We all know that advocacy for our libraries is important. We know libraries are wonderful and valuable members of the communities they serve; but other people need to be educated in our value!
But it can be hard to know how to get started, or what to say. So we are starting you off with a few ideas here. These will also be on our website, and we invite members to contribute their advocacy materials so we can share them on the site!
You love books. I love books. Heck – we have a whole profession designed to give people books!
So there is no need to give up your books when you travel – stay at a book-friendly hotel!
Looking at a local vacation experience? Head to Minneapolis to find the Commons Hotel! How does a Book Butler in your hotel room sound? if it sounds fun to you, you might also like their other “geek chic” offerings: “This industrial schoolhouse chic property embodies a sense of inner geek in a chic setting, embracing diversity through the common desire to discover, with an uncommon experience. Explorers satisfy the whims of their inner geek with a Book Butler, in-room art galleries, alchemist mixology lessons and Sudoku sleep-ins.”
Okay, it’s not generally polite to invite yourself to someone else’s place. But this is different – it’s library visits!
You have probably been following the reports of our visits to CMLE member libraries (and if not, check them out). Every library has interesting things, interesting programs, and interesting materials. When you spend all day with your stuff, it’s hard to remember to notice how much great work you are doing. When we come to visit, we are fully prepared to admire the great things you are doing! Even something that feels like an average day to you will provide something interesting to us. And being able to share this with your colleagues across the system helps everyone with their service. It’s always good to be able to see how other people are handing displays, materials, and patrons in their libraries.
Plus: it’s just a lot of fun to visit our members and get to know each other!!
If you are reading this, you are almost certainly a library fan. And of course, you would be entirely correct to be so – libraries are fantastic!!
At CMLE, we feel we have both lovely libraries and wonderful library people. As we seem to all agree on this across our system – it would be great to visit each other and to have the chance to admire each other’s libraries!
We are organizing monthly trips to libraries across the system, so we can all have a chance to visit libraries that are new to us, different types, and approach the same challenges in maybe a new way. Plus, going as a group gives people the chance to meet up in person! (We are not restricting this to just CMLE members; if you are reading this, you are invited!) Continue reading Group Visits to CMLE Libraries: Let’s Go!→
We’ve all seen it: the embarrassing gaffe on social media. In the past, only a few people, or a few hundred, would know you screwed up; now people around the world could see and comment.
Should that stop you from being on social media??
NO!
Should the time required to find great accounts to follow stop you?
NO!
Should the effort involved in creating good, interesting, useful content for your community stop you?
