Library Gazette

Recently, I had the opportunity to attend a SOLINET workshop at WSSU. The workshop was one of SOLINET’s Management 101 series: Making the Most of Your Library’s Resources. Resources include money, of course, but also people, materials and time. We spent a good bit of the morning talking about funding sources and strategies. Whether one is fundraising or requesting funding from a parent institution it is important to frame the request in WIIFM - what’s in it for me. If statistics are included in a report or request, be sure to back them up with a story that makes an impact. We spent just a bit of time on budgeting and then moved on to the important aspect of promotion. Again, WIIFM is key here, as well as remembering to promote up, promote out and promote in; that is, make sure superiors and colleagues know what is going on, as well as the targeted audience. We talked about working with groups such as boards and Friends of the Library. We also touched on the importance of people and time in terms of resource allocation. Resource management fits in to good management because it requires good planning, clear decision-making and clear leadership. It also involves questioning “sacred cows” - something to keep in mind as we go forward with strategic planning.