Hello Librarians!  Thanks for joining me. 

Tell me, how effective is your library advocacy?  Do you struggle with getting your key decision makers or your legislators to support your library?  If so, this episode is for you.

You and I both know that libraries make a difference in the world. You share that message as often as possible with your stakeholders, with your users, with your communities. 

And yet, I’m willing to bet that for many of you,  the critical decision makers are still cutting your budget, reducing your staff, and maybe even taking your space.

After all, everything’s on the Internet now, right? Who needs librarians and libraries?  Can’t people just get books from Amazon and information from Google?

So here’s the thing.  It’s not enough just to get your decision-makers to listen. You have to get them to agree with you. And how are you going to do that?

In fact, I can hear some of you now saying “I’ve been trying for years to get them to agree!  That’s the whole point of my advocacy!”

In his book This is Marketing, Seth Godin says the biggest mistake is to 

“Assume that everyone is like you, knows what you know, wants what you want”.

They aren’t and they don’t. 

Advocacy is marketing. Every library and every librarian needs to learn how to market honestly and effectively. 

Godin goes on to say that “marketing is the act of making change happen”, and “You haven’t made an impact until you’ve changed someone”. 

He further states that you have to connect with your audience and gain trust.  This requires understanding their worldview and their desires. 

So how do you get key people to both listen and agree?  

By learning the language of your listener. By gaining understanding of their worldview and desires and showing directly how funding and supporting your library will help them achieve their goals.

For complete show notes and resources, go to masterfullibrarian.com/ep-11

Hello Librarians!  Thank you for listening in to the tenth episode of Masterful Librarian Podcast. I am really grateful for your listenership. 

If you’re enjoying the podcast, please visit my website, masterfullibrarian.com and sign up for my email list. 

I promise all you’ll receive are notifications when I publish a podcast episode, and occasional offers or information I might send out.  When you join the email list, you can download my free gift, 4 Simple Steps for Achieving Greater Relevance, Meaning, & Impact. So please take advantage of that.

My episode today is short.  That’s because I had an entirely different episode ready to go until Sunday night.  

Then I watched Super Bowl LV  and saw one of the oldest quarterbacks in the NFL, Tom Brady, age 43, coached by one of the oldest coaches in the NFL, Bruce Arians, age 68, lead the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a decisive victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.  

It got me to thinking about age. And about how, in our culture, we embrace the myth that older workers are somehow less competent, inspired, and valuable. And that’s exactly what it is – a myth. So I changed the topic of my podcast to talk about this.

In the past, I didn’t much care for Tom Brady. (My apologies to any Patriot’s fans out there!)  But I’ve grown to admire him over the last few years.  Why?  Because of his personal effort, focus, commitment to excellence, and his ability to inspire his team.

And that’s something you can find in many experienced, older librarians.

The truth is that in a world where longevity has become more the norm than the exception, many people are at their professional prime in their 60’s and 70’s.  These are the people with the most experience, the greatest wisdom, and the largest number of failures and iterations under their belts.  They know what they know not from theory, but from experience and they bring that to bear in their work. 

And that is gold.

For complete show notes, go to masterfullibrarian.com/ep-10

Hello librarians!  Thank you for joining me. 

Are you a library director, manager, or supervisor who’s struggling with a burnt-out or demoralized staff?  Or maybe you feel disconnected from your team and unable to get them on board with any of your initiatives?  If so, stick around.  

Every member of your team has greatness within them. Every staff member, volunteer, and student aide has a meaningful role to play in your library’s mission. 

But how do you inspire them to reach for their best?

In this episode, I’m going to share eight proven ways to motivate and inspire your library team.  Even if you have only volunteers or student workers or you’re not currently supervising anyone, these tips can be useful for you. Show notes are available at masterfullibrarian.com/ep-9.

Say good morning

Every morning, as soon you arrive, say good morning to the people you work with – and especially those who work for you. Do your best to greet every team member.  Be genuinely happy to see them!  

This small and simple action not only makes your team members feel seen and appreciated - it also creates a warmer, more welcoming atmosphere and culture in the work space. 

And who doesn’t want a little more of that? 

Manage by walking around

Don’t let a week pass without stopping by the desk of each team member just to chat and stay connected.  If you can do it daily, that’s even better.  

Make an extra effort to do this with team members who don’t work anywhere close to your office or your normal traffic routes.  Working for someone you never see, except in formal meetings, can be demoralizing for many employees – they can begin to feel disconnected from leadership. 

As though you don’t care about them.

A disconnected employee is often a demoralized employee.  It’s hard to feel valuable to the library if you feel overlooked.

While serving as a high school librarian, I had four principals in nine years. Of the four, only one of them took the time to get to know me or to stop by just to visit and see how I was.

And because he acted like he cared and he asked questions about me, my life, my library, my program -  I was willing to go above and beyond for him.  

My happiest and most productive years in that job were under his leadership because his attention made me feel like I mattered.

For six more tips and complete show notes, visit masterfullibrarian.com/ep-9.

Welcome!  I’m glad you’re joining me today. Complete show notes for today can be found at masterfullibrarian.com/ep-8.

Over the last several days, the American Librarian Association held it’s annual Midwinter Meeting.  The meeting was virtual, of course, but still filled with great speakers, programs, and events. ALA programs and conferences never disappoint. There was so much to learn and see!

Being a part of this conference got me to thinking.  One of the most effective ways to up your librarian game and have greater impact in your work is to become an active member of your library associations.  

At a bare minimum, we all should belong to our state and any local library associations or consortia. Our state associations often do the most specific work to help out libraries.

If at all possible, join the American Library Association and the divisions relevant to your work.  

For instance, if you’re a school librarian you should definitely join the American Association of School Librarians or AASL, which is the school division of ALA. If you’re in a public library, join the Public Library Association, and if you’re an academic, the Association of College and Research Libraries.  There are many other professional groups you could consider as well.  I’ll put a list with links in the show notes. 

If there’s one thing I know for sure it’s that, as librarians, we are definitely better together. I’m always amazed at how many librarians don’t take advantage of that. Today, I’m going to give you three good reasons for joining library associations.

Education

If it’s one thing library associations and consortia do well and do often, it’s education.  Whether it’s in-person workshops or online conferences and webinars, there are always opportunities for learning. 

Although some of the highest quality events are not free and may even have a substantial fee, many others are free or extremely low cost.  

Here’s where it’s especially smart to be a member. Many associations allow attendance at events by non-members, but that will almost always cost substantially more. 

I’ve noticed that during the pandemic, there’s an opportunity for learning with some association or division almost every week. Some weeks, there’s something almost every day!  

I think this is especially important for people serving in libraries who don’t have an MLS or who have never taken any coursework.  There’s so much to know about library work.  If you don’t have the professional educational background, please take advantage of association offerings.

Even if you do have an MLS or coursework, things are always changing and we all need to keep up. If you want to deliver the highest quality service to you library community and have the greatest impact, you must keep your knowledge base current and your toolkit strong.  

In my experience, the saddest, most ineffective libraries are the ones where no one on staff has received any type of library education or where continuing education and professional development don’t happen because no one cares.

For two more reaons and complete show notes, join me at masterfullibrarian.com/ep-8.

Welcome!  It’s good to have you with me today. 

Have you felt recently that being a librarian wasn’t as satisfying as it once was?  Or have you perhaps felt the lure of other professions calling you?  Or perhaps, like many of us, have you lost your library job and are now thinking it might be fulfilling to try a new field?  

If so, you’re not alone and it’s perfectly ok.  In today’s episode, I’m going to give some tips and winning strategies for making a career pivot out of the library profession. This is the first in my series called “Library Career Pivot”. I’m also providing a list of great career shift resources. You can find that list and the complete show notes at masterfullibrarian.com/ep7.

Not that I want any of you to leave libraries – but sometimes it happens.

My hope is that if you’re looking at pursuing a new field, it’s voluntary on your part. And not because you’ve been laid off, furloughed, or threatened with lay-offs.  I hope it’s simply because you’re ready for a new adventure. 

There’s no shame in feeling drawn to do something new.  I myself am on my sixth significant career iteration.  I’ve been a hotel sales rep, a medical librarian, a travel agent, a school librarian, a public librarian, and now a coach, consultant and trainer.

In her book, I Don’t Know What I Want, But I know its Not This: A Step-by-Step Guide to Finding Gratifying Work”, 3rd edition, Julie Jansen says this “There is no age limit on searching for happiness and fulfillment in work and life”.  I love this quote. I love it because it’s so true.  

If you’re feeling like now is the time to pursue a new career interest, I’d like to offer some tips to get you started.

For complete show notes, join me at Masterful Librarian Podcast/ep7 

Last Wednesday, January 6 2021, was a dark day in our country's history. We all witnessed the horrifying assault on our Capitol building by an angry mob of, let's face it, mostly White Trump supporters. 

As I watched that grim and frightening scene unfold, I, as many of you couldn't help but note the difference in how these violent insurrectionists were treated as they forced entry into our Capitol Building - while Congress was in session - and how the mostly  Black and peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters were treated this summer.

And I know there has been a lot of discussion around that in the media over the last week.

As I watched that, I was utterly appalled, and I was deeply ashamed. 

The truth is that if certain White men- who I won't name because they don't deserve the publicity, but wearing ridiculous headdresses and standing at the podium of the Senate, or propping their dirty feet on the desk of the Speaker of the House - if those men had been Black, they never would have made it that far.

 At best, they would have been tear gassed, thrown to the ground and handcuffed. 

At worst, well, they might have been shot multiple times before they even reach the steps.

And that makes my heart so sad, and heavy. 

And it also and more importantly, prods me to work harder on getting Woke, than I have. 

And what I want to talk about today, librarians, is how crucial it is for all of us who are White, to take on that hard, but imperative work of waking up to what life is like and has been like for our our fellow citizens, who are African American or people of color indigenous. 

Because life is very different for them. 

For complete show notes, visit masterfullibrarian.com/ep-6

 Welcome and thanks for joining me in the new year.  Today’s episode is short and it’s the first in my new series, Small Steps to Big Impact. You can find the show notes at masterfullibrarian.com/ep-5.

At this time of year, most of us are thinking about New Year’s resolutions and new goals for the coming year.  But according to popular literature, and a study done by Scranton University researchers in the late 1980’s, at least 80% of those resolutions fail.  

If you’re like most dedicated librarians, you’ve got clear goals for achieving more impact with your library’s services and programs. But what can you do to keep your goals from becoming a sad statistic?

Take one small step.

What trips most of us up and sets us up for failure is looking at the whole process and then becoming overwhelmed by how much there is to do. For some of us, that keeps us from even getting started. 

In his masterful book titled One Small Step Can Change Your Life:  The Kaizen Way, Robert Maurer shares the ancient Japanese concept of kaizen, which is using small steps to achieve large goals. 

According to Maurer, this approach is conveyed in the ancient text the Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu when he states “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”. 

And it’s a remarkably effective technique.  It’s easy and non-threatening and leads actually to continuous improvement.  It’s been used in Japan and around the world for decades, both by corporations and by individuals to effective achieve both major and minor goals.

For complete show notes and resources, go to masterfullibrarian.com/ep-5

Welcome!  Thank you for joining me today.

This has been a strange and difficult year for all of us, no matter where we live or what we do. But I think it's been especially challenging for librarians whose primary mission is to serve the public.

Whether you're a public librarian facing angry patrons who won't where masks, a school librarian trying to deliver instruction virtually, or an academic librarian pushing into online classrooms where perhaps the professor doesn't value or acknowledge your presence, you're probably feeling more than a little bit frazzled by now. 

So today's episode  may be a bit on the fluffy side. We're going to talk about simple stress relief for the exhausted librarian. 

I hope that most of you are enjoying at least a few days off during the holiday season. If so, or even if you're back at work, I encourage you to take some time to relax and release some of the stress that's probably been building up in your body and your mind over the last several months. 

The suggestions I'm about to offer will work for anyone. Many, if not most of them, can be used anytime and anywhere. And none of them cost anything, or require any special expensive equipment.

So I invite you to pack these ideas into your masterful librarian toolkit to pull out whenever you need them. 

First of all, I want to say this:

Make any effort at de- stressing very gentle, and very easy. 

The worst thing that any of us can do is to stress ourselves more trying to find stress relief! 

So please just listen to these and take what works for you - and works for you easily - and leave the rest.

My first suggestion, and this isn't what's normally recommended, but unless you're already a seasoned practitioner, 

Don't meditate for stress relief!

It's a profound and wonderful practice for those trained for it. And if you are trained for it, certainly use that as a technique. But it's hard for most of us. 

Telling the mind to be still and to focus on nothing or even just a single point such as a candle is almost guaranteed to make your mind jump around. So for many people attempting to meditate can create more stress than it relieves.

And as my spiritual teacher has said, meditation is old school and recommends a different practice that I find very effective.

I recommend a reading contemplation rather than meditation.  

Read anything that calms or inspires you.

In a reading contemplation, you're bringing your mind into focus and into the game so to speak. You're letting it be part of your activity, which allows it to calm down and be still. Which is the opposite of telling it to be still as you might in meditation.

In a reading contemplation, your mind is engaged and interested and focused. And focus, relaxed focus, will relieve your stress. So as I said, read anything that calms or inspires.

For complete show notes, go to masterfullibrarian.com/ep-4

Hello librarians.  Thank you for joining me. Today’s episode is short but essential.  It hits at the heart of what you do.

Today, I’m going to talk about the why of what you do and why that why matters.

You can find today’s show notes at masterfullibrarian.com/ep3.

When I ask why you become a librarian, I don’t mean how did you come to this profession. 

That may not be that relevant at all to why you are inspired to do the work you.

 For instance, I got my MLS only because I couldn’t find a good job with my Public Relations degree and the chance for a graduate stipend from the University of Alabama Graduate School of Library and Information Service (now SLIS) dropped in my lap.

My mother was a college library director and a graduate of the school.  The Dean happened to call her looking for graduate assistants while I was sitting in her office making a nuisance of myself. 

I applied and the rest is history. 

That’s how I got into the profession, but it certainly wasn’t why I stayed. 

When I talk about your why, I’m referring to the concept so beautifully articulated by Simon Sinek in his 2009 book “Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone To Take Action” and his subsequent TED talks with the same title.

If you’ve never read the book or listened to the talk, I highly recommend doing both.  You can check out his work and his message on his website at simonsinek.com.  The link is in the show notes.

One of the most powerful things Sinek says in this book is

 “People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it. And what you do simply proves what you believe”.

He uses the example of Steve Job’s masterful marketing for Apple. Apple’s marketing strategy didn’t focus on their products, which of course were good; it focused on the company’s own why.

Sinek describes a Golden Circle needed to be successful in engaging others. 

This circle has Why a business does things at it’s core, How it does things as the next circle out from the core, and what it does or produces as the outer circle.

In his TEDx talk he describes Apple’s Golden Circle this way:

“The inner core, the Why- In everything we do, we believe in challenging the status quo, we believe in thinking differently; the next circle, the How – We make products that are beautifully designed and user friendly; and the outer circle, the What – We just happen to make great computers.  Wanna buy one? "

So when I ask about your why, I mean that thing that serves as the bedrock of your motivation and inspiration for your library work.  It’s the deep belief or beliefs that drive your ideas, decisions, programs and professional relationships.

And it’s an absolutely critical component to achieving greater relevance, meaning, and library impact. 

Your patrons, your users, will be drawn to your why much more so than your what.

In fact, I would say that librarians who struggle the most to gain support and be effective are the ones with the least compelling and service-oriented why’s. 

For complete show notes, go to  masterfullibrarian.com/ep3.        

Librarians, You Matter More Than You Know

 Hello, Librarians.  In today’s episode, I want to talk to you about how important you are and how much impact you actually have on the people you serve. You all matter so much more than you may know or realize.

            In my very first podcast episode, Why I’m Glad I Lost my Library Job, I talked about how I reached out to librarians all over the country and asked questions.  If you haven’t listened to that episode, you can find it at MasterfulLibrarian.com/1. 

Those conversations were both informative and heart-warming. What I heard over and over is that you love your work and the people you serve. And that you want to have an even greater impact than you feel you’re currently achieving. But I also heard lots of great stories about the positive impact librarians are already having.  And that was the truly heartwarming part. 

If you’re at all like me, it’s easy to let the less pleasant things that happen in your work dominate your attention and your memories. Like, remembering that Board member who objects to every single programming change you bring before the Board, or every policy change;  or  the parent who comes in and complains that you were buying too many diverse and inclusive books; or the lawmaker who held his expensive tablet up while asking why you need more print books when everyone has one of those. 

Those memories might take up way more space in your mind than maybe they deserve. That’s only normal - research suggests that events charged with emotion, especially negative emotion, stick more in our minds. So it’s only natural to remember those things more.  But it can definitely put a damper on your morale and enthusiasm for your work.

So today, I’m going to tell you about some real life stories of magical things librarians have done. And this is meant to stir memories I know you have of times you’ve made a difference in the life of a patron or a student. And I hope that it lifts your morale a bit and brightens your day. Because what you do truly matters. It has the power to change lives and inspire greatness. Often, some seemingly small action you take, a book you share, or a program you offer, will be that one thing that causes a sea change in someone’s life.

            A parent recently shared with me that when her now adult children were little and she was newly divorced, she didn’t have any money for any entertainment for her kids – not even for something like a movie rental. And back in those days, movies were coming from places like Blockbuster. So, every week, they’d make a trip to their local public library where the kids not only got great books to read, but where they could check out movies to watch at home. She told me that some of the happiest moments she had with her little ones during those very difficult times were when they were sharing books and snuggling up together in front of the TV to watch a movie from the library. She also shared that she regrets that she never let the librarians at that branch know how important that service was to her.

            Mary Chappell, my friend and a rock star elementary school librarian, recently told me a story that brought a tear to my eye.  When her district closed schools in March because of COVID-19, she went to her principal and said, “our kids will be scared. They need to see one of us every day to see that we’re all fine. They’ve got to see someone they know really, really well, so I’m going to start doing videos and posting them on the school website.” She  started those videos that next Monday and got an email in about ten minutes from a parent saying this:  “I had no idea that our child