Weekly Readings 4/10

Working with Friends Groups by Sara S. Lowman and Mary D. Bixby

The authors examine the contributions made by the Friends of the Fondren Library at Rice University, highlighting some examples that may contribute to their success.

After reading this article, it would be easy to walk away thinking if every library formed a friends group, there would be nothing wrong in the library world! I was surprised at first to read about a FOL group existing for an academic university, honestly. I would be curious to read about such an organization in a more modest academic setting. Rice is very prestigious, with well-off alumni who can afford to be milked. However, I thought the article still offered some pearls of broader application. I liked how they said "it is important for the friends group to have a clear mission that supports the library and [...] provides a venue for people to participate" (Lowman & Bixby, 2011, p. 211). Friends groups seem like a great way to give firm direction to the intersection of the public and the library. They are separate enough to be largely self-governing, but involved enough to know about the needs of the library. It is for this reason that "the quality of leadership [...] is vital to the success of the organization" (Lowman & Bixby, 2011, p. 214). I was reminded while reading this of Library Management, when we discussed how the entire direction and attitude of a company largely depends on who is at the helm. I did like how varied their group was in their activities (inside and outside the library). My favorite advice, though, was having the director attend friends meetings. Going to every meeting may be a lot for the director's plate, but whenever possible makes sense. After all, the FOL are part of the library, and the director should have some knowledge of everything going on below them.


We Would If We Could, but It Is Not in the Budget by Jack Goodman

Goodman writes about the real-life success stories of several libraries thinking outside the box to form partnerships.

This article seemed very practical and down to earth to me, especially after the last one. It felt like a lot of these went with the theme we have often discussed this semester of taking the services of the library to where the people are instead of relying on them to come to us. But he also points out that the most important component is "a desire to innovate" (Goodman, 2008, p. 103), which goes back to the resistance among some longer-term staff to change. I loved his point that motivation is absolutely essential to success, even though I recognize it is common sense. It was interesting to note that three of the four partnerships highlighted dealt with children/teenagers. I think it can be easy to fall into this habit (even if the partnerships are creative) because there are so many eager and willing organizations working with children. Yet I think my hometown library does a great job partnering for adult programs. They have an ongoing heritage skills series that brings in people from local organizations to teach useful crafts that have lost popularity (the latest being Amish knot rugs). Government and private agencies coming in to offer help for senior citizens is also popular. Once again this goes back to knowing your area. These are the kinds of wants and needs in my home area, so the library is meeting them.


Key Donor Cultivation by Thomas Leonhardt

Leonhardt highlights different means of increasing external funding for the library, offering advice on some of the pros and cons of methods ranging from increasing communication with superiors to relationships with donors.

While this article seemed a little disorganized, the advice was sound and practical, with some information applicable to public libraries as well. I did find it interesting that he said friends groups are often very successful, but then advised against forming one. For public libraries, I think this makes more sense than forming an advisory board. For instance, Ohio slashed funding deeply two years ago. As a result, the independent library in my county that serves a town of about 500 (economically disadvantaged) people had to think outside the box to stay open. One of the things they did was start a friends group, which is still going strong. The library just completed major renovations, and the group even provided them with a technology room (complete with an X-Box Connect). I am stunned by their success, and feel like if they can do it, many libraries can. I know the friends group is also hugely important at MCPL. At the board meeting I attended, they discussed how they raised over $100,000 last year, and their most recent book sale last month netted over $4,000.

The other thing I liked was his examples of being very proactive and outside the box in approaching management to let them know the library's needs. For public libraries, department managers need to make sure the director knows their needs. The directors need to make sure the boards know their needs. Even more important though, is communicating those needs to the ultimate "boss" -- the public. This goes back to our discussion of always having an elevator speech ready. Being able to communicate the goals and needs of the library/department succinctly should find its way to the top of almost every librarian's job description.