10 Steps to a Better Library Interior

I recently came across an interesting little article on LibraryJournal.com that gave 10 tips for a better library intereior that I thought I would share with you.
So without further ado, here is 10 Steps to a Better Library Interior.
Enjoy!

Christmas, and More, at the Library!

T'is the season to deck the stacks with evergreen boughs and Christmas ornaments. As December 25 approaches, libraries across Canada have created holiday displays, read “Frosty the Snowman,” and held fundraisers in honor of the upcoming, Christian holiday. However, December is a month of many festivals and Christmas is celebrated in a number of ways by different cultures.

Besides Christmas, both Hanukkah and Kwanzaa occur in December. This year Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, is celebrated from sundown on December 20 to sundown on December 28. Kwanzaa, a week-long celebration of African-American culture, occurs each year from December 26 to January 1. Because the Muslim calendar moves around, some observances of this faith occasionally show up in December too. In the spirit of inclusion and education, consider adding a few materials on these holidays to your displays, picking some new titles for storytime, or trying some related children’s crafts.

Along with recognizing other holidays, the library can be a great place to showcase a diverse range of Christmas traditions. Although Southern Alberta is mostly dominated by Canadians of European descent (German, Dutch, Hungarian, Polish, Ukranian, Italian to name a few), there exist significant populations of Japanese, Chinese, Latin American, and West Asian descendants and immigrants. If you library has a good relationship with a local cultural centre or a representative of a cultural group, consider inviting them into the library or partnering with the on a yuletide program or event.

To learn more about multi-cultural programming, check out the slew of information Library and Archives Canada offers on Multicultural Resources and Services. In closing, I would like to say that every community is unique and these suggestions may or may not apply to yours. Yet, it is worth it to recognize that the library is a place for everyone at all times of the year!

I wish you peace, joy, and love in the holiday season.

Community Value

For years now we've all heard about how libraries are transforming into new 'spaces'. Not just books, or not just books and computers. Libraries have changed over and over again, and are often on the leading-edge of adopting new ideas and new technology, and in doing so are invaluable pieces of their communities.

However, while reading a report from Library Journal's (L J) latest Design Institute gathering, I came across some discussion which seems very relevant to the Chinook Arch member libraries: creating a community space, and its ties to political 'success'. To some extent, all libraries engage in this already. Libraries offer programs, events and services to the community, and funding for these items comes from the community. As with most things, though, taking the idea of being a community space a step or two further may yield positive results for the library.

Opinions from the LJ session suggested that turning the library into even more of a community space, one well-tailored to the community's various needs, will aid in navigating the 'political shoals' that librarians and library boards are often faced with when looking for funding:

Librarians who really have ways to gather intelligence about their communities are the ones who are succeeding,” Scherer said. “The space is getting more anonymous to allow for anything to happen, but the services are getting much more tailored.”

That tailoring is key to political success, said Joseph Huberty, a partner at Engberg Anderson. “I think that local emphasis, tailoring the project to meet the community’s needs, is essential. No one will vote for a project unless they perceive an underlying need,” he said.

"Intelligence" sounds a bit like spying, but what he's really talking about is simply knowing the community like most library managers do.

So, with this in mind, when considering your next round of budget negotiations with town or city council, or when looking for new sources of funding from the community, are there any ways your library can be transformed into a space (services, resources, etc.) that is more tailored to your community's needs than ever before? Session attendees suggest that one of the biggest factors is identifying needs, and making those needs clear to the people in charge.

Or, to put it another way: "I think that local emphasis, tailoring the project to meet the community’s needs, is essential. No one will vote for a project unless they perceive an underlying need,” he said."

However much you do this now, you may find that looking for more opportunity in this area can really cement the role of the library in the hearts and minds of the community and its leaders.

The whole Library Journal article can be read here:

http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/managinglibraries/891656-273/changing_spaces_exploring_future_user.html.csp

Staff Development Day

Chinook Arch HQ staff recently participated in a staff development day where we learned more about our benefits package, participated in a team building exercise about communication and had some discussion around the concept of intellectual freedom. Staff were also 'quizzed' on Chinook Arch facts and rewarded with a holiday treat for knowing the correct answer.

Staff development days have many purposes:

• Allow staff time together in a more relaxed environment
  
• Allow staff who may not normally get a chance to talk to each other an opportunity to chat
  
• Builds a feeling of comraderie and reinforces common goals
  
• Allow staff to learn more either about their day-to-day work or overarching philosophies that affect their work. This can result in greater job satisfaction and better service to patrons.
  

Many libraries, and other organizations, recognize the value of staff development days. As such, a survey of libraries and their staff development days was conducted by the ALA Emerging Leaders Team and the results published on the Staff Day Success wiki (http://librarystaffdevelopment.wikispaces.com/). The team also shared on the wiki all of the ideas and resources for staff development that they collected through the survey. Included on the site are:

• Ideas for keynote presentations at your staff development day
• Ideas for topical workshops, including resources. Some of the ideas include: community involvement, customer service, team building and technology training
  
• Ideas for staff recognition
• 'Just for fun' activities
• Evaluation methods for your staff development day
• Other resources for professional development and staff development days

The Emerging Leaders Team's ultimate goal is to create a guide available through the ALA's LearnRT website for libraries interested in implementing their own staff development training programs. Watch for this resource at www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/rts/clenert/index.cfm. In the meantime, the team continues to add to the Staff Day Success wiki.

There are also lots of ideas around team building, communication, etc on the web. You might want to do a bit of a needs assessment first to determine what the needs of your staff are. And of course, Chinook Arch staff are available to train on some topics.

Has your library held a staff development day? We'd love to hear about your experiences.

Read Dating

While I was scanning through some of today's twitter updates, I noticed one from Vancouver Public Library that read "LGBTQ Read Dating tonight, 6:30, Alice McKay Room, Central Library. For adults aged 19-35. Bring a book, DVD, or CD to discuss." While I'm not too familiar with this particular program's details, the concept seems a great one...and not just for the LGBTQ community. There are many single people in any community and many of them would probably appreciate having somewhere to go to have intelligent conversations with other singles in the area. Having a book club designated for singe people is an easy way to serve that need while simultaneously attracting people into the library. What a great idea for adult programming!