In December, 2008, WebJunction hosted a series of Virtual Town Halls on the topic of Libraries in Tough Economic Times. To find out more about the series, meet up with others interested in the topic and to contribute to the discussion, please visit the new Group: Tough Times. This pathfinder has been created to highlight WebJunction resources on the topic and to keep the discussion alive. Following each of the sessions, we will add fresh resources based on the topics discussed. If you have relevant resources to contribute, please add them to the site and use discussions or comments areas to keep the conversation going. In these times, more than ever, the collaborative whole will have a far greater impact than the sum of its parts.
December Tough Times Town Hall Archives and January Town Hall: Focus on Staff Training
WebJunction Focus: Libraries in Tough Economic Times
Funding and Tight Budgets: Resources related to grants, fundraising, and budgeting for your library.
Demonstrating Impact: Demonstrate the impact of your library and its return on investment (ROI) to the community.
Meeting Patron Needs: Provide critical, supportive, enriching and entertaining services to your patrons.
Planning & Partnerships for Change: Anticipate crisis and change with adequate planning and with strategic partnerships in your community.
Staff Training & Development: Position yourself or your staff with new skills and tools to respond innovatively to tough times.
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Funding and Tight Budgets
Courses:
- Take control of your budget with the LE@D series: Basic Budgeting, Understanding Budgets, and Financial Management
- Explore alternative funding in Grant Writing Basics
If you are affiliated with a WebJunction Partner state, be sure to access these courses via your affiliation's course catalog to take full advantage of many free and reduced-priced courses. For more information on affiliations, see the User Guide.
Webinar Archives:
- Funding for Programs and Services to the Latino Community
- Grant Writing and the Rural Library
- Board Challenges and Successes, including board involvement in passage of library bonds
Documents and Discussions:
- From Awareness to Funding: A study of library support in America from OCLC that indicates that perceptions of libraries and librarians are an important predictor of library funding support.
- Contribute your tips to a WebJunction discussion, Stretching your Library’s Dollar or Fun and Funky Funding Ideas.
- WebJunction member Stephanie Gerding shares her expertise about Fundraising, Grants, and All that Jazz.
- Developing the Library Budget, an excerpt from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction's Trustee Essentials guide with valuable insight into the budget process.
- How People Should Approach their Representatives and Senators
Demonstrating Impact
Courses:
If you are affiliated with a WebJunction Partner state, be sure to access these courses via your affiliation's course catalog to take full advantage of many free and reduced-priced courses. For more information on affiliations, see the User Guide.
Webinar Archives:
- Show them what you're worth! Practical Resources for Advocacy including Who Needs the Public Library video
- Why Public Libraries Close study and webinar
- Best Small Library in America: Chelsea District Library
- Everyday Library Advocacy
Documents and Discussions:
- Promoting Public Libraries: Using Data and Advocacy to Build Support and Funding, an extensive collection of resources compiled from a PLA 2006 preconference and including a list of online resources for everything from needs/assets assessment, impact measurements and advocacy.
- Cost Benefit Analysis Manual for Medium Sized and Smaller Public Libraries
- WebJunction partner Maine features a Library Use Calculator to help you calculate the library ROI.
- Taxpayer Return on Investment in Florida Public Libraries
- Demonstrating Impact Roadmap: A framework to help you strategize, quantify, and demonstrate your library's impact on your community.
- Questions to Consider Before Collecting New Library Data an excerpt from "Collecting and Using Public Library Statistics" by Mark Smith.
- Join a discussion, How Do Libraries Demonstrate Impact?
- Demonstrating Impact brainstorm from first town hall
- And see also other models for demonstrating impact in Funding Strategies.
- ALA Tough Economy Toolkit: The toolkit contains information on how to work with decision-makers, ways to work with the media, and talking points to help libraries articulate the role of libraries in times of economic downturn. Talking points on the economic value of libraries, with return-on-investment examples; libraries and the economy; and upswings in library usage are included.
Meeting Patron Needs
Courses:
If you are affiliated with a WebJunction Partner state, be sure to access these courses via your affiliation's course catalog to take full advantage of many free and reduced-priced courses. For more information on affiliations, see the User Guide.
Webinar Archives:
- See over a dozen webinars from the Spanish Language Outreach Program including Latinos and Public Library Perceptions Report and Customer Service for the Multicultural Community
- Technology Training for Patrons
- Conflict in a Peaceful Library
- Bringing People Together at the Library: Rural Libraries as Place
Documents and Discussions:
- Patron Training in general, and specifically Compters & Technology training resources for Spanish-speaking patrons.
- The Customer Focused Library
- Public Access Computing
- Government Information the 21st Century resources for Small Business & Entrepreneurship and the Economy
- Resources for Women & Minority Owned Businesses
- Siga Adelante (Moving Forward) Project and templates for workshops in Spanish and English on the topics of citizenship, health, family literacy, employment, finances, and community/culture.
- Outreach Services Around the United States and Outreach Brainstorm
Planning & Partnerships for Change
Courses:
- Generating Creative and Innovative Ideas
- Problem Solving: Generating Alternatives
- Techniques for Improved Time Management
If you are affiliated with a WebJunction Partner state, be sure to access these courses via your affiliation's course catalog to take full advantage of many free and reduced-priced courses. For more information on affiliations, see the User Guide.
Webinar Archives:
- Building Community Partnerships
- Two Goal Posts: Library and Community
- Your Library’s Role: Bulls-eye or Fringe?
- Tools for Planning Webinar and Quick Links: Archive of rural webinar focused on action planning methods.
- Creating a Technology Plan in TechAtlas reviews the planning process from mission and vision to goals and objectives and then building a budget to support your plan.
- Writing SMART Goals learn to write goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timebound
- 1/29/2009 live online webinar Technology Planning in TechAtlas
Documents and Discussions:
- TechAtlas for Libraries - Free, online software that can help you plan for your library's technology needs.
- Create, Organize or Revitalize key community partnerships with Friends of the Library and Library Trustees.
- How to Talk Business 10 communication tips borrowed from the business sector
- Building Partnerships Success Stories - six examples of partnerships from the field
- Space Planning - Make thoughtful choices for the long term that can save both time and money.
- Join or create a new discussion on Project Management.
Staff Training & Development
Courses:
- The Potential of Self-directed Learning
- Implementing and Evaluating Self-directed Learning
- Goals and Setting Goals
- Creating a Positive Attitude
- Success Over Stress
If you are affiliated with a WebJunction Partner state, be sure to access these courses via your affiliation's course catalog to take full advantage of many free and reduced-priced courses. For more information on affiliations, see the User Guide.
Webinar Archives:
- Town Hall: Focus on Staff Training
- Collaborate in 2008 - Reinvigorate cooperation and sharing among libraries
- TechAtlas Staff Skills Survey - Assess staff skills to determine greatest learning gaps for focus when resources are tight
- Cultivating a Culture of Learning - Discover multiple approaches to learning beyond expensive training programs
- Connected to Learning - Ideas for technology training with limited time and limited budgets
- The Accidental Technology Trainer - If you find you're expected to take on staff training with little or no experience
Documents and Discussions:
- Continuous Learning: Making it a Priority Without Breaking the Bank -Tips for learners and administrators on keeping up with emerging technology in the shortest time possible
- Self-Paced Tutorial Tools - For DIY training, choose from this list of tools, both for cost and for free
- E-Learning Real World Advice - If you're making more use of online learning, read this advice from some experienced practitioners
- Mentoring - Take advantage of the wealth of knowledge your staff bring to their work and encourage informal and formal learning relationships
- Join in a staff training discussion with your questions and strategies
