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September Through November
The Boardroom comes back this fall with a 3-part series titled Intersections. Starting in September and continuing through November, Intersections explores 3 keys areas where close cooperation between city governments and city libraries is essential. Here's the scoop on Part 1:
Intersections Part 1. Buildings. September 21. 6:00-7:00PM
The fall series will begin with a discussion of the library's physical facilities. Library buildings are city property, covered under the city’s contents and liability insurance. Why then are so many library boards told they are responsible for building maintenance and even capital improvements? We’ll cover best practices for working with city administration for improved day-to-day facilities management, as well as bigger building projects. We’ll offer clarification of city responsibilities vs library responsibilities and we’ll touch on who should have keys to the library.
About “Intersections"
“Intersections: Where City Government and City Libraries Meet” is a three-part webinar series designed for library boards. The sessions highlight best practices for city governments and libraries to meet in the middle comparing policy and practice. Join us this fall, beginning with a discussion of facilities and continuing with sessions on budgeting and personnel, all intended to help foster improved communication and cooperation with your partners in city government.
Attending these webinars enables library trustees to meet
Standard #8, required at a Tier1 level:
"All members of the library board of trustees participate in a
variety of board development training each year..."
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Top 5 Tips
Last week’s Eye-Opener included an article contributed by Christian Gutteridge with WhoFi. Christian explained Question Sets, the newest service from WhoFi. Today, WhoFi rep Ashleigh Matos shares her Top 5Tips For Getting The Most Out Of WhoFi Question Sets.
#1. Involve Staff: Reduce your reporting burden by delegating some of the data-collecting tasks to your staff! Doing so will take more off your plate, involve the staff more with library operations, and leave more time for interacting with your community.
#2. Take Notes: Remembering in August what happened in January can be tricky... that's why libraries add Edit Check Notes to their data entries. Find the paperclip icon in your Question Sets and add notes to remember extra details.
#3. Include Instructions: It can be tough to remember your exact routine each month. You've got numbers everywhere, so let's make this easier! In Question Sets, you can add instructional notes for your exact processes to keep consistency and involve your staff with more data collection.
#4. Add Board Reports: You deserve all the credit for your hard work, and presenting your efforts to your board in an easy-to-review manner can help you get more pats on the back! Adding report templates is easy and will save you time when you need a quick report for a board meeting.
#5. Create Your Own Question Set: Not seeing your specific data points in the monthly or daily tracker? No problem! Adding your own Question Set is easy and your custom Question Set can talk to the state-provided ones. Contact us if you need help setting one up.
My thanks to Christian Gutteridge and Ashleigh Matos, company reps with WhoFi, for contributing these articles to the Eye-Opener! You’re welcome to contact WhoFi directly as you look to get started with any or all WhoFi’s products: email support@whofi.com
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Open And Ready For Filing
On August 1st, library directors should have received an email from State Library Consultant Scott Dermont announcing that the FY23 Public Library Annual Survey (July 2022-June 2023) is open for filing. Scott’s email included a very detailed set of instructions for completing the survey online, including the necessary usernames and passwords, along with tips about answering new questions.
Scott explains a few changes for FY23: “The FY23 Survey has now removed all COVID-related questions. I have prefilled questions E01, E09, E17, and E23 based on the numbers reported for “held at end of year” for the previous year. I have not locked these amounts, so you can change them if you need to. This should help to keep collection counts more consistent from year to year. And I’ve removed all Bridges video related questions as videos are no longer offered through Bridges.”
SCOTT’S FILING TIPS
- Data is prefilled for those libraries using the WhoFi service to collect programming statistics and wireless counts. There is also an option to enter numbers for any statistics that don’t use the WhoFi service. For each question, there will be a WhoFi prefill, a non-WhoFi question, and a total.
- Children’s programming is divided into two sections: 0-5-year-old and 6-12-year-old. If your children’s program is not age specific, use the 6-12-year-old category.
- We still have the section to report passive or indirect activities
- The signature page is electronic only again this year. The link to the signature form is at the end of the survey and listed on the webpage. Each library will need to submit a signature page signed by the director and board president. This is required to ensure the validity of the survey data.
- If this is your first time using Bibliostat Collect, or if you would like a refresher, we have some short videos on our website that give a brief overview of various features of the software. One thing to keep in mind with this software is that Google Chrome is the most reliable browser. The help videos can be found at our website
ABOUT THE ANNUAL SURVEY
The data provided on the Public Library Annual Survey helps Iowa library directors, staff, and boards compare library performance, justify budget requests, track patterns over time, and describe the condition of public libraries in Iowa. This survey gathers current information about public service outlets, holdings, staffing, income, expenditures, circulation, services, and hours open.
This is also national data collection; library use statistics are collected by all 50 states according to guidelines established by the Public Library Statistics Cooperative (PLSC). The information contained in the Iowa Public Library Statistics is based on definitions approved by PLSC. In Iowa, this annual data collection is authorized by Iowa Code 256.51 (1)(h)
Find the survey itself, along with all needed information and instructions, at the button below. A completed survey is required of all Iowa libraries receiving Direct State Aid funding; the filing deadline is October 31st Contact your District Office or go directly to Scott Dermont with questions (scott.dermont@iowa.gov / 515-281-7573 or 800-248-4483) Your efforts are important and appreciated!
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“Collection Cultivation”
Webinar Series
Our “Collection Cultivation” webinar series continues tomorrow August 22 with “Weeding the Youth Collection.” This series concludes next Tuesday August 29 with a panel discussion “Wedded to Weeding.”
Big Ideas Book Discussion. August 25. 9:30-11:00AM.
Next in the lineup for Big Ideas Book Discussions is Magic Words: What to Say to Get Your Way (c2023) by Jonah Berger. Author of previous NYT bestsellers Catalyst, Contagious, and Invisible Influence, Berger’s newest book Magic Words demonstrates how six types of words can boost creativity, motivate teams, and strengthen our powers of persuasion.
"Prepping For Accreditation" Tips
For those libraries in the next accreditation reporting cycle (with re-accreditation applications due in February 2024) the State Library has recordings available titled “Prepping For Accreditation.” Seven recordings, along with accompanying PowerPoint slides, break down the accreditation process with explanations of strategic planning requirements, board-related standards to meet, HR standards, and more.
These recordings have proven to be very helpful as library directors and boards look toward the next accreditation or standards reporting cycle—especially if your library is in that next cycle! Click below to find that out and to access these recordings.
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