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New Handbooks for Trustees
The trustee handbook has been revised and is available online. In fact, there is so much information it has been separated into two volumes: Volume 1: Getting Started includes essential trustee duties and responsibilities, library-related laws, funding sources, policy development and more. Volume 2: Continuing On provides more in-depth knowledge, such as promoting the library, hiring a director and planning for the future.
Both of these can be printed to have as a handy reference. And, we've reviewed these and the New Director Handbook in a recent video. Trustees may want to become familiar with the director handbook (or manual, it goes by both names!) to have an deeper understanding of director duties.
Funding for Training and Travel
At the recent Library Commission meeting (advance to approximately the 15-minute mark) commissioners voted to provide an additional $4000 to each library federation, to be used for trustee training or travel for individual trustees to attend training opportunities such as federation meetings and other workshops. The six federation coordinators will be working on plans to make the best use of this funding. If you have suggestions or requests for training ideas please let a federation coordinator or Pam Henley know.
Communication Tips
Successful communication is vital to promote understanding and necessary when working with others to achieve common goals. Not everyone is a great communicator; like any other skill, we often need to learn and practice. With this in mind, we'll be offering a series of tips on ways to improve communication. Let's begin with the most basic type: non-verbal (AKA body language).
We usually think of communication as simply speaking, talking to another person. But did you know: in any given situation 55% of information is initially shared through body language and other non-verbal methods? Before any sound is made, an opinion has already been formed based on what was observed through posture and expression. This can greatly influence interactions and conversations. For example, the first rule of good customer service is to smile. We’ve all had the experience of a friendly, welcoming reception when approaching a service counter, versus the frowning employee who didn’t appear helpful (even if this turns out to be a successful encounter, that first impression remains). TODAY’S TIP: Practice observing others and try to determine what emotion they are communicating. Are they confident? Angry? Then, consider what impression you are presenting when preparing to engage in a conversation. Often we are not aware of our physical movements – does your foot tap when you’re nervous? With practice, it is possible to learn to control these and present a more positive impression when initiating communications.
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