CIL2008: Leading Technology in Libraries

Presented by Gina Millsap, Executive Director & David Lee King, Digital Branch Manager of Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library

Barriers:

• Money
• Don't Know
• Fad
• No Time
• No Staff
• Overwhelmed
• Afraid
• Questions

Need to be sure we're not one of the barriers. Are you walking the talk?

Library Director 2.0

• Less hierarchy
• Trust staff
• Transparancy
• Involve all levels of staff
• Explain decisions

Organization is structured for quick decisions & implementation
Train staff
Allow play time
Listen
Offer structures for feedback

Library Director 2.1
(10% of Gina's time is spent on fund raising)

• Make Customer Service Job 1
• Don't assume you know what's important to customers
• If money isn't there, seek other resources
• Organize around the work - define tasks then organize around them; avoid one size fits all
• Experiment - do pilot projects
• Treat staff as customers; they'll then treat the customers well
• Build your leadership team
• Understand the context
• Data based decision making

Two NOs

• No Turf
• No passive aggressive behavior - handled by holding feat to fire; talk to the person you have the problem with

It's about people NOT stuff

Ask the right questions:
When Gina came in she met with all senior management individually (~24 people) & focus groups of staff (staff ~ 250) and asked for input, then aggregated information into organizational priorities

• What are the top 5 things we need to preserve & why?
• Top 3 things to change & why?
• What makes you feel valued?
• What do you want me to do as director?
• What are you concerned I'll do?

need to reprioritize what staff are doing
May require scheduling
If it's fundamental - treat it that way

Making Time for Web 2.0

Why make time?

1. Be relevant to the next generation
2. Teach the current generation
3. Teach them how to subscribe to your library
4. Save time
5. Patrons want to participate
   
6. Be a community leader
7. Land a cool job

How do I make time for 2.0?

• Change focus
• Schedule your time
• Remember to play
• Grant time to staff
• Don't ask staff for input if you're not going to use it

Job descriptions for all staff now say they will participate in the digital branch through blogging (librarians only) although it's open to all staff.

As an aside, David said that he went out and asked staff how they want to participate in web 2.0 and that was used to add new options (blogging, flickr, etc.), which has now been incorporated into job descriptions

Kouzes & Posner's leadership practices have been incorporated into performance reviews