Friday, May 9, 2008

Round Table: Director Essentials

Facilitated by Margaret Cardello from the Central Massachusetts Regional Library System

This group discussed the Director Essentials website that is being developed by the state regional library systems for library directors. Director Essentials is a 2-year LSTA grant. The site is intended to help directors from all types of libraries--public, academic, school, and special--navigate the Massachusetts system.

During the next 2 years, the project team will be looking at what content already exists and what content needs to be created for the website. On May 20th, there will be a meeting at the Tower Hill Botanical Garden in Boylston for library directors who have been in their positions for 2 years or less. This meeting will start a dialogue with new librarians about what they need to know to do their jobs effectively.

Everyone in the group had great ideas for what content could be on the website and how the website could function. One great idea was to make the site a wiki so that directors can add information as they find it and so that information can be hyperlinked.

Some ideas about content include:

  • an organizational chart of all types of libraries in Massachusetts and who is tied to who

  • a directory of which libraries use what software, calendar programs, ILS

  • information on budgets

  • statistics about libraries in Massachusetts that directors can access quickly to take to town boards, trustees, etc.

  • ideas for times of crisis--budgets, staffing

  • examples of different policies

  • best practices

  • managing relationships with boards, library trustees, friends of the library, staff, and patrons (or a director's second marriage--the library)

  • ideas for keeping up with the profession and knowing what's on the horizon

  • strategic planning.

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