News & Views, April 2009

News & Views,April 2009 (mp3 file; 3.3 MB; 3:23 min.)
Serving patrons in difficult times; "Tops and Bottoms" storytime kit



At subcenter meetings the past few days I talked with librarians about ideas for helping you to cope with increased usage and need for your services during these difficult times. I heard some great ideas, and am continuing to seek your suggestions for how we might help you.

Here are some ideas; perhaps they'll spark some more ideas from you. Any sort of aids to help people looking for jobs or wanting to start a new business would be helpful--from tips sheets about applying online to tutorials on resumes to a laptop in each library that is devoted to those looking for work or applying for jobs or interviewing online. We might help libraries to find reliable websites and sources for jobs, or resumes, or finance; or help libraries to put "job centers" on their websites, and act as a local "bulletin board" for jobs. It would be helpful to identify potential partners, such as Iowa Workforce Development, and resources that are already developed or in place.

And help for library staff in how to deal with higher stress levels, in themselves and in the people with whom they interact every day. There are many people "hurting" out there, and it affects how we do our jobs, and how we serve our patrons.

Those are just a few ideas; please continue to send us or tell us about other ways we might help. Call us, e-mail, IM, use the "SWILSA Do" blog comments, flag me down when I'm out on the road. You want to help your patrons, and we want to help you.