Survive and Thrive: those you report to

More show & tell time

• What have you done differently as a result of the last two weeks?

Poll time!

Who hired you?Whom do you report to?

The person who hired you may be your best supporter

So when that person leaves…

Bad manager/board chairs

Mission

Your mission is to strengthen your community. Make that known.

Know your respective roles

Read the charter and then confirm with

actuality• Tradition overrides rules until

absolutely necessary• But always work for term limits!

Bridgeport example

• Percentage of the mill rate discovery. The library won but made enemies.

What are their responsibilities?

Board committees

• Governance and nominations• Finance• Long range planning• Executive committee (officers

plus committee chairs)

But not these

• Development• Personnel• Buildings and grounds• Any others?

If a board member does anything not in the purview of the

board’s charter, they are acting as a

patron, not a board member.

You and the Board Chair(or City Manager)

A special relationship, if you’re lucky

Put yourselves in their position

Visualize the meeting, the effort, the value

Poll time!

Who does a formal board or manager orientation?

Who does board evaluation?

Board selection

Board orientation

Board orientation

Sign up for library social media, get a library card, take a tour (physical and virtual), email etiquette and rules (no reply all!), FOIA, finance and budget, past minutes, past director’s reports, committee opportunities.

Board evaluation

Using outside consultants

How do you use the allotted meeting

time?

Boards Can Become

Bored

It’s up to you to prevent that

Use images

It adds credibility and keeps it lively. Video what’s happening in your own library. “If only they had been there” is solved.

Our stories are more powerful than our

statistics

Calendar of topics

• Local issues• National issues• International issues

What does your reporting look like?

No surprises!

Have “fire drills”

Speak their language

• Economic development is always a winner

How do you use the informal time?

Have stories ready for every party, concert, and ball game.

Typical challenges

• The know-it-all (“I’m not expert, but…)• The resume-builder• The distracted one• The latecomer• The gossiper

Know their soft spots

• They are also humans with needs and feelings

• Make them smart and important

Know when to step back and forward

• Yoyo moves are common when the players change

Where do you sit at meetings?

How to make deals

When not to make deals

What did I forget to mention?

Resources

• simonejoyaux.com• ALA think tank on Facebook• Library Administrator’s Digest• ICMA (International City Management

Association

Class yearbook (monthbook?) time

Tim Wiles

Betcinda Kettells

Class #4, the final chapter

• Friends groups• Vendors• “Physical space” leadership• Plus, how to know when it’s time to

leave your position