was I going?. . . what was I doing? . . .  Did I ever finish X?. . . I didn’t? Really? I meant to. . . Wait a minute. . .

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

So, so often in our lives, and at work, and in our libraries we get sidetracked.  Right? We have a plan, and we have goals, we have a project we’re working on but. . .  we get sidetracked.

If this happens to you, you might enjoy 9 Tips to Avoid Getting Sidetracked, or even better, the book Sidetracked by Francesca Gino.

Time for Reflection

So, it turns out I’m turning 60 on Saturday.  Seems like a good time for some self-reflection, and as part of that, I’m looking back at my work on this blog.  Here’s a few stats:

• I started “A Life in Libraries” in May 2012.
• I’ve published 164 posts (this one makes 165!)
• I have 61 followers, plus 136 on Twitter and 360 on Facebook.
• I’ve had 3,432 views.  I had 244 views on my best day.
• I’ve had 38 comments and 51 “likes.”

I’m satisfied with this.  Happy birthday to me!

 

 

No Such Thing as Library Leadership?

Did I get your attention?  Let me explain.

I just finished reading the post There’s No Such Thing As Library Leadership (Library Journal, September 25, 2013). Though I don’t think I’ve ever thought of it exactly that way, I guess I agree.  The author delivered a webinar on leadership styles, based on an examination of Steven Jobs‘ leadership style.  Among the evaluations he received was one which said the webinar should have focused more on libraries, saying “There is a big difference between running Apple and a library.”  The author’s response:  “Really?”

To be sure, the Apple corporation is very different from a library, maybe especially a public library.  BUT “when it comes to being a leader, there are surely many more similarities than differences.”  I’m glad to have come across this article right now, because just recently I’ve been thinking that maybe I refer to business and leadership articles too often in this blog, and don’t focus specifically on libraries enough.  Now I think that I too, believe that technically there is no such thing as library leadership, as an entity.  I agree with the author of the article:  “If you want to be a good library leader, you need to be a good leader who works in a library.”

What do you think?

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

What Do You Expect?

First of all, for anyone who reads my blog who doesn’t know a lot about what library directors and library staff do—Let me make one thing perfectly clear:  We work hard.  People who work in libraries do not sit and read books all day.  It is not relaxing work. 

Library directors, and library managers, and those who supervise others, do the same things that leaders in other fields do. 

Which leads me to today’s post about this great managing tip about Setting Expectations With Your Team.  I’ve had this one on file to write about for a while, but have posted about other things for one reason or another.  Now that I look at this article, I like it even more.  One reason I like it is that in the very first paragraph it reminds leaders of the importance of planning, and communication, two things I mention here a lot!

 

 

“People cannot read your mind, so to get your team on the same page as you, you must communicate your expectations clearly, in a way they can be heard, and often several times before they become internalized by others.”

 

 

 

 

Beyond that, there are some great tips in the article about the importance of setting expectations with your team, and how to go about doing just that.  

Let me know what you think! 

 

Keep Perspective

This is the beautiful city where I live, as seen from the lake.

As I said, it’s a beautiful city.  The neighborhoods are beautiful, the campus is beautiful, the downtown is beautiful, the lakes are beautiful.  But the most beautiful view is from the lake.  And that’s a view many, maybe most, people never see.  I have only seen it a few times.

My point? Things look different from different perspectives.  If you’re having trouble at work, try looking at it a different way.  If you’re having trouble with an employee, or a patron, try looking at the situation from their perspective.  Is there another way to solve the issue than the only one you’ve been able to see, from your perspective?

 

Just to Be Clear. . .

Yes, I know I’ve written about communication before.  Perhaps you think I write about it too much.  So sue me; I think it’s important!

Yup, that’s a lead-in to another post about communication.  Well, actually to a few links about communication, from other bloggers (better ones than I!) who also think it’s important.  So there!

• 9 Tips to Increase the Likelihood You’ll be Heard (Seapoint Center)
• 10 Ways to be a Better Communicator (The Fast Track)
• How to Get Your Manager to Give you Better Feedback (The Fast Track)

But seriously, folks, communication IS important!  In our work, in our families, in our homes, in our lives.  And even the best communicators can always improve, I think.  These posts gave me some tips, and I hope they can help you too.

And So It Begins

Today is the first day of the 12-week online public library director certification course I am teaching.  While not my first foray into online teaching,  it is my first certification course, and my first 12-week course.  I’m not nervous.  Well, OK, maybe I am, maybe a little.  Here are some of the ways I am feeling:

• Nervous
• Excited
• Proud
• Prepared
• Anxious
• Apprehensive
• Happy
• Confident

And probably about a thousand more.  But here’s the thing:  I can do this.  I know I can.   And my students will learn.  And so will I.  It will be challenging—and that’s a good thing.  Stay tuned.

What’s your challenge?

 

Sure, I’ve Read That!

This is a loosely-themed library blog after all!  So I have to share this article from Huffington Post:  10 Books People Pretend They’ve Read.  Here’s the list:

 

1. “Nineteen Eighty-Four” by George Orwell

2. “War and Peace” by Leo Tolstoy

3. “Great Expectations” by Charles Dickens

4. “The Catcher in the Rye” by JD Salinger

5. “A Passage to India” by EM Forster

6. “Lord of the Rings” by JRR Tolkien

7. “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee

8. “Crime and Punishment” by Fyodor Dostoevsky

9. “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen

10. “Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Bronte

 

But read the article too, and the comments.  What’s on your liar’s list?

 

Books (Photo credit: henry…)

 

Celebrate!

Saturday evening was the gala event “Foreward” at the newly renovated Madison Public Library, and I was there.  A good time was had by all.

Dancing!

Crazy photo booth photos!

Preaching Beyond the Choir

In libraries, it is important for us to communicate with, and listen to, the people who use our libraries every day.  Of course it is.  We send them newsletters, we tweet and Facebook with them, we give them bookmarks and flyers about upcoming events when they check out materials.

But sometimes we fall into the trap of communicating only with our dedicated users, and forget our mandate to serve the entire community.  It’s easy to do.  It’s so much easier to reach those people we see or hear from every day, and so much harder to reach those who never use the library.  Yet, in public libraries, it’s their tax dollars we are responsible for too.

Yes, it’s important to preach to the choir, but we need to preach beyond the choir too!  The post Engaging the Elusive Non-User, on this very topic, caught my eye.  It should catch yours too.  Here’s a preview:

Among the commonsensical, yet often overlooked, points made by Fletcher and Singer is that non-users cannot effectively be reached by focus groups, surveys on the library website, or other such mechanisms that may be useful for capturing the opinions of active library patrons. To reach this other group, libraries must go where they already are: malls, daycare centers, coffee shops, commuter rail stations, houses of worship, farmer’s markets, senior programs, etc. The Pikes Peak Library District, CO, even went to a feed store!

(Photo credit: Mennonite Church USA Archives)