Day 4 Core programs #blog12daysxmas

This morning some colleagues and I had a discussion via Twitter on core services in public libraries. The conversation centred around thoughts of what constituted a library's core business and who decided what "core" was-the community, the library service or perhaps the library staff.

Resourcing came up, namely staffing and funding, but I would imagine space could well be another issue faced by many libraries.  I'm fortunate in that I have a large branch and a large team but it is so often assumed that this makes it much simpler to run many programs and events. This isn't the case. A large branch also means that more staff are needed on the library floor at one time and,believe it or not, it can take quite a bit longer to do things because of the volume of work and the size of the floor space. Having said that, I can well imagine the frustrations of a smaller, under resourced library and what the staff must go through to get anything done.

I do believe though, very strongly, that where there's a will there's a way and there is always some way that programs can be developed and implemented. To me, a potentially fast way to facilitate some sort of community program is to put out an EOI in the library for some externally created groups to be actually run in the library. This can be a Book Group, a computer class or a patchwork group, utilising strong interests held by members of the community. Having someone keen to do this usually means they'll be a driver behind attendees participating and continued attendance, ensuring longevity for the group/s.

Volunteers in the library can be another way to implement something, even if it is a one off event, such as, for example, a card making demonstration, strategically held before Mother's Day or Christmas, or running a weekly homework help group.

Having the library available for community groups to hold events is another really good way to bring people to the library. Most of the time these groups will have their own promotional avenues which really helps with building an audience.

Creating a variety of programs is not without its challenges but I really do believe that little things can be done and constantly built upon to create meaningful and interesting programs for the community. There is also potential for these things to be used as leverage for future funding endeavours, for example using statistics gained to add weight to grant applications or to show merit for continued programming to funding bodies.

I would be interested to hear from others on interesting ways they found to run programs in their libraries.

12 days of Christmas - Post 6 Ramblings

Ok, so I was way way behind in my blogging, well in my physical blogging. My mental blogging was really current and cutting edge. I regularly write about 4 posts at 2am in the morning that I am super impressed with-they are usually so good I just know I will remember them. Guess what? I don't, well not much anyway.

So what have I been doing with my time? Quite a fair bit which surprises me, especially since NLS4 is well and truly over with. Totally over. My final report was submitted a loooong time ago to the ALIA Board of Directors - pleased to say that we more than made our forecast budget. The thing with a conference budget is that it is only ever a forecast - it can be very easy to make something look good on paper, whether it is achievable or not is another thing. There are also so many variables that can affect the bottom line - you can try hard to be prepared and anticipate things, but not everything will ever go to plan. I was so lucky to have a fabulous, hardworking committee - made things go so much more smoothly.

Keeping on top of my feeds in my reader - this could honestly just about become a full time job! I just checked and I have 500 subscriptions - is it any wonder? Not all of these have regular postings, some are probably dead and forgotten by now, however many have multiple postings which could make up for those that don't post or don't post regularly (sort of like me....). It does annoy me when it turns out that some blog postings don't fully appear in my reader. I use my reader as a single point of access so I don't have to visit individual blogs. I have unsubscribed from many that do this. Do I read everything in my feeder - yes and no. Most I skim first and then go back to later. There are exceptions to this - I always read CW's, Jenelle's and Steph's. Actually I always read a heap more and they are in my 'must read' folder.... There are others but these are the three that come to mind instantly (random thought - it is late and I need another cuppa).

Working, working, working.... I've been on a huge learning curve since starting work at Yarra Plenty Regional Library, something I have enjoyed immensely. I also acted for 10 months as Operations Manager, which was a very rewarding experience, although I hit the ground running and don't think I stopped in all that time.....It was definitely something I enjoyed and would like to explore further.

And of course my most recent news that is keeping me busy - I had a baby boy 2 weeks ago that is definitely keeping me on my toes. Loving being on maternity leave and catching up with things.....