Search results: 5

Community Engagement

Self Paced CourseFormat: Self-paced Course
Developed with: Funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Length: 1 hour

Overview
The library of the 21st Century is considered an essential part of its community. With that in mind the director and staff need to "get out of the stacks and into the streets!" Being involved in organizations and activities outside of the library provides a unique perspective to both staff and trustees in regard to the culture and needs of the community.

Community engagement, while it may have a different meaning depending upon your role in the library, is reaching outside of the physical library building, meeting people in the community and listening to them. There are many roles to play and you can monitor your level of involvement based on your capacity. Community engagement activities provide an opportunity to offer the library as a solution to issues, or at least as a potential partner to help tackle issues. This can be accomplished through building relationships and sharing ideas and library resources, whether that is space, staff or other assets to accomplish a common goal.

Course Design: Produced through the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA) Continuing Education Connector project.

This course is currently unavailable for enrollment.

Category: Outreach

Measures that Matter Part Three: Moving Toward More Meaningful Measures

webinar recordingFormat: Webinar, original date July 26, 2017
Hosted by: WebJunction and COSLA
Length: 1 hour

Circulation, visits, program attendance, patron satisfaction…these are some of the many measures commonly collected by public librarians. But how well do we understand what measures tell the most meaningful stories of today’s libraries? During the first two webinars in this series, we discussed the current state of the public library data landscape – what data collection efforts exist at the national level and how they impact what we know about libraries and their patrons. In this third webinar, we will look toward the future, considering what data public librarians should collect to demonstrate their impact. To do this, we will hear from speakers both within and outside of the library field who will provide multiple perspectives on meaningful measures.

Presented by: Chantal Stevens, Rebecca Jones, and Linda Hofschire

Category: Assessment, Evaluation & Planning

Measures that Matter Part Two: Detailing the Data-based Story of Public Libraries

webinar recordingFormat: Webinar, original date May 23, 2017
Hosted by: WebJunction and COSLA
Length: 1 hour

In the United States, there are a number of national surveys of public libraries and their patrons. While all of these efforts help us tell a data-based story of public libraries, they differ in terms of their samples, what types of data they collect, and how their data are collected, stored, and accessed. During the first webinar in this three-part series, we scanned the landscape of major public library surveys and considered how library data could be used more productively in the future. In this second webinar, we will drill deeper into the concepts of sampling, data types, and data management, and how they impact what we know about public libraries and their patrons. At the end of this webinar, participants will have a greater understanding of various sampling methods, recognize the differences between inputs, outputs, and outcomes, and be aware of the data management practices for various national public library surveys.

Presented by: Rebecca Teasdale, John Bertot, and Linda Hofschire

Category: Assessment, Evaluation & Planning

Measures that Matter: A View into the Current Public Library Data Landscape

webinar recordingFormat: Webinar, original date May 23, 2017
Hosted by: WebJunction and COSLA
Length: 1 hour

Data gathering and responding to surveys are part of every public librarian's routine. Yet we rarely pause to reflect on these efforts and consider what data matters most. What measures best demonstrate the role, value, and impact of public libraries in the 21st century? How can the various surveys and tools commonly used by public libraries be leveraged with each other and other data sources to best demonstrate that impact? The Institute of Museum and Library Services in cooperation with the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies is launching the "Measures that Matter" initiative, a field-wide discussion of the current state of public library data. The initiative will first take stock of the current landscape and then re-envision how data could be collected, stored, used and disseminated more productively in the future. In this webinar, the first in a 3-part series, we’ll discuss the view that emerged from looking at a number of major library surveys and data collection tools, and consider opportunities to pursue a national action plan to move the field toward ever-more meaningful measures.

Presented by: Stacey Aldrich, Vailey Oehlke and Linda Hofschire

Category: Assessment, Evaluation & Planning

Public Library Directors 101

self pacedFormat: Self-paced Course
Developed with: Funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Length: 3 hours

Are you new to the public library director role? Or considering becoming a director in the future? 
This series will introduce you to the many and unique facets of public library directorship. Each of the four on-demand recordings provide a broad overview that both informs and inspires.

Overview
Public Library Directors 101 is an introduction to some of the key concepts every new public library director needs to know on the day they start their new job.

This four‐part video series was designed by state librarians, library development directors, and CE coordinators around the question: “What do public library directors tell us they wish they had known when they started their job?”

The videos are under ½ hour each and apply to any library director in any size of library in any state. It is recommended that new library directors view all of the videos within the first month they begin their job. The videos are as follows:

  • Your New Role – Whether you have served in a different role at your library or you are brand new to the community, this video explores how a library director needs to refocus when assuming this new position.
  • Community Relations – The directorship is an outwardly‐focused position in the library. This session explores the concept and considers the library as a community anchor institution.
  • Planning and Project Management – The director is the futurist for the library. While he or she may have participated in planning activities in the past, now the director will be leading the charge in planning for the library’s future and implementing the plan.
  • Asset management – Finally, this episode looks at how the director will be managing all the assets of the library system ‐ which includes buildings, the collection, revenue, and staff.

Course Design:
Produced through the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA) Continuing Education Connector project.

Category: Organizational Management