This Month at CLC: September 2018
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The Art of the Strategic Pause
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Summer’s almost over. Public librarians are wrapping up summer reading and racing head first into fall programs. Academic and school librarians are facing a tide of new students and all the demands of a new school year. Even some special librarians may sense that "back to school" vibe. Despite the inclination to think otherwise, this is the perfect time for a Strategic Pause.
A "strategic pause" is my term for taking the time in an unbelievably busy season to reflect, measure, celebrate, and most importantly, plan. Without this pause, it is too easy to move from one project to the next, one crisis to the next, losing the opportunity to learn from your experiences and maybe even boost your energy and outlook.
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Spend a few minutes reflecting on that summer reading program, conference you attended, or instruction you developed last year. Ask yourself what worked, what didn’t work, what would I do differently next time. Congratulate yourself on your successes. Document your thoughts - and more importantly, take those reflections and notes and look at your upcoming projects through your strategic pause lens. Tweak something that is already in the works. Learn from your successes (or less-than-successes) to create new ways to solve problems. At the very least, take a minute to put a slot of time in your calendar when you might spend time on a strategic pause.
CLC is taking our own advice this year by consciously building in more time to review what we’ve done and evaluate how we can improve programs. We will also be gathering and sharing your accomplishments, innovations, and celebrations. There is not one member I’ve spoken with who doesn’t feel like their plate is overflowing. While we always hope to lighten your load by negotiating discounts, being a liaison with vendors, and supporting your training needs, we also hope you’ll gain insights and help from other members. We all need each other, and CLC is proud to be a binding organization across our tight-knit Connecticut library community.
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Jennifer Keohane, Executive Director
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Alena Principato
Member Relations Manager, Public & Special Libraries
Attending roundtables is one of my favorite things I get to do at CLC. I love seeing librarians from across the state come together to get to know and learn from each other, solve shared problems, and have some fun in the process! Last month I had the pleasure of attending the inaugural meeting of the Reference & Instruction Roundtable at the Ridgefield Library (see photos). Co-chaired by Rachel Leff and Christie Mitchell, this new roundtable invites public, academic, and special librarians to discuss best practices, share ideas, and collaborate on challenges related to adult reference and instruction. This first meeting served as a group brainstorming session, resulting in a great list of future topic ideas (their
next 2 meetings
are already scheduled).
If you haven’t made it to a meeting in a while, I would encourage you to channel the “back to school” energy and excitement to explore the professional development opportunities available to you through CLC. As a reminder, you can find a list of all upcoming roundtables on our
website -
the fall calendar is filling up fast. I hope to see you at a roundtable soon!
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The group enjoys a tour led by Ridgefield Library director Brenda McKinley.
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Alena poses by Ridgefield Library's book wall with Reference & Instruction Roundtable co-chairs Rachel Leff and Christie Mitchell
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Julie Yulo-Medeiros
Member Relations Manager, Academic & School Libraries
One of the coolest things about being in education, whether at the college or K-12 level, is experiencing two new years - one at the start of school and one on January 1st. What did you do this summer to prepare for the new school year? Was it rest and relaxation, studying new material, writing, reading, or exploring the latest trends, technology and gadgets? Please keep me informed so that CLC can support you in making this new school year a productive and rewarding one.
One of my summer projects was to make sure members requesting
Turnitin
and
Scholastic Digital
products would be ready with their new subscriptions for the start of school. The interest in Scholastic Digital products such as BookFlix, TrueFlix, ScienceFlix, and FreedomFlix was huge! Members loved saving an average of 55% off the list price. CLC members purchasing Turnitin benefited from an average savings of 34% off the list price. If you missed your opportunity, it's not too late. Please
contact me
for more information about either of these products.
I also had the opportunity to attend several professional development events this summer. Read about one, the CLA Library Leadership Institute, below.
I look forward to speaking and meeting with you soon. Please reach out to me with questions, or just to say hi: 860.344.8777 x102 or
jyulo@ctlibrarians.org
. Here’s to a productive and rewarding new year!
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Amanda Stern
Events & Special Projects Manager
We all know that professional development is important, but traveling to conferences is not always convenient or possible within the parameters of our tight budgets. Here at CLC, we want to help you access the professional development you need to be successful in your job and grow in your career. Enter ... the roundtable.
We have 35 active CLC-sponsored roundtables available to you. These are groups of your colleagues who meet on a regular basis to discuss ideas, find solutions to problems, and share information to help each other learn and grow. We like to think they cover generally everyone across the state, according to region and specialty when possible. Do you focus on children’s services? We have roundtables for you. Interlibrary loan? We have roundtables for you. Are you an academic, school, or special librarian? We have roundtables for you. Take a look at our full list of roundtables – it's on the
CLC website
.
We want to connect each of you, our members, with the professional development that meets your needs. If you have never attended a CLC roundtable, make this your year to start! CLC staff will be present at most meetings, so it’s also an excellent opportunity to get to know us. We hope to
see you at a roundtable soon
.
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DISCOUNT HIGHLIGHTS: BACK TO BASICS EDITION
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Ordering books, non-print materials, and supplies for the school year? Don't buy anything without a CLC discount! We have you covered.
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Books
CLC's publicly-bid contracts with nine top book suppliers save CLC members millions of dollars each year. Our suppliers offer discounts up to 46.8% off books, and many offer free customized processing, free MARC records, free shipping and more. Featuring Baker & Taylor, Ingram, Mackin, GOBI Library Solutions from EBSCO, ProQuest (Coutts), Scholastic, Cavendish/Rosen, and BTSB.
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Non-Print
We go out to bid so you don't have to! Use our contracts to save on DVDs, Blu-Rays, books on CD, Playaways, videogames, and music CDs. Our suppliers offer deep discounts to CLC members, and add-on services as well. Shop with Alliance, Baker & Taylor, Ingram, Mackin, Midwest Tape, and TEI Landmark Audio to ensure you're getting the best price.
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Supplies
With CLC's Demco supplies contract, save an average of 43% (up to 70%!) off list on over 100 of the most popular library supplies items
,
plus office supplies, furniture, and more.
These are among the very best discounts we offer - and you'll probably find many items on the list that you already buy.
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Princh: Printing Solutions for Libraries
OK, this isn't a "back to basics" item, but we can't let you forget about our new offer. Princh is a simple cloud-based printing solution that allows library users to print, copy, and scan from their mobile devices, laptops, and (optionally) your public PCs, and to make electronic payments. Try Princh for free for the remainder of 2018, plus get 2 additional months when you subscribe. Visit our
Princh page
for a demo!
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Children's Librarians Roundtable South
Friday, September 7, 10:00am
Woodbridge Town Library
TOPIC: READING TOGETHER
Read a book. Ask a question. Start a conversation. It sounds simple, but it's a win-win library program! The Woodbridge Town Library just completed its 5th annual
Reading Together
program pairing high school students with K-2nd graders. Librarian Judy Rabin will tell you all about it so you can replicate it in your library.
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Office Administrators Roundtable
Thursday, September 13, 12:30pm
Wallingford Public Library
TOPIC: HOW MANY HATS DO YOU WEAR?
Do your daily responsibilities include financial duties such as payroll, banking, and AP/AR? What about HR roles, or maybe membership or even fundraising? What other myriad duties do you have? Share your talents and skills! Join other office administrators for a networking and learning opportunity.
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Young Adult Librarians Roundtable
Capitol Region
Tuesday, September 18, 10:00am
Cragin Memorial Library, Colchester
TOPIC: LET'S TALK COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT
What types of materials do you spend your budget on? Let's discuss print, media, downloadable material, a library of things, and more. We will highlight graphic novels: what's hot, what's not, circulation, location, and librarian favorites.
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These meetings are just a small sample of upcoming roundtables - 14 meetings are happening in September alone! Please explore and register for your favorites. Everyone is welcome at a CLC roundtable.
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SPOTLIGHT: A ROUNDTABLE FOR ROUNDTABLE CHAIRS
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Each CLC roundtable is led by a volunteer chair or co-chairs - library staff from our community who coordinate and facilitate the meetings. Last week, more than 20 roundtable chairs representing more than 15 roundtables participated in a CLC roundtable chair appreciation event. Kim Crowley, an independent consultant, presented a facilitation training created specifically for this group, followed by sharing and discussion - a roundtable for roundtable chairs! Participants walked away with their toolboxes filled with new skills, tips, and tricks to help their roundtables run smoothly.
--Amanda Stern, Events & Special Projects Manager
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SPOTLIGHT: CLA LIBRARY LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE
August 17, University of Hartford
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On August 17, Alena and Julie attended the CT Library Association's
Library Leadership Skills Development Institute
at the University of Hartford. "Overcoming Barriers to Communication" was the theme of the conference. ALA president Loida Garcia-Fedo started the day with a keynote presentation about ways libraries promote equity, diversity, and inclusion. Ms. Garcia-Fedo talked about the
Inclusive Internship Initiative
from PLA, designed to attract interest in library careers among high school students from diverse populations. This could be an excellent opportunity for collaboration between school and public librarians to identify potential interns.
An interesting afternoon activity called "Communicating from the Middle," facilitated by CLC roundtable chair Beth Crowley, gave participants the opportunity to solve real problems and network with each other. Small groups discussed one of five communication problems common to libraries around Connecticut. By the end of the task, each group had generated a list of possible solutions to the problem assigned to them, which they reported out. Participants left with a wealth of creative solutions to improve communication within their library. This exercise could easily be replicated in any library setting - give it a try to address communication, customer service, or other areas where we all could improve!
--Julie Yulo-Medeiros, Member Relations Manager, Academic & School Libraries
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