Redefining Library Boards for Dynamic Communities: Community Development

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Redefining Library Boards for Dynamic
Communities Community Development

• Dr. Ken Haycock
• 2006

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Basic Factors in Effectiveness

• Determine Mission and Purpose
• Select/Support/
• Evaluate the CEO
• Articulate Roles and Relationships
• Plan Strategically/ Allocate Resources

• Monitor and Evaluate/Accountability
• Maintain Legal and Ethical Integrity
• Public Standing and Credibility
• Recruit Aggressively/
• Assess Performance

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The Library As Businessthe 4Bs?

• Develop the assets of our shareholders (the
  community)
• Decrease the liabilities of our shareholders (the
  community)
• Perceptions
• Book Barn?
• Community Development Agency?
• Passive or Active?

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Community Development

• Players come together to analyze community
  problems, generate solutions and develop action
  plans to improve the cultural, economic,
  educational, environmental, social conditions of
  their community

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So

• What is your vision for the role of the public
  library in your community? When do you discuss
  it?
• What difference does it make that you are sitting
  at the Board table rather than someone else?
• How will you affect positively and actively the
  lives of community residents?

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Our Community

• Strengths

• Focus Areas

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Public Library Roles

• Popular materials centre
• Preschoolers door to learning
• Support for informal life-long learning
• Support for formal education
• Community information centre
• Community activities centre
• Business information centre
• Research centre
• Library as place

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Definitions

• Inputsresources dedicated to or consumer by the
  programstaff/ money
• Activitieswhat the program does with the inputs
  to fulfill its missionreference/ storytelling/
  focused collections
• Outputsthe direct products of program
  activitiesnumber of participants/ circulation
  statistics/ hours open
• Outcomesbenefits for participants during and
  after program activitiesimproved literacy/
  economic development/ student achievement/ social
  capital

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Why Outcomes?

• Measure input and outputs to improve internal
  efficiency
• Monitor activities and outputs to compare to
  standards and other libraries
• Determine outcomes to assess results and improve
  effectiveness

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Focus on Outcomes

• Cultural
• Economic
• Educational
• Environmental
• Political
• Social
• Technological

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Strategies

• Knowledge-based governance leads to dialogue
  around critical issues
• Direct communication with customers and
  stakeholders
• Strong core values
• Clear focus

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Making It Work

• requires initiative
• relies on strategic, systematic planning
• stresses enabling, empowering
• develops assets and searches out range of
  financial sources
• multi-functional, integrative approach

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Issues

• Do we agree on the programs purposeaudienceasse
  ssmentdesirable short-term effects?
• Are outcomes clear? Within the program scope?
  Worthy of the effort? Important for communicating
  value?
• How will you know if the programs objectives
  (outcomes) have been met?

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Orientation

• external partnerships
• face-to-face interactions
• consent not control
• problem-solving
• grounded in best practice
• scope can vary from small initiatives to entire
  community
• long-term endeavor
• well-planned
• inclusive and equitable
• holistic and integrated
• community benefit

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Among the Possibilities

• Comprehensive initiatives
• Family literacy
• Student achievement
• Youth programming
• Home-based business
• Career information and job training
• City services and infrastructure
• Resource creation, compilation, collocation
• Meeting space

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For Example

• Adolescence
• (40 developmental assets)
• EXTERNAL support empowerment boundaries and
  expectations constructive use of time
• INTERNAL commitment to learning positive
  values social competencies positive identity
• Implications?

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Community Assets

• What are your communitys assets and strengths?

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Possibilities

• Could Improve

• Could Initiate

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Key Players

• Local officials
• municipal
• school board
• Senior municipal staff
• Community leaders
• Business
• Cultural groups
• The Press
• Agencies and associations
• Community Assets

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Experiences/Coalition Building

• Capabilities

• Capacities

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Public Library Leadership

• Identify Champions (leadership)
• See the potential of contributions to broader
  communitycreative, critical, collaborative
• Pick Winners
• Think strategically, plan, allocate resources
• Invest in Your Community
• Attract funding

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Other Roles

• Initiative in identification of concerns and
  interest
• Program development and coordination
• Resource allocation and coordination
• and the obvious?
• Infusing authentic information into the thinking
  and decision-making of the community

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Your Library Strengths?

• Knowledge of community
• Participation in community
• Correlation of programs to other community
  agencies
• stability professional staff funding
  neutral/inclusive amenities (parking meeting
  space technology)

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(Re)positioning

• Mission
• Policiesnature and type of partnerships (e.g.,
  faith-based? private/public schools?)
• Networking and relationships
• Staff expertise
• Available funding
• Promotion of public space for activities
• Market research (respect)
• Evaluate outcomes and impacts keep and use data
  take and give credit
• Community-based, market-driven, customer-focused

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Our Profile

• Foundations

• Focus Areas

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The Brantford Example

• Downtown redevelopment
• Access to formal education
• Children and youth
• Creative partnerships
• Connecting agendas
• andyour community?

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Benefits to the Library/Board

• Building social capital
• Building strong communities
• Visibility
• Involvement in community infrastructure issues
• Public contribution
• Partnerships enhanced and strengthened
• Services expanded to non-users
• Revenue generation
• Information literacy

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_at_yourlibrary

• Knowledgeable staff
• Accessible (free)
• Wide range of resources
• Building Strength through Effective Governance
  and Leadership

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Resources You Can Use

• Trustee Associations
• e.g., Alberta Library Trustees Association
  Resource Centre (well-organized web site with
  many links)
• State/Provincial Agencies

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Do We Make A Difference?

• What effect do we have on our community?
• What is the impact of the work that we do?
• Cultural, economic, educational, social,
  technological
• Does anyone care?

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To your success

• No time to ask your question?
• Concerned about privacy?
• Feel free to contact me at any time
• Dr. Ken Haycock
• voice 604.925.0266
• ken_at_kenhaycock.com