2016-2017 A Year in Review

What an amazing year! 

The wheels are already turning for 2017-2018!

I’ve got this idea stuck in my head…

When we stand back and look at our goals, at the core is always student success.  Fortunately, that part is unwavering and crystal clear.    Sometimes the steps to attaining these goals aren’t always so focused.  All these plans and ideas are tumbling around inside our heads…some ideas are simple and easily achieved, some seem too complicated, others are too expensive, and then there are those that are just not practical.  So, how do we get those ideas transformed into something tangible?  I would say these are our most helpful resources…

Professional Books!  There are so many to choose from, but these have really hit home for us.

o   Blueprint for Tomorrow:  Redesigning School for Student-Centered Learning – Prakash Nair.  This quick read is packed with practical solutions, before and after pictures, and a great survey to help you evaluate your current space. 

o   Make Space:  How to Set the Stage for Creative Collaboration – Scott Doorley & Scott Witthoft.  This book is an amazing “how-to” manual.  Each idea is presented on a short colorful spread with pictures and step-by-step instructions. 

o   The Third Teacher:  79 Ways You Can Use Design to Transform Teaching & Learning – A collaborative Project:  Cannon Design + VS Furniture + Bruce Mau Design.  Another bold, graphic addition to your professional collection.  This is divided into 79 succinct, colorful, graphic displays that allow you to jump around from section to section as needed. 

Field Trips.  Get out of your space and visit other places…specifically libraries and businesses with a collaborative environment.  Most are more than happy to offer a guided tour and show off their spaces. 

Pinterest.  I’ll confess that I’ve given far too many hours of my life to Pinterest, but the return on the investment is pretty good.  (Plus, I’ve walked away with a few bonus recipes and home improvement projects too. )

Twitter.  Find the people who share your passion and follow them! 

So many creative ideas!

Big Ideas + Funding Shortfall = Grant Writing

What do you do when you’ve got a really dynamic vision for the LMC but not enough funding to cover all of it?  Write grants!  Although we’re no strangers to grant writing, lately we’ve stepped it up a bit. I’ll admit, just the thought of writing a grant can be a bit daunting, but once we get rolling it’s never as overwhelming as anticipated.  In fact, once we settle in and get focused, we typically end up saying, ‘that wasn’t bad at all!”  When reflecting, I’d say these are the things that get us through the process with smiles on our faces…

·      Search, search, search:  Finding the right grant takes time!  We don’t have a magic bullet, but we do spend tons of time scouring the web for local and regional opportunities.  There are a lot of places out there who want to support educational initiatives.  Also, once people know we’re writing grants, they begin to send them our way – some of our most promising opportunities have come from colleague recommendations.  Don’t get too hung up on the amount - all grants are pretty much the same amount of “work” so nothing is really too small or too big!

·      Focus:  Don’t try to squeeze too much into one grant.  When you focus on one element of a big idea it’s easier to clearly define your needs and future follow-up is more manageable too. 

·      Recruit students:  Ask them what they want, and they’ll tell you!  You can start an advisory group, deploy surveys, set up interviews – they are the major stakeholders and their input goes a long way. 

·      Partnership:  Find a good grant writing partner – it not only divides the work, but the collaboration yields so many great ideas!

·      The Hope Factor:  Be confident, but don’t be easily discouraged – in the grant writing game, you win some and you lose some. When you don’t get one, dust yourself off, take their feedback, and try, try again!

Road Trip!

At the Missouri Association for School Librarians (MASL) conference in April, there was a lot of discussion and interest in genrification, library spaces, 1:1, makerspaces, etc. The sessions were full and the conversation rich.

Coming back from conference, the ideas start flowing….as do the questions! Then you are back in your space without all of your peers.  Email and Twitter are great, but sometimes you just need to see things for yourself!

Coincidently, this Tweet came across my feed days after returning. Lisa Gearman created a Google doc of sites in MN that are willing to share their story. The Google doc includes contact information and highlights all of the great things happening in the library. What a brilliant idea for those looking for site visits or to connect with others that are on the same journey.

I know that are a lot of fantastic things going on in libraries across Missouri! We should have a list too! Thank goodness for Google docs and the power of social media!! I created a MO version of Lisa’s Google doc and started spreading it around.

If you are a Missouri librarian, please add your school and use the document to make great contacts. Let the road trips begin!!

https://t.co/FYtgU7ax9O