What’s your mission statement?

It’s January. It’s the traditional time when we all think about ways we can do new things, and do our usual things even better than before.

So. What do you do?

If you answer “library stuff” that is, of course, awesome. But it’s probably an incomplete way of looking at the work we are doing, and the work your department and organization are doing.

It’s my experience that library people tend to undervalue the amazing things they are providing to their communities. Let’s just knock that off right now.

Maybe your organization has a mission statement. Excellent. Good place to start.

If you are in a school media center, your school probably has a nifty mission statement. But does it cover you? Does it really speak to the work you are doing, and the value you are providing to your community? Probably not.

The same thing is true if you are in most special libraries, archives, academic libraries, etc. It is great to be part of your parent organization; to keep your special focus looking forward you will want to have your own mission statement to supplement theirs.

What do you do?

That’s a big question. We can start smaller.

What do you do all day? What do you WISH you did all day? What do your patrons want from you? What stuff do you have to share (staff skills, materials, programs, etc.)?

Start writing that stuff down.

Talk with other people, even if you are completely solo in your library. Ask what they think you do, or what their favorite thing is that you provide.

This can be a big, elaborate process; but it can also be just a small thing you ponder for an afternoon.

Don’t get overwhelmed here. You just want to have some direction and inspiration.

Mission statements should be short – think 30 or fewer words. Just hit the highlights of your department, your desk, or even just what you are providing. (It’s not required that mission statement be issued only by The Higher Ups to make them effective!)

Browse around the internet for some examples – they are really easy to find. Think about how they speak to what you know about different organizations and the work they do.

Google’s unofficial mission statement (and codified in their code of conduct) used to be “Don’t Be Evil.” They, uhhh….wiffed that one. So they changed it to reflect what they now value and offer to their customers: “Our mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.”

It’s short, easy to understand, and indeed reflects the work they are doing.

You also want to make it a little inspiring.

(We could segue off into vision statements, and some pedantic differences between these two ideas. For now – just forget it.)

What makes you special? What makes the work you are doing valuable?

Please. I’m begging you here. DO NOT SAY “ummmm….nothing?” I will absolutely break down sobbing over that.

I promise you: there are special, unique, and valuable things you are very definitely doing and providing to your community! I will cheerfully come over and help you work through some ideas if you aren’t sure what to say here. But I have literally never been in a library or archive that did not do SOMETHING awesome and unique and wonderful. (And for reference: I’ve been in hundreds of different types and sizes of libraries all over the country, and a few outside it. Literally NEVER.)

So, this week take a few minutes to think about what you do. What you would like to do. And how you can say that in a snappy, easy to understand way.

Write it down. Put it on your website. Share it in a newsletter. Print it out in festive colors and stick it to the walls all over the place.

You are important. Your library is important.

Be ready at any moment to tell people just how valuable you are!

A mission statement can help you to stay focused, stay positive, and stay ready to advocate like heck for your library!