Somewhere around mile marker 80 on US75 between Lexington and Nashville this past week, I finished reading the last chapter of Michael Casey's & Laura Savastinuk’s thought-provoking and recently published title, Library 2.0: A Guide to Participatory Library Service.In reading the 172 page contribution to the field, I was struck most by the book’s overall theme – purposeful change – which ironically seemed to mirror mpow current reorganization process (aka 2010). From chapter 4: A Framework for Change to chapter 8: Maintaining Momentum, I felt as if Casey’s & Savastinuk’s recommendations for creating a participatory library 2.0 climate were already well underway here at PLCMC. And as the date for unveiling of our new org structure approaches, I’m looking forward to embarking on new challenges and new partnerships (both internal & external) that will enable our library to continue to reach, serve, and engage our users in meaningful ways.
In many ways the final chapter summed it up best for me …
“Library 2.0 is about change. It’s about making change in your organization easy and routine. Its about updating services we offer and creating new services that will reach out to community members who do not yet use our great facilities and offerings. Library 2.0 seeks to bring staff on board and include them in decision-making processes…
It is important to remember that changing your organization structure cannot happen overnight. You also need staff, administrators, and possibly members of the governing board to buy into the organizational changes. Although this can be difficult to deal with, it can be done. It may take months to years for your organization to run smoothly under the Library 2.0 model. One thing to consider is, are you really running smoothly now? It is worth a try to make your library more appealing and useful for your users?”
Thanks Michael & Laura for a great read! And to answer your last question above ... from my perspective, Yes! It’s definitely worth it. :)
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