Some of you may have noticed the last bit of Michael Stephens’ post this morning regarding a great read and a great library. Dear readers, most of you know that I think the Cluetrain Manifesto is an amazing call for businesses (read libraries!) to change and you also must know by now that I love the Darien Library.
They deserve to have that tag in Library Thing. Some of you may be wondering what makes Darien different from your library. Why do I go into fits of joy whenever I see that they are doing something else?
- They trust their people. Everyone on their staff who wants to blog, can, in their own voice, and style. When speaking with Louise Berry and Alan Gray at Midwinter, I was impressed with their desire to see their staff succeed, for their voices to be heard, and for their library to be the kind of place that works from the bottom up. This was not mere lip service, which is what I fear is the noise I hear most often. They were striving to, not only create a human face for their library, but promote it as one of their hallmarks.
- They cared enough about the success of their new initiatives that they planned an all day staff retreat to kick it off. All. Day. Staff. Retreat. Amazing, yes? When was the last day all of your staff attended a training, together? When was the last time there was an honest discussion? When was the last time the library was closed?
- Louise Berry, their director, is also a great lady who seemed like the kind of boss many of us long for. I must admit that being managed well is a blessing, one that it very hard to lose.
I think that Libraryland should feel blessed to have places like Darien Library, AADL, and PLCMC in our midst. They challenge us to be better by creating a higher standard to which we all can aspire.
–Jane, looks around for ways she can make changes