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The three questionsOr, why reflection is worth your time

Buzzy NielsenLibrary Director

October 5, 2012This presentation is licensed under a Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution

United States license. http://www.creativecommons.org

What do you wantyour libraries to be?

V

your public

Vtheir

What libraries should be doing

E-books Information literacy

Mobile services

Early literacy

Gaming

Job training

Electronic resources

Daycare storytimes

Graphic novels

Digital collectionsTabletsBlah

Blah

Blah

Blah

Blah

Blah

We're 21st century libraries.We're supposed to be

doing awesome things ...

But with what, exactly?

Source: Oregon State Library, Oregon public library data

Rough times

2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11$0

$500,000

$1,000,000

$1,500,000

$2,000,000

$2,500,000

$3,000,000$2,565,103

$2,340,374$2,243,545

$2,062,771

Douglas County Library System revenues

*Budgeted amount

Rough times

2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13*$0

$100,000

$200,000

$300,000

$400,000

$500,000

$600,000

$700,000

$800,000

$900,000$785,648 $785,877

$566,662

$0

$897,663$844,447

Over 20% of the 2011-12 budget was grants and donations, and 12% of the 2012-13 budget is.

Hood River County Library (District) revenues

When we were a County department

Health Department Human Resources

Elections

Commission onChildren & Families

Community Justice

Emergency Management

District Attorney

Forestry

Sheriff

Justice CourtBudget & FinanceAdministration

Parks & Buildings

Community Development

Public Works

Information Technology

Veteran's Services

The brunt of budget cuts

2007-082008-09

2009-102009-10

2011-12*2012-13

010203040506070

65 65

34

2007-082008-09

2009-102009-10

2011-12*2012-13

0

5

10

15

2019 19

14

2007-082008-09

2009-102009-10

2011-12*2012-13

0

5

10

15

20

14 1411

Hood River

Parkdale Cascade Locks

A slight addition: The “D” word

Quick primer: library districts

Municipal libraries:Part of a larger governmental

entity (city, county, school, etc.)

Quick primer: library districts

County service districts:Districts with dedicated tax fundingthat are governed by their counties

Special districts:Districts with dedicated funding

and independent governing boards

With stable fundingcomes great responsibility

Human resources

Finance

Maintenance

Information technology

Administration

Intergovernmental agreements

Legal services

*2011-12 hours figured are averaged as hours increased in January.

We're coming back

2007-082008-09

2009-102009-10

2011-12*2012-13

010203040506070

65 65

34

0

3443

2007-082008-09

2009-102009-10

2011-12*2012-13

0

5

10

15

2019 19

14

0

1720

2007-082008-09

2009-102009-10

2011-12*2012-13

0

5

10

15

20

14 1411

0

1720

Hood River

Parkdale Cascade Locks

Image source: Book cover from The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper

An apt moniker

LIBRARY

Funding is important, butthe most valuable resource youhave is you and your volunteers'

time and talents.

You don't have to close to ask these

What does the community want its libraries to look like in 1 year, 5 years, 10 years?

What services can and can't we provide, now and

in the future?

Who should beon our team?

Why do we dowhat we do?

How can we utilize our limited resources to their

maximum potential?

What services wedeliver is important

How we deliver themis even more so.

You don't have to close to ask these

What does the community want its libraries to look like in 1 year, 5 years, 10 years?

What services can and can't we provide, now and

in the future?

Who should beon our team?

Why do we dowhat we do?

How can we utilize our limited resources to their

maximum potential?

I promise this isn't a pyramid scheme ...

Buzzy's 3 questions to ask on the road to awesomeness:

1. Why?

2. How?

3. Who?

Photo c2011 Brian W. Robb. Used with permission.

Why?

It's the patrons, stupid!(with apologies to James Carville)

But it goes a bit farther than that

Channel yourinner annoyingkid. Ask “Why?”

All the time. About everything.

Are your internal processes worththe time you spend doing them?

Some examples - the mundane

Do we really need a written library card application?

Why do we leavethose lights on at night?

Some examples - the philosophical

Are the fines we collect worth the time we use and patron frustration we cause?

Are we better off on our own or as part of a consortium?

If so, which one?

How?

Self-service

Open source

Shopping around

But some things are worth the money

Subscription agents

PC management

Accounting

Who?

Book clubs

Master Gardeners

Knitting groups

Neighborhoodassociations

Sports teamsPTAs

Car clubs

You are a library ambassador.Build relationships.

And reach out

(Shh, don't tell anyone! We didn't doany of these programs ourselves)

Homeschoolingin Oregon

Author talk:Ice age floods

Family game night

Wild Beauty:Columbia Gorge Photography

Weeklypoetrynights

Sand mandala

Why?

How?

Who?

LIBRARY

GIMPImage editor

ShutterScreenshot utility

LibreOfficeImpress

Presentation program

Thank you

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