PLA 2008 Annual Conference in Minneapolis
That's in Minnesota, don't ya know. :-) Jo Blankenburg and I attended our first Public Library Association Conference this year. On Wed March 26, we both attended a wonderful half day preconference entitled "Who said Management Can't Be Fun?" The presenters used the analogy of a 3 ring circus. The canvas of the tent is trust in your organization and its people. The poles that support the tent are communication (center pole), accountability, empowerment, staff development, influence, and impact. We both came away with some good tidbits for being effective managers. We also received an excellent handout called "Rights & Responsibilities" which lists 10 rights and their corresponding responsibilities for healthy relationships in any sphere of your life.
After lunch we went to the opening session; the speaker was John Wood, the Microsoft executive who quit to build libraries and schools in developing countries. (We own his book.) He was a very inspirational speaker, and there were some tears generated. (Who knew there'd be crying at a library conference, and not from boredom!)
After that it was on to the opening of the exhibits: let the freebie grabbing begin! Jo and I both have picked up a lot of stuff to share with the staff back home. And, of course, I've been on the lookout for ideas for furnishings at the new Perry Hall. There is some really cool stuff out there!
Today I attended a session called "Why We Borrow:Redesigning Libraries Using Retail Strategies", and the speaker was from Paco Underhill's company. (He wrote Why We Buy, a book with which many BCPLers may be familiar.) Some of the points from that presentation: everyone in America is looking for a 3rd place--the library seems to be it; get out from behind the desk & encounter customers on the floor; give customers the opportunity to help themselves first--they prefer self-navigation; teens will spill out of their designated area--consider where they'll spill into; signs need to have odd/interesting shapes/colors so they stand out & create movement in our static spaces; use fixtures/signs to "brand" sections, especially the children's & teen areas.
I also attended "Preparing Your Staff for a New Building." Presenters noted that even when staff are looking forward to a new building, they can have unspoken fears about performing in the new location: fear that a bigger building means more work, increased expectations on the part of customers; fear that they won't perform adequately in the new building. It's important for staff to analyze how they do things now and how those tasks will change in the new location. All staff should be involved in brainstorming solutions to issues that arise so that they are more likely to buy into new ways of doing things. Presenters emphasized that staff should be allowed to visit their new work areas throughout various stages of construction so they begin to have a sense of ownership and they become acclimated to the space. It was suggested that management prepare staff for negative comments about the new building since invariably there will be unhappy customers--possibly have a script or a FAQ sheet and assure staff they can send complaints "up the line."
Tomorrow I'm looking forward to the session How to Move a Library since it looks as if I'll be doing that next year.
After lunch we went to the opening session; the speaker was John Wood, the Microsoft executive who quit to build libraries and schools in developing countries. (We own his book.) He was a very inspirational speaker, and there were some tears generated. (Who knew there'd be crying at a library conference, and not from boredom!)
After that it was on to the opening of the exhibits: let the freebie grabbing begin! Jo and I both have picked up a lot of stuff to share with the staff back home. And, of course, I've been on the lookout for ideas for furnishings at the new Perry Hall. There is some really cool stuff out there!
Today I attended a session called "Why We Borrow:Redesigning Libraries Using Retail Strategies", and the speaker was from Paco Underhill's company. (He wrote Why We Buy, a book with which many BCPLers may be familiar.) Some of the points from that presentation: everyone in America is looking for a 3rd place--the library seems to be it; get out from behind the desk & encounter customers on the floor; give customers the opportunity to help themselves first--they prefer self-navigation; teens will spill out of their designated area--consider where they'll spill into; signs need to have odd/interesting shapes/colors so they stand out & create movement in our static spaces; use fixtures/signs to "brand" sections, especially the children's & teen areas.
I also attended "Preparing Your Staff for a New Building." Presenters noted that even when staff are looking forward to a new building, they can have unspoken fears about performing in the new location: fear that a bigger building means more work, increased expectations on the part of customers; fear that they won't perform adequately in the new building. It's important for staff to analyze how they do things now and how those tasks will change in the new location. All staff should be involved in brainstorming solutions to issues that arise so that they are more likely to buy into new ways of doing things. Presenters emphasized that staff should be allowed to visit their new work areas throughout various stages of construction so they begin to have a sense of ownership and they become acclimated to the space. It was suggested that management prepare staff for negative comments about the new building since invariably there will be unhappy customers--possibly have a script or a FAQ sheet and assure staff they can send complaints "up the line."
Tomorrow I'm looking forward to the session How to Move a Library since it looks as if I'll be doing that next year.
posted by Rose Frase | 9:56 PM
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