Community Over Competition: Episode 5 - Mandi Casey on The Collective Coworking Space
In this episode of Community Connectors, Episode 5, host John Kerber visits Edmond, Oklahoma, to speak with Mandi Casey, owner of The Collective, a women-focused coworking community. What began as a member experience turned into a leadership role when Mandi purchased the space in 2020—just six weeks before the pandemic shut everything down.
Community Connectors Episode #4 - Matt Hancock on Parks, People, and Leading with Listening
In this episode of Community Connectors, host John Kerber speaks with Matt Hancock, Parks and Recreation Director for Tulsa County, Oklahoma. With nearly 20 years of experience at the YMCA and now in county parks, Matt shares how listening, belonging, and service guide thriving community spaces. Listening First For Matt, leadership starts with being present. Community members may not always say exactly what they need, but showing up, listening, and responding creates trust. He emphasizes that…
Q3 2025 WhoFi Webinar and Product Updates
This recorded video webinar shows you quickly some of the updates and enhancements to the WhoFi service over the last year that can help you save time, cut errors, and get cleaner insights from the tools you already use in WhoFi.
Community Connectors Episode #3 — Libraries, Podcasts, and Third Places with GiGi Howard
In this inspiring conversation, host John Kerber interviews GiGi Howard, longtime librarian and creator of the Drinks in the Library podcast. From stories and cocktails to community hubs and digital media, this episode is packed with ideas that librarians and community builders can take straight to their spaces.
Q2 2025 Library Service Usage Trends
Q2 2025 Library Trends & Highlights Throughout the second quarter of 2025, libraries effectively responded to seasonal trends, demonstrating strong community engagement through carefully tailored programming. Event attendance reflected predictable variations around holidays and special library initiatives, particularly evident with the strong start of Summer Reading Programs. Meeting room bookings remained consistent, with a slight decrease during peak Summer Reading weeks when programming…
We Hosted a Great Library Program—So Where Was Everyone?
This is a common story—and it’s the heart of the library event attendance problem so many communities are facing.
You planned the speakers.
Prepared the room.
Promoted it on social media.
And still…
Hardly anyone showed up.
Community Connectors Episode 2: How to Build a Maker Space for Your Library
In this 25-minute Episode #2, host John Kerber sits down with David Lee King. David serves as Digital Services Director at Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library and author/speaker on blended library services. They unpack how Topeka turned a single 3D-printer pilot into a full multimedia hub. Also more about how the library balanced its digital branch with in-building makerspaces, and used community-led planning as a guide. The full episode goes live on July 18th!
Meet the New Dashboard: Smarter, Simpler, and Built for Libraries
At WhoFi, we’re always listening to the libraries we serve—and that feedback just helped shape something big. We’re excited to introduce a redesigned WhoFi Dashboard built for libraries and community spaces. It makes it easier than ever to manage your spaces, programs, and services all in one place. Designed to Support Your Daily Work Managing programs, room reservations, and maker space usage can get complicated fast. That’s especially when relying on paper registrations and calendars that can…
Community Connectors Interview - Lenah Oltman and John Kerber
Community Connectors Episode 1 — Recap In this 45-minute kickoff episode, host John Kerber sits down with Lenah Oltman, the director who took Reinbeck (IA) Public Library from a modest program lineup to a community engagement engine. The conversation zeroes in on two themes listeners kept asking for: Funding that Fuels Growth Hear how Lenah turned data from a single successful program into a $7.8 K seed grant, then used that win to secure broader city support. Library Marketing That…
Find What Works: Google Analytics for Library Outreach Understanding
Why Google Analytics Matters for Libraries
Today’s libraries are more than just buildings, they’re vibrant community hubs. From story‑times and author talks to coding clubs, homework‑help, and Spaces reservations—every interaction is an opportunity to connect with patrons. Yet many libraries still rely on anecdotal feedback to assess which library outreach and promotional efforts are successful.