Sunshine State, Empowerment Zone Article, etc.

So yesterday was my third to last session of the Sunshine State Library Leadership Institute (SSLLI). The focus of the session was on leading groups and we talked a lot about meetings. It was apparent to me that most of the people in SSLLI besides me have a lot more meetings, and have had some pretty unproductive meetings too. Since I work in a small library there is not a lot of committee work, and communication is typically easier than it would be in a larger library system. This means less meetings for us, but the material was still valuable.

Some of the specific things we learned were characteristics of an effective group which include keeping the group size small, making everyone accountable and having a clearly identified goal. We learned the different styles of decision making, and how to choose them based on the situation. And we also were given an excellent handout called the Meeting Planning Worksheet. This worksheet is a blueprint for the meeting, and I plan on using it the next time I am in charge of a meeting.

This session was timely for me since I would like to make my next project at my library adding subject specific signage in the stacks. Public libraries have been using the Dewey Decimal System for decades now, and it is still a difficult thing for most patrons to learn. My goal is to create a workgroup in my library to create and add signage in the non-fiction section of the library. This experience would enable me to lead a group and meetings, and to hopefully make finding materials in my library easier for the patrons. This would increase our circulation and create a more positive atmosphere when people are browsing for books. I do not plan on getting rid of our Dewey numbers, just adding signs like Travel, History, Art, etc. to enhance them.

Besides SSLLI, and my thoughts on a new project, the Delray Forum published an article on the Empowerment Zone yesterday. The Forum is a free weekly that mainly discusses local news in the Delray Beach community. The article is on the front page, and if you use your imagination one of the guys in the picture is actually me. My contact info is listed and I am hoping that there is an increase in the amount of people using the EZ due to the article. We are getting people every time the Zone is in session now, and that is certainly positive. And I now have three volunteers to help out if it gets busy.

Trying to Stay Relevant

Last week was a bit of a come back to earth week for me after being pretty charged up from the FLA Conference. Being in an entry level position at my library does not afford me a lot of opportunity to change things too much at my library. I accept the position I am in, and am appreciative of having my job, and I am learning to be a leader regardless of my rank. I have managed to stay positive (mostly, since we are all human) and productive in a profession that needs some change to stay relevant. I try not to think of all of the issues in my library since I am not in a position to fix most of them. This is not easy for someone like me who can at times see areas of improvement and then want to find solutions. Not that I invent issues, but that I can't help noticing how things could be improved at times to make my library more ideal. My goal is to have positive energy and patience, since those traits are more desirable than being overly critical and undermining.

I try to stay active with projects that I create for my library, like my SSLLI project the Empowerment Zone. Today we had a photographer from the Sun Sentinel in to take pictures for an upcoming feature story in the Delray Forum (more on this when the article gets published). We are also getting more patrons using the room consistently which is boosting my confidence that my project was a good idea. SSLLI has regular assignments too, which keep me busy.

On top of my current SSLLI project I try to stay involved with library associations for professional development and to give back to the profession. I have recently been selected (after submitting an online application) for the Florida Library Association's Public Relations Committee, and we are working on a new public awareness campaign for Florida libraries. I am on the City of Lake Worth's Library Board as an alternate (I hope to find out more on this at my first meeting in June) and I help with the Palm Beach County Library Association's web site by posting news items, and other association related items on the web site. My goal in all of this is to stay as active as possible in my profession so that I can move towards a position of authority and leadership. I am also trying to stay focused and keep my head down in order to avoid getting bogged down in negativity. Here's hoping my formula is a success.

Week After FLA 2010

I have had a couple of days to process all that I took in last week in Orlando at the Florida Library Association Annual Conference 2010. I am hoping that writing down what I learned, and mulling it over will help me hang onto the experience longer. I definitely will say that the number one thing that I took from the conference was how it easy it was to network with other librarians, and how receptive almost everyone was to exchanging ideas, and talking about the profession. My goal upon attending the conference was to get on one of the committees and attend as many sessions as possible that are applicable to my job. Instead I was lucky enough to meet a few library system directors, the current President of FLA, several committee heads and members, and some vendors who should prove resourceful.

My goal of getting on a committee should be accomplished as I managed to get invited to the Public Relations Committee meeting, and they were receptive to adding me to their committee. Appointment must come from future president John Callahan, and experience has taught me to not count my eggs before they hatch. A couple of other committees were seeking members, and if I do not get appointed to the PR Committee I will aim for another. I also managed to gather some needed info like the fact that Sirsi should not be crashing on our computers several times a day, how to use Google Analytics for computer stats, and that eGov is indeed looking like part of the future for libraries. The final point makes me glad I chose the Empowerment Zone as my SSLLI project.

I can not emphasize enough how important the convention was from a networking perspective. Being a current member of SSLLI helped me meet many important people, and allowed for many introductions. I was always under the impression that networking involved a certain level of sleaziness, but I learned how to meet and greet while staying true to myself. Having my mentor Daniel around for feedback really helped with this. And anyone who is interested in making a career out of Florida libraries should attend these conferences. If you are looking to get on the fast track then this is the place to be. Just talking about the EZ resulted in the suggestion that I publish an article on my project, and also that I could possibly present at FLA 2011.

Now to take all that I learned and put it to work in my library. More to follow on this...

Back in Lake Worth

Just got back from Orlando. FLA 2010 was awesome. I met some major players, plugged the Empowerment Zone, and have some new ideas along with a bunch of energy for my job and library. Anyone who is interested in Florida libraries as a career should go to these conferences. It is too easy to meet the movers and shakers, and to interact with them. I can not get over how supportive librarians are in Florida, and am really glad I made the choice to be a librarian, and to move back to Florida.

Now to take a nap b/c I am drained! I will write more tomorrow, or next week, about the things I learned and the people I met.

Long day, short post...

After getting only around 6 hours of sleep again last night, I am showing my age today. The opening session was well attended. Awards were handed out, and Helene Blowers and Keith Michael Fiels talked about the importance of libraries, innovations, keeping up with technology, etc.

Then came the Sunshine State chat with Helene, lunch with Carrie from Alachua County, the FLA Public Relations committee meeting (a committee that I will hopefully be asked to join) a brief nap, and then Lightning Talks moderated by Chip H. also from Alachua County. I didn't stick around long for the Zines and Rock n Roll in libraries program since the hipster librarians were sitting down, not using a mike, and their PowerPoint presentation was not all that exciting. Good idea to use Zines and music to draw in different crowds though. Not sure if Zines would catch on in my community. Now a slight break to check email, blog, and then back downstairs for the President's Reception.

I have met so many important library folks here, and I highly recommend coming to the FLA Conference if you are interested in joining committees, networking, and learning lots of new things. I am definitely going to bed early tonight. I will try and make an early program tomorrow, and then back to Palm Beach County with Dr. Hunter.

Somewhat Live

I apologize that my posts will not be "live" as promised. The hotel has ethernet connections in the rooms, and wifi in the lobby for 20 bucks for your stay. Because of this, I can not blog from in the conference, but have to leave to send my posts. It is 2010 isn't it? Enough complaining...

The first session I attended on eGov was great. I met a library manager from Broward County who said her computers are always full, so I told her to send her patrons to the Empowerment Zone if they have transportation. I also talked to one of the presenters Dr. Chuck, and he wants my data from the EZ, and the sheets I am using to keep track of room usage. I am also planning on using Google Analytics for tracking our web usage in the library, and maybe doing a survey if my bosses are okay with it.

Pasco County, and a few other libraries/library folks, are creating a web site for eGov services specifically aimed at Florida residents. The site is not live yet, but when it is I will post the link. It was good meeting people that are interested in these areas of librarianship.

At lunch I ran into Lucie, whom I went to grad school with at Wayne State. She is working in Bradenton as a children's librarian. I also bumped into a number of my fellow Sunshine State students, and was introduced to some powerful/well known Florida librarians. On top of that I ran into Suvi who is a branch manager in Palm Beach County, and also a fellow Lake Worthian. In a little bit the exhibits are opening, and I am planning on attending that. Later tonight is a Gale gala. More to follow...

First Day

Eating breakfast, and then I am going to meet up with Daniel and Chip to register for the conference. If we have time we might hit up the coffee klatch in the mezzanine. And yes "klatch" is a word because I looked it up last night.

After the klatch is the first program I will be attending. The program is called E-Government: Coordinating Our Efforts to Provide Excellent Service, and is being presented by Nancy Fredericks who is a big name in Florida when it comes to eGov and libraries. I am hoping to get some nuggets that I can apply to the Empowerment Zone. More later...

The Road to Orlando, etc.

So, Dr. Hunter and I arrived in Orlando about two hours ago. Minus some traffic due to a wreck on 95, and Dr. Hunter's lack of using cruise control, the drive was not too bad. Once arriving I noticed a whole bunch of high school students, and after some sleuthing I realized that they are on a marching band trip. There is also some bridge competition going on downstairs in rooms A and B. The conference officially starts tomorrow, so technically I am now off the clock. I am hoping to meet up with my mentor Daniel for a drink, and then to bed early so I am well rested tomorrow morning. I had to pay twenty bucks for internet access for my stay, and I am hoping it is worth it. At the very least it will at least make me update my blog a bunch for fear of not getting my money's worth. More tomorrow.

Empowerment Zone at the Delray Beach Public Library

Since last October I have been attending the Sunshine State Library Leadership Institute once a month in Cocoa, Florida. We meet typically on the last Wednesday of the month for an all day session on issues related to library leadership. I am very fortunate that my library is sponsoring me for this program, and I have learned a lot so far from the sessions, and also from my mentor Daniel B.. For completion of the program each student must create and manage a project in their library that employs some of these learned leadership principles, and hopefully involves collaboration with another community organization.

For my project I decided to use our library's Technology Center since it seemed underutilized, and most of the 40 public computers are busy all day. My idea was to create an environment where patrons can work on their resumes, search for jobs online, fill out food stamp and unemployment applications, and other eGov and job/career related endeavors. The public computers only allow patrons to work for 30 minutes before they are logged off, and they only can use the computers for 120 minutes a day. This project would allow patrons to work for 3 hours without any interruptions.

After talking with my supervisor we decided that the best time and day for my project would be Thursday mornings from 9-12pm. Thursday is the day when there are typically 4 reference librarians on staff, and the library is only open from 9-5. A few things needed to be done in order to have the Technology Center become functional for this project. I first wanted to mount the projector that we use for the computer classes on the ceiling, but after looking at the panels on the ceiling we decided that this would be too expensive. We also needed to put the job search icon on the PC desktops, along with a link to a typing tutorial software web site, and install a printer. The links were easy fixes, but the library had to order another printer and then our IT guy had to set it up. Everything was completed during January and February 2010, minus the printer, which didn't arrive until mid-March.

Besides the set up of the Tech Center I came up with a catchy name for my project and decided on the Empowerment Zone. The word empowerment illustrates the concept I wanted the patrons to embrace, since they would be working to better their lives primarily on their own. The Empowerment Zone (EZ) is not meant to be a place where librarians type up your resume for you, or conduct a job search for you. It is a place where patrons embark on these tasks mainly alone, and librarians and computer volunteers are available if help is needed to steer patrons in the right direction.

I decided on Thursday, March 4th, 2010 as the start date for the project after talking to my director about everything. I figured if I gave myself 2 months, that would be enough time to get everything set up. I also created a poster and ordered 2 of them online. I put one upstairs, and the other downstairs. My director and I decided not to use any press at first, because we didn't want to get overwhelmed with too many people wishing to use the service.

The first date nobody showed up, but after the first month we served 7 patrons, who worked on their resumes, job searched, and filled out unemployment applications. I decided to add Monday mornings too, after talking to my supervisor, and thinking that we could serve more people if we opened up for more hours. So, beginning in April the EZ will now be open on Monday and Thursday mornings from 9-12.

Another recent development is that due to somewhat low attendance we will be issuing press releases to the major papers in the area. Dave DiPino, writer for the Delray Forum, will be doing a feature story on the EZ as well. We are hoping with some added press we can increase the number of people we help in the community. I am also training some computer volunteers to help out in the event that we are overwhelmed, and to allow me to gain some training and supervisory experience. This project has taught me a lot so far, and I am sure to learn more regardless of whether it is a big hit or not.

Monday Monday Monday

As I have mentioned on facebook I will be blogging live from the 2010 FLA Conference this week. Dr. Hunter (the Delray Beach PL's children librarian) and I will be heading up to Orlando tomorrow afternoon. I will be attending a few sessions including a couple on eGov which will hopefully give me some ideas for my Sunshine State Library Leadership (SSLLI) project - the Empowerment Zone. I will also be at the Gale Cengage gala on Wednesday night, and of course the SSLLI function on Thursday. Look for my posts starting tomorrow night...