For the majority of my 25-year library career to date, I’ve worked for one library at a time, from health sciences to academic, learning along the way. Now, I work to help and support nearly 700 libraries in two states, including the Indiana State Library and the Library of Michigan. Talk about a learning opportunity!
To begin learning what I need to know to be an effective executive director, I’ve had the first of many meetings and conversations in Indiana and Michigan, with MCLS staff, member libraries, Board members, and other partner organizations. I’ve interviewed each staff member to learn about them as people, their experience working at MCLS and what they value about being a part of our organization, how we might improve, and their expectations of me. I’ve come away from these conversations with even greater respect for MCLS’s people. Everyone here truly cares about serving others, solving problems, and helping all types of libraries be the best they can be for their communities. They embrace the challenges and changes we and libraries face, and are committed to working through them together, with care, grace, humor, and trust. I hope you’ll take advantage of opportunities, through our newsletter and in person, to get to know more of our staff and learn about the great work they do.
In my first month on the job, I’ve gained an understanding of the systems and processes we use to keep track of members and offer services, as well as some potential ways we could improve on those things. I’ve learned about how each person on our staff supports our members, and the larger community. As one example, I agree with Michigan State Librarian Randy Riley that it is amazing how many books continue to move around the state through MeLCat — over 106,000 in the month of February alone! Our Consulting Services for strategic planning and other initiatives continue to be very popular, and our recent Harwood Public Innovators Lab in Indiana was a great success. Our Group Purchasing team continues to identify new products for libraries, and held an engaging Spring eResources Meeting on March 28. And our IT and Accounting teams are working actively to improve our back-office systems and keep our building up to date.
In March, I had the chance to say hello to many Michigan colleagues at Michigan Library Association Executive Director Gail Madziar’s retirement reception. I went to Indiana to meet with our staff located near Lafayette and learn more about what’s happening there. I met Jos Holman at Tippecanoe County Public Library and saw their book checkout machine housed in an historic gas station garage. I observed school kids enjoying a virtual tour of the Indiana State House on iPads in the Indiana State Library (ISL), and visited the state house to meet some of the people who participated in the Indiana Library Federation’s Library Day at the State House. There, I enjoyed learning about Vigo County Public Library’s technology programs. I spoke with Indiana State Librarian Jake Speer about how ISL works with libraries across the state, and potential opportunities for MCLS to collaborate and engage libraries in new ways in Indiana. I look forward to returning to Indiana in April, after I return from the International Coalition of Library Consortia (ICOLC) meeting.
In the coming months, I will continue learning about what MCLS does, and could do, to support libraries in Indiana and Michigan. The conversations I’ve had so far hold many interesting possibilities. If you’d like to discuss your ideas with me, please don’t hesitate to contact me at garrisons@mcls.org or by phone at (800) 530-9019 ext 119.
Photo credit: Vigo County Public Library
Tippecanoe County Public Library’s book checkout machine
IN State House
