Ready to think outside the box about a way to help both your library and the community? If you are a public or academic library, this idea could be for you!
The U.S. State Department is looking to add to their growing network of passport acceptance facilities. A passport acceptance facility is just like it sounds – “a public sector office that is designated to accept passport applications.” The facility then sends the applications to the State Department, who handle the processing and issuing of the passports.
There are definitely benefits to becoming one of these acceptance facilities. Most libraries operate on a strict budget, and by becoming a passport acceptance facility, your library would get to keep the $25 Execution Fee that comes with each passport. That would add up quickly. Plus, you would get an increase of people coming to your library! And while they are there to get their passport, why not use a computer or check out a book? There’s also the consideration that many libraries have more inclusive hours of operation than the traditional passport acceptance facility, the post office. People may be more able to process their paperwork by visiting the library instead.
Teamwork! It is always a complicated topic in libraries, and yet so very important for us to function together.
Maybe part of the problem with this is that few people are ever taught HOW to be part of a team. Assuming that one person will lead it all, and everyone else can hang back and criticize, is terrible teamwork. (Project Runway is starting their newest season, and you can watch it for some great examples of people who have no idea how to work together – despite that their professional lives literally depend on it!) (And, there is sewing. It’s not all management lessons!)
Many people have studied teamwork, in an effort to figure out how we can be better at it, and get better results. In 1965 Bruce Tuckman developed a model of team development that has provided a good road map for teams to follow as they develop. He suggested a few defined stages:
Forming: the initial coming together, good behavior by everyone, not yet really together
Storming: conflicts arise as the group gets organized, with different ideas and strategies bumping against each other; this does not mean things are going badly – it is part of the growth!
Norming: moving past the conflicts and everyone is feeling like a team – ready to wear matching shirts or other signs of team harmony
Performing: getting down to the action, with everyone ready to move the team forward toward the goal
Adjourning: this stage was added in 1997, working with Mary Ann Jensen; this describes that when the team purpose has ended, there is a sadness everyone feels that needs to be acknowledged.
Even just knowing that there are stages and paths to better team action can be helpful to people who may feel doubtful about participating. I have spoken with many library managers and directors who are not happy with the way their staff works in teams; more experience in how a good team can work would be helpful to everyone!
So, what does this have to do with marshmallows? Tom Wujec is here to explain! Watch his TED Talk and see how he gets teams to collaborate, and how they can get started on big projects.
Have you done a marshmallow test? Try it out before you read all about it – you don’t want to spoil your experience! If you have a team project coming up, or want to help your staff teams start off with a fun experience (that’s one of those “cheery-fake” activities that annoys people), try a marshmallow problem to get everyone working together.
Think about the teams in your library. You may work with a team of people who do what you do (preservation, kid books, cataloging, and more), and you also work with a larger team of people who all are interested in the work of your library (Board members, teachers, students, and more). Getting everyone to work together and master the performing stage is a challenge; but working with some structures that help to guide people into more effective teamwork can help make it a better experience for everyone involved!
Does your library have an idea for a program or service you could set up to benefit your community? Walmart might be able to help!
Through their Community Grant Program, the Walmart Foundation provides funds to nonprofit and government organizations serving communities. “Walmart and the Walmart Foundation have identified four core areas of giving: Hunger Relief & Healthy Eating, Sustainability, Women’s Economic Empowerment, and Opportunity.”
The guidelines are here; so read through them to see if your idea might fit into their funding. The deadline for this round of grants is December 31, 2016; but if your idea is more suitable for setting up later, this is an annual program.
They have set up an FAQ section here, and reading through these might give you some ideas.
CMLE Libraries: Do you want to discuss some grant ideas? Want to get some help in writing your application, or a second set of eyes? Email or call us, and we will be happy to help out on your application material!
“Work simply. Live fully.” This week CMLE focuses on the following work productivity tip from Work Simply, Carson Tate’s popular book. At CMLE, we’ve boiled down Tate’s wealth of knowledge from Work Simply to a few key points; please see the book for more detail and resources. At the bottom, see links to earlier tips in the series! Let’s all be our best selves….
This week’s activity: Use your Productivity Style to focus your attention.
As Carson Tate explains in Work Simply, “Our attention is an enormously powerful force, one that can profoundly shape our lives and our very being.” With all the distractions around today, learning to make the most of our attention is an essential skill. Last week you discovered your Productivity Style with a simple assessment. Use your style to consider these tips.
Find your Productivity Style for some personalized tips:
Prioritizer: Try setting a timer or alarm to go off at specific intervals throughout your day. The alarm serves to remind you to focus your attention and stay on task!
Planner: Use your scheduling skills to your benefit, and plan your day’s tasks around your varying energy levels or the type of work required by each task.
Arranger: Make a plan to mix your solitary work with a conversation or collaboration with a friend or co-worker. Music can also help Arrangers keep their focus. (As an Arranger, I can vouch for both of these tips! Angie)
Visualizer: Keep a balance in your day between the routine, boring tasks and more enjoyable, stimulating tasks. The variety will help keep your attention focused.
“RUSA encourages members to nominate their colleagues whose work has influenced their thinking and performance and whose outstanding contributions merit recognition by the profession. RUSA has, and will continue to, nominate, select and honor the very best in the field of reference and user services with the continued support of industry sponsors.”
Are you doing some great work in Reference? Do you have a colleague, in your library or in another one, who is doing great work? Nominate yourself or someone else! (Self nominations are fine here; you may know better than anyone else around you how well you are doing in Reference work, and it’s great to nominate yourself.)
There are CMLE librarians doing some great work; if you want to work on one of these nominations, they can make a big difference in the professional life of a winner. Contact Mary at CMLE headquarters to talk about the form, and for help in writing and editing your nomination.
There are a wide variety of awards available, reflecting the breadth of Reference work in today’s libraries. Here are just a few examples of the full list:
ETS Achievement Recognition Award is a citation presented annually in recognition of excellence in service to the Emerging Technologies Section of RUSA. The winner receives a citation.
Isadore Gilbert Mudge Award, RUSA’s highest honor, recognizes an individual who has made a distinguished contribution to the field of reference librarianship. $5,000* and a citation.
Virginia Boucher/OCLC Distinguished ILL Librarian Award is given to an individual for his or her outstanding professional achievement, leadership, and contributions to interlibrary loan and document delivery. $2,000* and a citation.
Questions about these awards should be directed to Leighann Wood, Sr. Program Officer, lwood@ala.org. More information about these awards, including nominating instructions, can be found on RUSA’s awards webpage.
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