ILF Advocacy Committee co-chairs, Vanessa Martin and Julie Wendorf will talk about the importance of advocacy and will give updates for the coming 2025 legislative session. Vanessa Martin – ILF Advocacy Committee, co-chair & Director, Greensburg Decatur County Public Library.
Vanessa Martin has been the director at the Greensburg Decatur County Public Library since 2016. She is also the current co-chair of the ILF Advocacy Committee. She has 18 years of experience working in Indiana public libraries. She has also been active in the governance of Evergreen Indiana, serving on different committees. She has held many job titles, but simply put, she is passionate about libraries and helping others.
Julie Wendorf – ILF Advocacy Committee, co-chair & Director, Crown Point Community Library. Julie Wendorf has been the director of the Crown Point Community Library since 2018. She is a member of the ILF Board, board representative on the IPLA Board, the co-chair of the ILF Advocacy Committee, and current ILF Vice President. She is active in community service organizations including Rotary International and Lions Club. She has a passion for library collaboration projects with other community organizations and doing library outreach. Julie will be busy testifying at the legislature during the webinar.
Date Recorded: 3/12/2025
Format: Archived YouTube Video
Presenters: Vanessa Martin / Director of Greensburg Decatur County Public Library and ILF Advocacy Committee co-chair and Julie Wendorf / Director of Crown Point Community and ILF Board of Directors President
Resources:
This session will focus on an overview of recognizing what causes conflict in the workplace, understanding our responses to conflict, and strategies for better conflict resolution. This is a high-level view of conflict resolution but participants should leave with a few solid, actionable strategies for dealing with conflict in their workplace. There will also be time to practice some of these strategies.
Good policies are an essential part of library operations. They help to create and enforce expectations and rules as well as serving as a guiding framework for decision making. Unfortunately, writing policies can sometimes be very stressful and time consuming. In this session, we will go over the basics of writing policies and learn tips and tricks to making them as painless as possible. We will also talk about how we can ensure that our policies are fair and equitable. We will have hands-on practice with writing a simple policy. 
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the employment of social workers will grow 12% from 2020 to 2030 to meet an increase in demand. Further, with the growth of telehealth and telemedicine visits continuing beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals are finding more ways to reach their healthcare providers. However, in rural areas, finding local providers and reliable Internet access can create a barrier to access. As public libraries have long been viewed as the central hub for information, gatherings, and broadband service, their pivot to serve as a place for patrons to meet virtually with social workers comes at an opportune time. This presentation will show how three public libraries developed a pilot program – titled “Because You Matter” – with the Indiana University School of Social Work to coordinate weekly telehealth visits with social work students and library patrons. They’ll share successes, failures, and what they learned to improve the program in the future. 
Moving into a new leadership role can be overwhelming and intimidating. This presentation will go over some dos and don’ts to help new leaders feel more confident and become more effective in their current and future roles. Participants will learn some common mistakes new leaders make (and how to avoid them), how to conquer feelings of doubt or imposter syndrome, and practical leadership techniques. Emphasis will be placed on the importance of creating a support network, investing in personal and professional development, and recognizing the value, knowledge, and skillset new leaders bring to their organizations.
Effective staff development doesn’t have to involve expensive conferences, big-name presenters, or elaborate training software. Instead, libraries can support staff learning by providing regular opportunities for staff to explore new skills in a brain-friendly environment. In this session, participants will learn about key elements of effective learning design, how to make learning a priority, and how to identify which library problems require a training solution.