Reframing Library Organization:

Implementing Strategic Foresight Tools to Create Future Ready Library Operating Systems

with

You cannot teach today the same way you did yesterday to prepare students for tomorrow.” — John Dewey

It is also true that libraries cannot stay the same way they were yesterday to serve the patrons of tomorrow. The COVID-19 pandemic forced many libraries to shorten their focus. Just managing the day-to-day operations was a Herculean task that libraries took on and managed nobly. And now it’s 2024.

On behalf of public libraries in New Hampshire, the New Hampshire State Library applied for and was accepted to a 3-day virtual professional development cohort offered by the Connecticut State Library and its partner TFSX. The program, “Reframing Library Organizations: Implementing Strategic Foresight Tools to Create Future Ready Library Operating Systems” is intended to train teams of library staff members with the tools needed to lead their library into the future.

If you are ready to think about the systems and operations that maximize institutional capacity and will allow your library to be future-ready, please apply to participate by filling out this (brief!) application . We ask that each library cohort apply with a minimum of two participants and no more than four, to allow for greater state-wide participation.

Who: Future-ready libraries of New Hampshire

What: An opportunity to learn and work with other librarians with a future-forward mindset

Where: 100% virtual (but we are hoping to do some in-person meet-ups with NH participants)

When: June 4-6 from 8:30 AM to 5 PM

Applications are due by April 24th and applicants will be notified by April 29th if they have been selected.

* * * * *

Learn more about Transformation for Libraries: The Futures School

The Northeast Summit on Climate Adaption for Library Facilities was held on November 8, 2023

Slides and Recordings: Coming Soon 

Northeast Summit on Climate Adaptation Resources Libguide

https://1000booksbeforekindergarten.org/

Free resources available at Demco.

Libraries Build Business (LBB) is a national initiative of the American Library Association (ALA), supported by Google.org, intended to build capacity in libraries offering programming or services to local entrepreneurs and the small business community, prioritizing low-income and underrepresented entrepreneurs.

The Libraries Build Business Playbook is a resource collaboratively developed by LBB cohort members to share practical resources and advice, promising strategies and models, and inspiration for programming and services for any library, no matter their size or budget, to adapt in their context. It will guide your library to a local program fit with resources including monitoring and evaluation tools that your library can use to track progress and drive impact; specific strategies to prioritize equity, diversity, and inclusion; and accessible suggestions for getting started, building partnerships, and more. Read the Libraries Build Business Playbook!

LBB Communications Toolkit (May 2023)

Let’s Go! is a community engagement initiative working with communities to create environments that support healthy choices. Evidence-based strategies are used to promote policy, systems, and environmental changes that facilitate healthy eating and active living (HEAL) in early care and education programs, schools, out-of-school programs and health care practices in Maine and Carroll County, New Hampshire. Out-of-School programs (OOS), like public libraries, support children and youth when they are not in school. The staff at OOS programs can establish healthy environments that encourage healthy habits. The Let’s Go! program is flexible and can be easily woven into your organization, whether a school-based, drop-in center, etc. 

If you work with children and youth, you can help them develop the building blocks of financial capability—at school, at home, and in the community. CFPB's tools and resources can help you teach financial literacy across the curriculum, even if you’re new to the topic.

https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/educator-tools/youth-financial-education/

Introducing the CFPB Money Monsters!

The Money Monsters are a group of creatures who are new to our universe. That means they need to learn about many important things like school, friendship, and financial literacy.  https://orders.gpo.gov/CFPBYOUTH/CFPB_YOUTH.aspx

Why Civic Education is Important?

Civic education empowers us to be well-informed, active citizens and gives us the opportunity to change the world around us. It is a vital part of any democracy, and equips ordinary people with knowledge about our democracy and our Constitution.  Civics Academy

New Hampshire Civics programs help people understand how democracy works, how to find the facts, and how to be good and active citizens. Committed to non-partisanship, they believe people of varied perspectives and ages deserve high-quality information, hands-on learning that lasts, and a confidence that their voice matters.

In 2022, the Goffstown Public Library Community Conversations series focused on Civics: Get Engaged. Get Involved. The series was an investigation on how citizens can and should work together to solve public problems. For an extensive list of book and web resources on civics--see their Community Conversation web page https://www.goffstownlibrary.com/communityconversation/

Civics 101 is the podcast about how our democracy works…or is supposed to work, anyway.

The Better Arguments Project is a national civic initiative created to help bridge divides – not by papering over those divides but by helping people have better arguments.

Three dimensions and five principles of a Better Argument.

These resources are designed to help you learn more about the Better Arguments framework, and to help you put these principles into practice. 

Our Democracy - a toolkit brought to you by Reading Rockets with support from the Park Foundation with books and activities all about our government voting and voting rights, and active citizenship for children 6-10 years old. 

https://www.startwithabook.org/our-democracy-book-based-exploration-civics

Using video apps and other technologies for telehealth can create risks to the privacy and security of your health information. This can include when you are accessing telehealth services on a website, through an app, or even through a patient portal. Consider these tips to protect and secure your health information.

https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/privacy/guidance/telehealth-privacy-security/index.html

Following an incident last week at the New Hanover County Public Library Pine Valley Branch in Wilmington, North Carolina where the Proud Boys protested a Pride Month storytime—from my counterpart Jasmine Rockwell at the NC State Library following her meeting with the library’s staff:

• Understand whatever laws govern protests & share that with all library staff. Communicate with local law enforcement about what their role and capacity is by law should a protest take place at a library.  
• Understand and make clear what all is library property and which might be more general public property, and which policies or local law govern which. This may also mean getting the city/county attorney involved to give an interpretation.
• Ensure that all policies are linked to all calendar events. 
• Have a program policy that reflects and corresponds to the collection development policy, and also has a challenge form. 

Here are some resources we gathered to share. Some of these might be familiar to you. 

ALA ODLOS Hate Crimes Resources (pg. 1): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hWCJBNxAz9GIAWHrCaXd8ljlwGFRaTNlngak4VkrFVc/edit

Manager’s Handbook Handling Traumatic Events: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/worklife/reference-materials/traumaticevents.pdf

Hateful Conduct in Libraries: Supporting Library Workers and Patrons: https://www.ala.org/advocacy/hatefulconduct

Supporting library staff

As with many other areas, staff support is based on both policy and practice. An organization committed to the well-being of its staff makes it clear that there is a difference between public service and public abuse.

Administrators, supervisors, and front-line workers should be empowered to set and oversee clear boundaries of acceptable behavior in the workplace, particularly when directed toward staff. Human Resources training should address those boundaries, how staff might re-assert them, or use strategies to disengage or seek other assistance if they feel threatened. Strategies should be established for staff to step in for or back up each other.

Despite the presence of thoughtful policies, things will still go wrong. This provides an opportunity to debrief the situation, check in with the feelings of staff about the incident, and develop new strategies.

Ongoing training should use real-life examples of microaggressions, harassment, and hateful conduct as a way to educate staff and work toward being more prepared for possible future incidents. Consult human resources to determine what trainings are required by your state and if there are any laws or regulations concerning staff member exemptions.

There are many free resources to continually learn about these issues. The section “Resources for Further Development” lists a few starting places. In addition, ALA’s Office for Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services offers presentations, workshops, and consultations for libraries looking to begin or deepen their work on equity, diversity, and inclusion issues. ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom offers webinars and consultations for libraries looking for guidance on policy development or crisis issues.

Refer to the “Assistance and Consultation” section to learn more.

Supporting library staff

Encountering hate speech and hateful conduct, even if not directed at you, can have an adverse emotional and mental impact. Talking about the experience with colleagues or supervisors may help you process the incident, and it may also help the next person that encounters a similar situation. Management and administration should model that self-care is a priority in the workplace and encourage staff to practice this, as well. In the short-term after an incident, this may include actions such as encouraging the staff member(s) to take a mental health day, granting them an extension on a project, or personally checking in with individuals in your unit.

Colleagues should give each other space to voice their concerns. It’s likely that colleagues will have varying emotional responses to an incident; these responses should be validated and acknowledged, as they are informed by each person’s life experiences.

Additional resources:

Responding to and Preparing for Controversial Programs and Speakers Q&A https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/controversialprogramsqa

Working with the Media: https://www.ala.org/tools/challengesupport/media

How to Respond to Challenges and Concerns About Library Resources: https://www.ala.org/tools/challengesupport/respond#:~:text=Listen%20thoughtfully%20and%20respectfully.,to%20agree%20with%20the%20individual