We don’t have large budgets. We don’t have large staffs. We might have to spend parts of our day shoveling the sidewalks or cleaning up a mess in the restroom. In spite of this, small and rural libraries have the power to be great. We can do simple, practical things that can instantly make a difference. From internal customer service tips to tech tools you can’t live without, linking these 30 things will help make your small library extraordinary.
Date Recorded: 12/19/18
Format: Archived YouTube Video
Presenters: Jamie Matczak / Wisconsin Valley Library Service
Biography: Jamie Matczak is the education consultant at Wisconsin Valley Library Service based in Wausau, Wisconsin. She has over 12 years of consulting experience for public libraries, with over 50 of them being small and rural. Jamie has taught Business Communication at Lakeland College, and courses on marketing, customer service and social media for the iSchool at UW-Madison. She earned her BA in Advertising from UW-Eau Claire, and an MS in Applied Leadership for Teaching and Learning from UW-Green Bay.
Resources from webinar:
Learn how Google’s G Suite web-based software can bring simplicity, flexibility, and collaboration to your library through Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drive. We’ll also cover how to sign up for Google for Nonprofits, which brings this platform to your library for free.
Test yourself! Use the provided checklists to determine your technology proficiency. Be your own trainer and discover opportunities where you can increase your skills. Form a plan to personalize Technology Competencies Checklists for your own library and make the move to receive buy-in from staff.
ISL staff will cover Indiana gun laws and how they impact libraries. We will provide appropriate language for library policies regarding patron behavior and clarify what libraries can and can’t regulate. Library Director Mary K. Emmrich will discuss the process Newton County Public Library went through last year to develop an active shooter policy and share the outcome.
Learn new technologies that can assist you in your family history research.
This webinar will show you the state and Federal resources used by the Northwest Indiana Center for Data & Analysis to provide accurate and timely data for our CAN projects. Resources to be previewed will include but are not limited to: American Community Survey, American Factfinder, STATS Indiana, Hoosiers by the Numbers, and Stats America.
Learn how to connect with some of your most marginalized patrons. Patrons experiencing homelessness may be some of the most overlooked library users. Misconceptions and fear on the part of both patrons and staff may interfere in connecting with these patrons. Monroe County has faced a number of issues concerning homelessness and the opioid epidemic. Discover how Monroe County Public Library connected with this population using the Harwood Method.
Learn about Immigration and Naturalization resources at the Indiana State Library and other venues.
Diversity has been a major issue in pop culture lately. The demand to include traditionally marginalized voices in comics, movies, TV, and gaming has led to an explosion of material in the past few years. Join two fellow librarians (who also happen to be geeks) as they explore this issue and help you navigate all the content available with collection development recommendations that can work in your local library.