Innovation & Libraries

Presenters: Terry Beck & Christa Werle, Sno-Isle Libraries

They talked about idea management, also known as strategic innovation - aligning ideas with strategy.

In their project, all employees can participate.

Process:

• Submit your idea – peer review – manager review (individual) or strategic review (group) – decision articulated (the why/why not & how are shared)
• Decision usually based on numbers. 98% staff participation. 28% of ideas utilized w/regular budget. People who support decision can be asked to implement it.

Findings – we can better support programming and facilities

• Examples: families, neighbors, caregivers can pick up holds after permission given
• Common core training
• Device charging kits
• Some ideas referred to other departments – Human Resources – or employees connected to appropriate department

Process allows adoption without having to wait for new FY budget. 

Strategic innovation is simply doing something in a new or different way with intent.
Limitations – funding, skills
Communities need order to thrive and cooperate

Information Services Project, 2014
Reference statistics were down
Job descriptions were confusing
Staff and supervisors couldn’t differentiate positions
Staff were starting to work outside their job classification

Goal: make better use of our highly educated and trained librarian staff
• Librarians, not managers
• Desk schedules (librarians not on desk to answer basic questions)
• Outreach to schools
• Service to small business/entrepreneur community
• Build literate and economically sound communities

Their strategic plan is a one-page document.

But what do our customers want/expect? Customer survey – short, non-library language, avoid “you’re wonderful”, staff had to understand why & how, paper costly
Building heads and stakeholders – who’s on the list

Web link, community contacts, paper survey in libraries = 582 surveys

Web survey: patron priorities
1. Selecting a book to read
2. Finding information for a hobby
3. Learning to use different library resources

Community survey priorities – selecting books, finding resources, using technologies

Paper survey priorities: selecting books, personal research re health topics, academic level research, using lib resources

Other suggestions – collection, marketing, building, staffing

Staff roles
All staff - awareness of resources
Paraprofessional - introduce resources
Librarian - identify resources/instruct
Lead librarian - analyze/create