Citation managers: Why you need one and how to make the most of them in grad school and beyond

Citation managers: Why you need one and how to make the most of them in grad school and beyond

Building Programs for the Long-Term: Think C-S-C

https://programminglibrarian.org/blog/building-programs-long-term-think-c-s-c

“In the Free Library of Philadelphia’s Skills for Community-Centered Libraries work, we rely on the idea of C-S-C: capacity, sustainability and communication. These three factors lead to long-term success for programs.

Capacity

Capacity is not just person power. It’s also resources, time (including not over-programming), space, effectiveness and knowledge/expertise.

Ask yourself: Does this program fit well with the person power and staffing you have at your library? Does it make effective use of the other elements of capacity listed? If yes, how are you achieving that?

Is there a person or organization in your community who could increase your knowledge/expertise in an area of need?

Sustainability

How sustainable is your program? If you want a program to last for a whole year or longer, what type of planning do you need to ensure success?

Would this program exist if one member of your library team transferred to a different library? If yes, you’ve built great capacity! If no, why not? What can you do to ensure the program exists without this team member?

Communication

First, consider how you communicate with patrons. Are you presenting information about library processes, policies and programming in accessible ways? If so, how are you doing that? Are these documents translated into the languages that are spoken by your library community? Are your programs advertised in multiple formats to reach a wider audience (website, social media, flyers, bulletin board, etc.)? Are you communicating with your community about their needs regarding programming? How can the planning of programs include more community feedback?

Next, consider how you communicate with staff. Does your library use a template to document the processes and information related to its programs? That is, are they documented in a consistent way? If so, how are you doing that? Can you easily review and distribute information in shared formats? Could your programs be replicated by other staff members at your library? If yes, do you find this beneficial? If not, do you think this might be useful?

Remember, if you want to build community-centered programs that last, consider capacity, sustainability and communication, or C-S-C.

Download the Skills for Community-Centered Libraries curriculum.”

SOAR Analysis: 16 Questions to Improve Your Community Engagement

https://programminglibrarian.org/blog/soar-analysis-16-questions-improve-your-community-engagement

“What is SOAR?

SOAR — which stands for Strengths-Opportunities-Aspirations-Results — is a way of assessing and describing an organization, program or plan. It uses a process called appreciative inquiry to focus on an organization’s strengths, not its weaknesses.

Your library team can use the SOAR Analysis as a framework to move beyond community outreach (building awareness about your library) to community engagement (building relationships with the community to empower people to take ownership of their library and its resources).

Let’s go through the SOAR sections one at a time.

Strengths: What can we build on?

We begin with the “S” in SOAR and consider our library’s strengths. Working in a group with your library colleagues, consider the following questions:

What is the library known for?

1. What does the community think the library does well? How can we build on that together?
2. What key resources give the library an advantage to connect with their communities in a world where information resources can be found nearly everywhere?
3. What makes the library unique?

Perhaps your library is known for its stellar book collection or its availability of space for community gatherings. You may have helpful staff, ample computers, or just a reputation for being a safe and welcoming space. Write all of these answers in the top-left quadrant of your SOAR Analysis.

Opportunities: What are our best chances to leverage success?

Next, your group will consider your library’s opportunities.

1. What community needs and wants could the library address?
2. How do the library’s strengths align with community needs? How could the library develop programs or services targeting these needs?
3. What community partnerships would lead to greater programming success?
4. What are key areas of untapped potential for the library?
5. What changes do we expect to see in our communities over the next five years? Where could the library make a difference?

Aspirations: What do we care deeply about?

In this part of the SOAR analysis, we envision a closer connection between the library and the community. Consider the following:

1. What is our community passionate about?
2. What should our future community look like?
3. What strategies and actions support our vision for this future library and community?
4. Based on the passions and needs of our community, what can we do to advance the library’s strategic plan goals?

Results: How will we know we are succeeding?

This final part of the SOAR discussion explores how you will know you have reached your goal. These questions can also be used in discussions at your library or in other community settings.

1. Considering the identified strengths, opportunities, and aspirations, how will we know we are on track in achieving our goals? What results do we want to see?
2. How might we track the impact or changes that have happened?
3. Imagine it’s ten years in the future and your neighborhood library is being recognized as one of the most community-centered libraries in the country. What is said in the proclamation? What did you do along with the community to receive this recognition?

Community-centered libraries promote and support positive change in their communities, and to do that, we need to start approaching things from a new perspective. The above questions can help your library gain the insight you need to engage your community in a meaningful dialogue to understand how to best serve their needs.

Download the Skills for Community-Centered Libraries curriculum.

For more information about the Skills for Community-Centered Libraries”