Food is Power . . . and Friendship

Your Small, Rural Library CAN Grow a Library Garden!

Does your small rural library advocate for the needs of your community?
Do you have a garden club that meets locally?
Do you have land available in close proximity to your library?
Do you have access to a Master Gardener or a University Extension Service?

Do you know that you can reflect the history and culture of your community through a library garden, and that you probably have everything you need to turn a small space outside your library into a garden?

Do you know that grants are available to support library garden projects?

It doesn't take much money, and doesn't have to be elaborate, requiring only a little elbow grease easily distributed between you and your volunteers. And if you don't have the ground, use pots and planters instead.

But in a rural community almost everyone has had their hands in the dirt at one time or another. You can incorporate vacant outdoor space into a library program (without spending money that you don't have) by employing a garden that can be enjoyed by library patrons, community residents, visitors, and staff and volunteers. For your small library functioning on a shoestring, this marketing idea has the potential to be GREAT!

I think these two particular libraries are fabulous examples of what a small, rural community can do for their residents by combining local history, and community action, with a library garden:

The Plain City Library in Ohio

Olympia Timberland Library in Washington State

Many activities and programs can be developed around a garden plot including teen's, senior's, and children's. And don't forget the differently abled and homeless: They love gardens too, and could probably benefit from the experience. I have always advocated for these demographics to get together at the library, and this is the ideal opportunity.

Here is what you can offer your library users through a library garden:

A new range of clubs. 

Skills development including science and gardening techniques, as well as language and literacy.

Art classes using nature prints and printmaking.

Cooking and preserving classes that share the harvest. 

Get the community involved by offering information presentations and hands-on experience. Advocate for these types of groups to help out: 

The Girl Scouts and Eagle Scouts

The United Way

4-H Clubs

Local schools and churches

VFW and disabled veterans groups

Non-profits

Master Gardeners and Junior Master Gardeners
The CSA (Community Supported Agriculture)

And when it's up and growing, don't forget the library garden newsletter!

Resources to help you start:

School Library Journal “Dig It! Library Gardens Sprout Up Coast-to-Coast”

http://www.slj.com/2014/08/programs/dig-it-libraries-are-creating-gardens-to-expand-their-mission/

Webjunction.org News “Growing Library Garden Programs” by Jennifer Peterson. http://www.webjunction.org/news/webjunction/growing-library-garden-programs.html

Library Gardens.org for garden landscaping ideas for libraries.

http://www.librarygardens.org/

International Junior Master Gardeners

http://jmgkids.us/

Extension: Cooperative Extension System Master Gardener information

http://articles.extension.org/pages/27234/international-master-gardener-conference

So, what's stopping you from creating a library outdoor space for your community--in whatever space you have available--and promoting your library as a community-gathering place?


Brought to you by The Settlement Library Project:
Serving People, Broadening Perspectives, and Sharing Resources in Libraries.



image:  Thanks to Emily Baltes at Middle Library 
               https://www.pinterest.com/pin/247979523204997784/

Becomming an "Old Home Place" Library - Part Three - Customer Service

Community Focus = Customized Services = Customer Value

Here are some practical lessons in customer service, which is the sole reason why your library exists.

Do you know that "service" is the standard by which libraries are measured?

Your library patrons are your customers who come to you for products and services. Satisfied customers are essential to any organization, but especially to a small, underfunded and understaffed rural library. As a rural or solo librarian you need to establish behaviors in your organization that ensure good customer service.

Are you aware that you communicate with others through your words (7%), your voice (38%), and your body language (55%)?

So remember to smile . . . You are the library and You are essential to its success.

Any problem that can be found in the outside world can be found in your library, as well. Difficult situations or complaints are often fueled by bad first impressions. Strategies to head-off any potential trouble should include your being

• Approachable
• Attentive
• Helpful and
• Considerate

Here's how: 

ASK what your customer's want and listen to what they say. Make sure you understand them. Establish good eye contact and present a helpful face. Treat all customers with respect and courtesy.

RESPOND to your customer's requests by answering or referring their questions. Speak clearly. Provide them with choices. Don't make promises you can't keep.

SATISFY your customer's request by following-up with them. Be assertive, but not aggressive and give them your full attention.

Satisfied customers are essential to the success of your organization; so, make sure your customers are your first priority!

Brought to you by The Settlement Library Project:
Serving People, Broadening Perspectives, and Sharing Resources in Libraries.

Image:  http://www.sugarpiefarmhouse.com/the-old-homeplace

Occupational Burnout in Librarianship

A Passion Deficit: Occupational Burnout and the New Librarian: A Recommendation Report

Did you know that the cumulative effects of chronic occupational stress are contagious?

The consequences of workplace stress may result in emotional exhaustion that is rarely confined to one worker. Burnout, or prolonged exposure to stress, often drains the vitality and enthusiasm of an employee leading to less engagement and productivity. It increases

• turnover rates
• absenteeism
• decreased performance
• workplace accidents
• poor customer service
• and sometimes even predisposes litigation 

It also threatens the integrity and professionalism of an individual.

Here is a report about this prevalent issue in librarianship. This research determines

• the causes and effects of this problem
• explores suggested solutions noted in recent studies
• and offers recommendations involving administrative and personal techniques to prevent the escalation of this issue within the profession

Brought to you by The Settlement Library Project:
Serving People, Broadening Perspectives, and Sharing Resources in Libraries. 

Available on Slideshare.net

The Settlement Library Project Presents: A Passion Deficit: Occupational Burnout and the New Librarian: A Recommendation Report from The Settlement Library Project

Publication:
The Southeastern Library Association (SELA)
The Southeastern Librarian (SELn)
Volume 62, Number 4 (Winter 2015)
http://selaonline.org/publications/index.htm

Image: Infographic from careercast.com
http://www.careercast.com/jobs-rated/least-stressful-jobs-2015

Free Agent Librarianship: Able to Deliver

Independence - not Institutionalization

Maginot Line refers to an ineffective line of defense or fortification which is heavily relied upon with not a little undue confidence. A Maginot Line fosters a false sense of impregnability and reliance.

The story goes that Andre' Maginot (1877-1932) was a French Minister of War who proposed a line of defense along France's border with Germany. Although it was believed to be impregnable, the barrier proved to be of little use when Germans actually attacked France through Belgium in 1940. Those who adapt and attempt to utilize this line of defense often find themselves prisoners of history: victims of a repeated chosen path of dependency unable to deliver the needed outcome.

So how does Maginot's Line apply to rural libraries today?

Libraries are traditionally institutions. Institutions operate in an environment consisting of other institutions. Every institution is influenced by the broader environment through what is known as "institutional peer pressure." The main goal for institutions is survival and legitimacy. And although institutions clearly have the capacity to grow and adapt, they also possess the habit of being prisoners of their own institutionalized history whether calamitous or otherwise.

When dealing with an institution, history matters. Paths - or lines of defense and fortification - are chosen or designed early on in the existence of that institution. That path inevitably gets followed throughout the institution's development giving it an inherent agenda based on the pattern of development: you know, "That's the way we do things around here."

Truth is, the historical track of a given institution, or even policy's of the institution, will result in almost inevitable consequences and occurrences: an actual self-perpetuating cycle. Because actions of one type beget further actions of the same.

So how are libraries institutionalized?

Through "Vocabulary:" Not affiliating the library as a business in the business of people.
Through "Commitment:" Lacking a commitment to the energy, resources and time required for successful quality results.
Through "Process:" Being impatient with the process and eager for the resolution or "quick fix."
Through "Professionalism:" Relying on traditions, institutional standards and congregational respected bodies of knowledge instead of focusing on customers.

So what's the answer to institutionalized librarianship?

It's a simple and easy win! Be an independent quality service provider with a head for business. There are three paths to success you can painlessly utilize by having a

Positive Focus with a balanced perspective and an optimistic approach; and by

Embracing Change as both inevitable and desirable, and through

Building Vision by extending the librarian's domain, utilizing the customer's point of view, and embracing a broader concept of information services.

Don't let your dependence on institutional librarianship and hierarchical library organizations be your Maginot Line. The move toward independence in the library environment is not unnatural. An institution is a house of books; a Free Agent Librarian is a quality service manager with a community focus leading to customized services which accentuate customer value.

It's about Independence, not Institutionalization.



Is your library technically considered a Rural Library? And what exactly is Free Agent Librarianship?

According to the United States Census Bureau, rural areas comprise open country and settlements with fewer than 2,500 residents. Areas designated as rural can have population densities as high as 999 per square mile or as low as 1 person per square mile. On the other hand, according to the ALA/APA Rural Libraries Survey, rural librarians define rural differently: to some a library is rural if it is isolated; to another, a library is rural if the main patrons are in agriculture or commute long distances to larger metropolitan areas for work; and yet another defines rural as a population of less than 5000 with more deer per square mile than people!

Regardless of how you define your demographic, Free Agent Librarianship can be a reality in your library and in your life. A librarian who is a Free Agent is not subject to external constraints through organizational structures, influential and politically motivated library associations, and is not bound by traditional teachings, hierarchies or stereotypes. Free Agent Librarianship promotes a library professional who is set at liberty to create, organize and advance an eclectic librarianship for the purpose of providing highly customized services and inventive possibilities for community information centers focusing on the community at large.

Free Agent Librarianship is ALL about entrepreneurship and making your library the center of your community. So be one!!

Image: diversityrules.typepad.com/.../01/index.html

Free Agent Librarianship: Less is More

Local - not Global

Ockham's Razor refers to a maxim which explains the idea that between things which appear equal, the simplest explanation is more likely to be correct; or between two similar theories, the simpler is preferred.

William of Ockham (1288-1348) was a logician and theologian who is credited with this concept of equality simplified. Mr. Ockham felt that any entity or issue should not be multiplied needlessly. Why the reference to a razor? Because Okcham's razor shaves away any unnecessary assumptions. For example, medical students memorize this idiom relating to Ockham's maxim: "When you hear hoof beats, think horses not zebras."

So how does Okcham's Razor apply to rural libraries today?

Small rural libraries are just as much a part of the future as those located in larger metropolitan areas or within academia, museums or think tanks. The future of information is just as relevant to a population of less than 2,500 as to a greater one. Adding value does not necessarily mean needlessly multiplying oneself and neither should it. The fact is, the future survival of rural libraries will depend completely on providing highly customized products and services to increasingly smaller client communities. The Ockham idiom here might be: "Keeping it simple means keeping it local."

The world of information has become increasingly complex, and the society we now live in has become information dependent. Here is where Ockham's Razor shines: The unnecessary assumption is that everything should be outsourced or linked in or globalized. The simple solution, however, encourages nontraditional librarianship in localized communities. What point is there in "going global" if you loose - or never establish - a link with your community to create the type of loyal relationship which precedes successful longevity?

There is a great potential for small-scale information services requiring little overhead and great expertise in your own backyard.

As rural librarians in small communities, it is your responsibility to network, collaborate, explore and evolve your resources and services to remain current both traditionally and non-traditionally for sustainable creative information centers.

If you don't precisely target your audience you will never be able to develop a universal approach to your very own community.

In today's channel changing, e-mailing, instant gratification, global society there is a new currency - time. Today's stressed out individuals and families value this new currency as much as anything else. What this means is that expectations and values have changed.

Reevaluate your library's priorities and ask how your library staff is factoring in the emotion and time necessary to create customer value and innovation.

If you ignore the emotion, the economics won't work because customers are driven to share their experiences. The bottom line is this: there is an advantage in going local rather than global and that advantage is creating a customer service experience because, in a small community, less really is more.

So if you feel the need to change, move or grow, shave away any unnecessary assumptions and make today's Ockham's Razor your maxim: "Keep it simple: think local not global!"


Is your library technically considered a Rural Library? And what exactly is Free Agent Librarianship?

According to the United States Census Bureau, rural areas comprise open country and settlements with fewer than 2,500 residents. Areas designated as rural can have population densities as high as 999 per square mile or as low as 1 person per square mile. On the other hand, according to the ALA/APA Rural Libraries Survey, rural librarians define rural differently: to some a library is rural if it is isolated; to another, a library is rural if the main patrons are in agriculture or commute long distances to larger metropolitan areas for work; and yet another defines rural as a population of less than 5000 with more deer per square mile than people!

Regardless of how you define your demographic, Free Agent Librarianship can be a reality in your library and in your life. A librarian who is a Free Agent is not subject to external constraints through organizational structures, influential and politically motivated library associations, and is not bound by traditional teachings, hierarchies or stereotypes. Free Agent Librarianship promotes a library professional who is set at liberty to create, organize and advance an eclectic librarianship for the purpose of providing highly customized services and inventive possibilities for community information centers focusing on the community at large.

Free Agent Librarianship is ALL about entrepreneurship and making your library the center of your community. So be one!!

Image: www.presentationzen.com/presentationzen/2006/..

Marketing DNA (2)

Best Fit for Small and Rural Libraries Part Two

"Changing Your Game: Aligning the Public through Customer Service"

What drives your community?
What skills does your library possess?
What is your best industry?
What is your passion?
It's not a marathon, it's a journey.
So find what best fits your library and make it real.

Here is how to articulate success creating that emotional connection by filling the community's needs.

Is marketing in your DNA?

The Settlement Library Project Presents Part 2 of Marketing DNA: Best Fit for Small and Rural Libraries from The Settlement Library Project

Music: Jesse Brock - Maury River Blues
This mp3 file was found at:hillcountrystringworks.com

Marketing DNA (1)

Best Fit for Small and Rural Libraries Part One

"Changing Your Game: Embrace Engagement"

What drives your community?
What skills does your library possess?
What is your best industry?
What is your passion?
It's not a marathon, it's a journey.
So find what best fits your library and make it real.

Here is how to articulate success creating that emotional connection by filling the community's needs.

The Settlement Library Project presents Marketing DNA (1): Best Fit for Small and Rural Libraries (part one) from The Settlement Library Project

Is marketing in your DNA?



Music: Jesse Brock - Maury River Blues
This mp3 file was found at:hillcountrystringworks.com