Librarians Learn and Grow Despite Staffing Shortages.
Libraries today are increasingly challenged with staffing shortages and budget cuts. Through creative technical solutions, libraries are making the most of their resources to create a culture of learning and growth. In this article, we’ll take a look at opportunities and resources librarians are utilizing to address staffing challenges, advocating for BEAD funding to expand internet access for patrons, and building relationships with their communities and other libraries to grow into the…
Small town libraries making a big impact
Doland Community Library
The Doland Community Library relies on its director Natasha Noethlich to carry out most of its services. In an effort to ensure all of the library’s upcoming events were available to the public, Natasha added the Community Calendar from WhoFi to the library website. Natasha can now share the library's upcoming events such as the Ceiling Tile Painting Project going on now. You can see some of the great designs the community has come up with below:
Tailor-Made Program Registration
Beyond the Basics
How Lisa Used Data To Advocate For Her Library And Secure Grant Money
Lisa Johnson is the director of the Orange City Public Library. Like many library directors across the country, she adapted the library services when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and libraries closed their doors to the public. What became the new normal brought about new patron behaviors. She noticed patrons would often sit outside on the ground, on a ledge or in their cars to use the library WiFi. This trend continued as the months went on. With more people needing the library’s WiFi services,…
WiFi Analytics Gave Brenda Tools To Help Patrons
Brenda Miller is the director of New Madison Public Library. The pandemic changed the way her library’s patrons interacted with the library and used its resources. Before COVID-19 caused the library to close its doors, patrons would come into the library building to sit and use the free WiFi, browse books, enjoy children’s programming or just have a safe place to hang out. So when the library doors closed because of the pandemic, Brenda noticed different patron behavior, like outdoor and after…
How Community Calendar Helped Lola
Lola DeWall is the library director for Pocahontas Public Library. The pandemic transformed the way her library, like many across the country, offered programming. Before March 2020, Pocahontas Public Library offered in-person programming and got by using old methods of tracking attendance like hand tallying on paper. That method of tracking program attendance was already arduous and time consuming, and with all of the upheaval the pandemic caused, it quickly became very difficult to keep up.…
The Economic Impact Of WiFi Connection
Providing free WiFi in public libraries improves communities. Internet should be viewed as an investment, not a cost, to public institutions. This blog explores the theories that support these statements and outlines the research that proves the economic impact of a WiFi connection. More than 200 hundred years ago, Adam Smith stated that “the wealth of nations included the acquired and useful abilities of all the inhabitants or members of the society.” Acquired abilities that are useful for…