Bringing the Library to Your Home!

I spent last week in Minnesota with my mother and sister; much of the week was actually spent in the hospital in Rochester, because my 91-year-old mother had some kind of incident, probably a very tiny stroke or seizure.  She recovered completely and very quickly (big sighs of relief).  Upon being discharged she went back home to continue living with my 70-something sister, who also has medical issues.  My mom no longer drives, and there are periods of time when my sister is unable to drive.  Needless to say, borrowing library materials is not an easy thing.  I suggest they check ask about home delivery.

books (Photo credit: brody4)

Actually I’ve suggested this many times.  This time, for the first time, my sister asks “but how do they know what you’d  like to read?  And how do they know what you’ve already read?”  Silly me, I’d never actually explained this to them.  So I explain that most public libraries that offer such a service do a little questionnaire about what you’d like to read, and many also keep track of what they’ve delivered to you, so they don’t bring you the same things over and over.  Never missing the chance to expound upon my chosen profession, I also explain that if they do keep track this is an exception to libraries’ usual procedures, since this is actually a violation of your confidentiality.  But they would explain that to you, and of course, in this case they are doing this as a special service to you.  They might even have you sign an agreement that you understand and waive this right.

This conversation with my sister spurred me to write today’s post, and to do a little research on libraries that offer home delivery, and what they say about it on their websites:

• Madison (WI) Public Library
• Waukegan (IL) Public Library
• Ephrata (PA) Public Library
• Henderson Public Library (Jefferson, OH)
• Missoula Public Library

What Makes a Good Library Professional?

I’ve been helping out with a public library system director search process.  I love hiring and interviewing; I don’t know why, I just do.  This process has gone very well, partly because of a very good committee. Anyway, we’ve had lots of discussions about what to look for in library staff, librarians, managers. . . And these discussions are food for my blog post today.

(Photo credit: @Photo.)

What qualities do we look for when hiring?  What qualities can be learned/developed after an employee is hired?

These first ones are more personality/”people-type” things:

• Communication
• Collaboration
• Respect
• Passion
• Customer Service philosophy
• Adaptability
• Intelligence
• Listening skills
• People skills, Management skills

This group is more “book learning”:

• Budgeting
• Strategic Planning
• Knowledge about technology
• Library fundamentals

What else do you look for?  How do you determine if a candidate possesses them?  What qualities and abilities do you insist on, and which ones do you believe can be learned and developed on the job?

 

“This is my third place; my place between work and home where I belong. And sitting here is why I continue to fight for public libraries.”

How to Make a Book Disappear

How to Make a Book Disappear:  Jonah Lehrer’s discredited Imagine has vanished from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and his publisher’s website. Why that’s bad news for readers.

Communication: Is it Hard to Talk About Yourself?

Yup, I’m talking about communication again!  Makes you wonder about me, doesn’t it.  But, I have to say, I think it is so critical to being a good leader, manager, librarian. . . and in fact, being a good person!  So I apologize for putting so much emphasis on communication, but I strongly believe it is that important.

Today I have to share this most interesting post:  “My Story: Wish I was Better at Communicating the Real Me” and its follow-up post: “Dare to Communicate Personality: the Best Advice I Found Online.”  Here’s a quote from the first one:

It’s easy to think that a person who presents himself poorly has lack of self-esteem or thinks badly about himself. But that. . . does not fit me. I think I do a lot of things quite well. I think I’m good enough most of the time. (And other times I think I’m great). Lack of self-esteem is not my problem. But to talk about myself is.

Communication (Photo credit: P Shanks)

Does this resonate with you?  If so, the second post includes some suggestions like “Many people are afraid to reveal too much about themselves. It makes them feel vulnerable and exposed. But hiding things makes your personality a bit dull.” So, how to find that balance between revealing too much, and not revealing enough?  I’m not sure I’ve found it yet.  But these two posts are helping me get a handle on it.

Is it hard for you to talk about yourself?  Do you have some tips to share?

What Can You Do to Solve This?

 

 

Here’s a no-nonsense take on Handling Co-Worker Complaints and Backstabbing.  I like the first tip:  “Ask the complainer, ‘What can you do to solve this?'” Dan Rockwell goes on to offer simple suggestions, in a succinct post.  Read it.  I also love the “bonus tip”:   “When you bring the two parties together and one of them had no idea there was a problem, you’re dealing with a backstabber. Excuse the one who’s in the dark and deal with the real issue.”

 

Whatever you do, don’t ignore the issue.

 

What tips can you offer on dealing with complaints?

 

Backstabbing (Photo credit: !’jona†han’!)

 

Boost Your Presentation Skills

As a leader, whether in libraries, or some other area, you will be called upon to make speeches and presentations.  And if you’re not, you should be finding opportunities to make speeches and give presentations.  This is a skill every leader must have and cultivate.

You’re lucky, because in 2012 there are and will be many opportunities to observe excellent examples of public speaking.  Yes, this is one good thing about this election year. Regardless of your political leanings, you should be able to appreciate the speech former President Bill Clinton gave to the Democratic National Convention on September 5.

When so many speeches this year are long and tedious, or all sound the same, why does Clinton’s stand out as one that’s easy to listen to, one that holds our interest?  The article “3 Techniques Bill Clinton Uses to Wow an Audience” contains tips that anyone can apply (I know I’m going to try to!)  You’ll want to read the entire article, but I’m happy to summarize those 3 tips here:

1. He knows when to stop and go.
2. His gestures sync with his words.
3. It’s how he says it, as much as what he says.

Inevitably, there are other articles about Clinton’s speech.  “Why Bill Clinton’s Speeches Succeed” sums it up in its opening sentence:  “Because he treats listeners as if they are smart.”

And you might also be interested in this one:  Bill Clinton Shows How It’s Done.  How’s it done? “The strength of his speech came in its efforts to persuade. Clinton made arguments. He talked through his reasoning. He went point by point through the case he wanted to make. He kept telling the audience he was talking to them and he wanted them to listen.”

You may have found other reasons you found the speech effective.  You may have found other speakers you thought did a better job.  My point is, there are lessons to be learned from this year’s political presentations.  Are you making use of them?

Help Your Users Protect their Identity

The Public Library Association (PLA) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) are partnering to share information on identity theft and identity protection.  From the cover letter the FTC sent to PLA members:  “Everything we produce is in the public domain:  please share it with patrons—or your colleagues, community, friends and family; link to the information from your blog or website; and use the content on your social network or newsletter.”

The info, which you can download or order free copies of, includes:

• Safeguarding Your Child’s Future
• Identity Theft: What to Know, What to Do
• Taking Charge: What to Do If Your Identity is Stolen

Additionally, I think the info offers you a great idea and great background on which to build and offer a public program for your users on identity theft.

Additional resources:

• Identity Theft Resource Center
• Identity Theft (U.S. Department of Justice)
• Identity Theft is a Crime (President’s Task Force)
• ID Theft Info Source
  

  identity theft (Photo credit: Rosie O’Beirne)

Every Reader Her Book

Reading Jennifer Burek Pierce’s An Old Friend in the Library (American Libraries, August 2012) brings to mind my 91-year-old mother, and how she is no longer really able to use her public library.  It also brings to mind Ranganathan’s Five Laws of Library Science:

1. Books are for use.
2. Every reader his (or her) book.
3. Every book its reader.
4. Save the time of the reader.
5. The library is a growing organism.

Yes, even the frail and elderly should be able to obtain the books and other materials they want and need.  Pierce’s article talks about her 84-year-old friend who always goes to the same shelf because that “row, closest to both an entrance and a self-check station, didn’t require her to walk the full length of the building.”  She can’t reach, or see, the books on the higher shelves.  There is no seating in this area, although there is often a shelving stool nearby that she can sit on.  In contrast is “the new bookstore-emulating part of the library that is furnished with real chairs, easy-to-reach shelves, and cover-forward shelving. Large-print titles aren’t to be found there.”

Also in contrast, “Think of all the things we do to make those spaces usable for kids: low shelves; bold, attractive signage. Think of all the training and professional rhetoric about establishing ways to interact with teens that recognize their need for independence versus the inherent limitations of their age. Why don’t we strive to serve the elderly in the same ways?”

When you arrange or remodel your library, write or revise your policies, train your staff, create your signage, are you keeping this demographic in mind?

Old people read alone… (Photo credit: Ed Yourdon)

I am Not Alone!

I had an “aha” moment when reading a post on AskAManager about “imposter syndrome.”  It also led me to a Huffington Post article on the same topic. Who knew there were others who felt they didn’t really know what they were doing, and it was just a matter of time before they were found out?

This feeling is known as the “impostor syndrome,” and since it was first identified in the late 70s by researchers at the Georgia State University, we’ve learned that more than 70 percent of the population has experienced this feeling at one time or another. (P. R. Clance and S. A. Imes, “The Imposter Phenomenon in High Achieving Women: Dynamics and Therapeutic Intervention,” Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice 15, no. 3 (1978): 241-47.)

Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Turns out it is a normal feeling/reaction, and actually has benefits:  “The impostor syndrome gets us to work harder, to “cover up,” it gets us to avoid taking big risks, it gets us to keep our head down and not be as bold as we might otherwise be. From an evolutionary perspective, this might have made sense at some point. The impostor syndrome can be a great motivating tool, getting us to work harder than anyone else.”

I think it’s like the common advice that some amount of stage fright before speaking or performing in public is actually good—it gets your adrenalin going, keeps your energy up, and makes your performance “real” rather than too “rehearsed.”  But you don’t want to succumb to stage fright, or to imposter syndrome. We need to recognize it, and learn to cope with it.  Take deep breaths.  I find it helps to have little conversations in which I tell myself things like: “You’re prepared.  You know this stuff.  You can do this.”  As usual, Alison Green’s tips are spot-on:

1. Fake it (till you make it).
2. Admit when you don’t know something, and ask for input.
3. Just stop thinking about it. “At some point, you’ll look around and the evidence will have piled up that you are in fact not a fraud, and that’ll make it easier to accept it.”

Library leaders, and librarians in new positions are not immune. Do you suffer from imposter syndrome?  How do you cope?