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July 7, 2006
Lucky in Love and in Library
Okay -- it's no secret. If you know me for 5 minutes, you know that there are two things that I love and am passionate about: my family (or to be more specific, my husband) and my profession.
Today, I came across these 5 tips from Leslie Burger's (President Elect of ALA) Inauguration Speech, at The Shifted Librarian. As you read them, try to think not only of libraries, but also of the things that make up a happy marriage. I they're perfect! Not that I'm an expert, but this weekend we will celebrate our 16th wedding anniversary. Maybe this does make me an expert...!
"Our Libraries Transform Communities Toolkit will be a source of many ideas and much inspiration. I’d like to share just five tips that are especially important to me. "
1.
The first is to be passionate. Believe 150% in what you do. Share your passion with others. Engage in shameless promotion. Be out there in the community.
2.
Create a vision to guide the future. Focus every aspect of how you do business to reflect that vision. Engage your board, staff, Friends, faculty colleagues, students, etc. Don’t just talk…listen.
3.
Walk on the wild side. Try a different new practice each week or month. Do what businesses do. Hire for attitude as much as skills. Challenge the status quo. Give someone the title of 'chief innovator.'
4.
Build a culture that encourages and rewards change. Encourage your staff to take some risks. Offer rewards for new/different ways of doing things. If they turn out be better, great! If not, recognize, appreciate and learn from the effort. Be relentless about promoting the changes you want to see. Good example: The library that encourages staff to keep track of how many times they say no and figures out how to turn no into yes.
5.
'Keep everlastingly at it.' That’s what John Cotton Dana, our first and perhaps greatest library promoter would say. Never give up."
"If you all think this sounds like a pep talk, it is. . . I am now the official library cheerleader. I love and believe in libraries. I can’t think of any other work that provides the stimulation and excitement that I find each day. We in this room are fortunate to call ourselves librarians."
Is it any wonder that I feel so lucky in my professional (and married) life?!! So, happy anniversary to me (and to Andy) and congratulations to Leslie Burger!
Posted by Michele at July 7, 2006 11:07 AM
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