#LISprochat lead-in - topic & questions for Mon Aug 6 2018 - 8:30pm ET

justgrimes via Flickr

TOPIC

Strategies for effectively communicating the value of libraries and library services

Coming on the heels of our fantastic chat on marketing in July I am sure this sounds like it could be really similar, but I'm thinking we can take this in a different direction. I'm sure by now you all heard about the disastrous (and retracted) article about Amazon replacing public libraries written by the head of economics at Long Island University that Forbes published a few weeks ago. If you haven't here are a few great rebuttals:

Why a (now-deleted) op-ed about replacing libraries with Amazon blew up the internet from CNN
Forbes deleted a deeply misinformed op-ed arguing Amazon should replace libraries from QUARTZ
Forbes deleted its controversial article about Amazon replacing libraries from FastCompany
The Reddit thread
Replacing libraries with Amazon? from Tyson Adams
Articles by Librarians should replace opinion pieces by the uninformed from BookRiot

That last article title speaks to exactly the point I am trying to get at with this topic. There are still clearly a lot of misguided and un/misinformed people out there when it comes to information about libraries so let's talk strategies on how to tackle that problem.

PLEASE REMEMBER THAT WE'VE CHANGED THE TIME TO 8:30PM ET!

QUESTIONS

We post the questions here in advance of the chat so you can decide whether or not this topic is of interest to you and/or prepare your answers in advance.

Q1 What do you think are the best ways we can/tools we have to explain the value of libraries to those who just don't get it (i.e. politicians)?

Q2 Have you ever reached out to a politician at any level about the importance/value of libraries? Why or why not? How did it go if you did?

Q3 Have you ever started a grassroots movement to bring library issues to the forefront during an election? If so share your tips - if not, would you ever do it?

Q4 Given that it's a mid-term election year in the US, and a municipal election year in my home province of Ontario, are you informed about the ways the candidates in your area feel about libraries?

PLEASE CONSIDER JOINING IN ON TWITTER AT 8:30 PM ET NEXT MONDAY, AUGUST 6 USING THE #LISPROCHAT HASHTAG. 

#LISprochat lead-in - topic & questions for Mon Jul 232018 - 8:30pm ET

via Pixaby

TOPIC

Marketing library services

Marketing and outreach are mega important to a library in this day and age, and they can be hard things to do. So let's have a chat to talk about that. Good marketing and outreach can exponentially increase the impact of your services and programs. Here's an archived webinar to watch before the chat on 4 simple way to beef up your library marketing. Libraries are Essential has put together a list of marketing resources. Here's another piece called Tips for marketing the 21st-century library. And lastly, don't forget to check out the PLA's marketing strategies guide.

PLEASE REMEMBER THAT WE'VE CHANGED THE TIME TO 8:30PM ET!

QUESTIONS

We post the questions here in advance of the chat so you can decide whether or not this topic is of interest to you and/or prepare your answers in advance.

Q1 Share one way you have creatively marketed library services. How did that work out?

Q2 What tools/resources do you turn to in order to market library services?

Q3 What challenges have you encountered when marketing library services?

Q4 What advice can you share on marketing library services?

PLEASE CONSIDER JOINING IN ON TWITTER AT 8:30 PM ET NEXT MONDAY, JULY 23 USING THE #LISPROCHAT HASHTAG. 

#LISprochat lead-in - topic & questions for Mon Jul 19 2018 - 8:30pm ET

TOPIC

POST CONFERENCE CHAT!

Iiiiiiit's conference chat time!! That's right folks, it is indeed that time of year again. The time of year where we run our annual feature to help those of you who went to either SLA Annual or ALA Annual share what you learned with your colleagues who for whatever reason could not/did not attend. This way those of us who were #ALAleftbehind/#SLAleftbehind can still can some benefits from those sweet, sweet sessions, panels, and presentations. (I may or may not have been watching a lot of YouTube shows before writing this intro...I also may or may not have read the entire paragraph out loud as I was typing it...I admit nothing.)

PLEASE REMEMBER THAT WE'VE CHANGED THE TIME TO 8:30PM ET!

While you're here please consider checking out our new feature for 2018: #LISPROCHAT Reads, our professional development book club. The next book club session will be running next Monday, August 27, at 8:30 pm ET.

QUESTIONS

We post the questions here in advance of the chat so you can decide whether or not this topic is of interest to you and/or prepare your answers in advance.

Q1 Did you go to a conference this year? If yes, what conference and what was your reason for attending?  If not, why not?

Q2 What are your takeaways from  #SLA2018 or #ALAAC18 or other conferences and what did you enjoy the most?

Q3 Tell us about someone who you’ve met at #SLA2018 or #ALAAC18or other conferences and why are they awesome?

Q4 What did you like least/what you’d like to see change about #SLA2018 or #ALAAC18 or other conferences for next year?

PLEASE CONSIDER JOINING IN ON TWITTER AT 8:30 PM ET NEXT MONDAY, JULY 9 USING THE #LISPROCHAT HASHTAG. 

#LISprochat lead-in - topic & questions for Mon Jun 15 2018 - 8:30pm ET

Collaborative learning spaces at the Texas Tech library by Wesley Fryer via flickr

TOPIC

Engaging with the Profession

I thought it would be nice for us to have a chat about how we engaged with the profession and share our resources for doing so!

PLEASE REMEMBER THAT WE'VE CHANGED THE TIME TO 8:30PM ET!

While you're here please consider checking out our new feature for 2018: #LISPROCHAT Reads, our professional development book club. The next book club session will be running next Monday, June 25, at 8:30 pm ET.

QUESTIONS

We post the questions here in advance of the chat so you can decide whether or not this topic is of interest to you and/or prepare your answers in advance.

Q1 What resource(s) do you use for keeping up with current events/trends in libraries? What do you like about that resource/those resources?

Q2 What resource(s) do you use for library job hunting? What do you like about that resource/those resources?

Q3 What other library-related blogs/websites do you follow/visit?

Q4 What methods/tools/platforms do you use for making connections with library people & keeping those connections active?

PLEASE CONSIDER JOINING IN ON TWITTER AT 8:30 PM ET NEXT MONDAY, JUNE 18 USING THE #LISPROCHAT HASHTAG. 

#LISprochat lead-in - topic & questions for Mon Jun 4 2018 - 8:30pm ET

via Pixabay

TOPIC

Time Management for the Busy and Engaged Library Professional

Let me start off by apologising for how late this chat topic is being released. That would be me, Lauren, dropping the ball. I was off on vacation last week and didn't even think about #LISprochat being tomorrow until Leigh asked on Thursday night if I had a topic...and then I was so busy I promptly forgot again. And therefore I decided that it was time for a chat on time management for library professionals! I believe this is a topic we've covered before, but it's one of those ones that never hurts to have another look at. This is especially true because we as library professionals are so busy - between our jobs at the library, committees, associations, and publishing for those that have to, we're all super busy people, and that's not even accounting for our personal lives! So, here are a few articles on the topic to check out:

Time Management Tips for Librarians
Time and Task Management for the Library Professional
The Librarians' Most Critical Skill: Time Management
Making Every Hour Count - Librarians and Time Management

PLEASE REMEMBER THAT WE'VE CHANGED THE TIME TO 8:30PM ET!

While you're here please consider checking out our new feature for 2018: #LISPROCHAT Reads, our professional development book club. The next book club session will be running next Monday, June 25, at 8:30 pm ET.

QUESTIONS

We post the questions here in advance of the chat so you can decide whether or not this topic is of interest to you and/or prepare your answers in advance.

Q1 What is your go-to strategy for managing your time at work and in your volunteer life (if you volunteer)? What works for you and what categorically does not?

Q2 When you find yourself over-committed at the library & in your association involvement(s)? How do you handle re-evaluating your commitments to better manage your time?

Q3 What do you do when your time management strategies fail and you drop the ball(s)?

Q4 What advice/resources can you suggest to people who might need help learning how to better manage their time at work and/or in their volunteer lives?

PLEASE CONSIDER JOINING IN ON TWITTER AT 8:30 PM ET NEXT MONDAY, JUNE 4 USING THE #LISPROCHAT HASHTAG. 

#LISprochat lead-in - GUEST HOST topic & questions for Mon May 21 2018 - 8:30pm ET

via danthelibrarian

TOPIC

Mindful practice in librarianship

We have a guest host for this month's regular chat session. Allow me to introduce you to Amanda M. Leftwich. Amanda is the Head of Circulation & Cataloging at Lansdowne Public Library. She received her MSLS from Clarion University of Pennsylvania and BA in Art History from Arcadia University. Her research interests are aromatherapy, mindful practices, racial equity in librarianship, and collection development.

Amanda has kindly suggested some additional resources for you to check out as well:

1. Lisa Moniz & Richard Moniz. The Mindful Librarian: Connecting the Practice of Mindfulness to Librarianship. 2015. Chandos Publishing.
2. Michelle Reale. Becoming a Reflective Librarian and Teacher: Strategies for Mindful Academic Practice. 2017. ALA Editions.
3. Kristin Mastel and Genevieve Innes. “Insights and Practical Tips on Practicing Mindful Librarianship to Manage Stress.” Libres: Library and Information Science Research E-journal 23, no. 1 (March 2013). Available at http://www.libres-ejournal.info/372/. 
4. Melanie Greenberg. The Stress-Proof Brain: Master your emotional response to stress using mindfulness and neuroplasticity. 2017. New Harbinger Publications.
5. Kendrick, Kaetrena Davis. "The low morale experience of academic librarians: A phenomenological study." Journal of Library Administration 57, no. 8 (2017): 846-878.
6. Rohan Gunatillake. Modern mindfulness : how to be more relaxed, focused, and kind while living in a fast, digital, always-on world. 2017. St. Martin's Griffin. 

PLEASE REMEMBER THAT WE'VE CHANGED THE TIME TO 8:30PM ET!

While you're here please consider checking out our new feature for 2018: #LISPROCHAT Reads, our professional development book club. The next book club session will be running next Monday, June 25, at 8:30 pm ET.

QUESTIONS

We post the questions here in advance of the chat so you can decide whether or not this topic is of interest to you and/or prepare your answers in advance.

Q1 Have you ever heard of mindful practice in librarianship? What are your views on mindful practice in librarianship?

Q2 What strategies do you use to deal with stress and/or conflict in your day-to-day work life?

Q3 Should practical tips on mindfulness be taught in library schools and librarianship as a whole?

Q4 What resources or advice to have for people interested in starting mindful practices?

PLEASE CONSIDER JOINING IN ON TWITTER AT 8:30 PM ET NEXT MONDAY, MAY 21 USING THE #LISPROCHAT HASHTAG. 

#LISprochat lead-in - topic & questions for Mon Apr 16 2018 - 8:30pm ET

via PXhere

TOPIC

Bibliotherapy and Libraries

I just finished a 2-week workshop on bibliotherapy in relationships, and I really learned a lot and felt like it was a valuable experience. I feel like it's a good topic to discuss how bibliotherapy and libraries can go together and I have found several resources related to that topic for everyone to look at:

The ALA Bibliotherapy resource page
Bibliotherapy in a Library Setting: Reaching out to Vulnerable Youth by Natalia Tukhareli in the Partnership journal
Readers’ Advisory, Bibliotherapy, and Grief in YA Literature by Sarah Carnahan at YALSA's The Hub
The Bibliotherapy and Libraries website

On Bibliotherapy by Keren Dali on NoveList

PLEASE REMEMBER THAT WE'VE CHANGED THE TIME TO 8:30PM ET!

While you're here please consider checking out our new feature for 2018: #LISPROCHAT Reads, our professional development book club. The next book club session will be running next Monday, April 30, at 8:30 pm ET.

QUESTIONS

We post the questions here in advance of the chat so you can decide whether or not this topic is of interest to you and/or prepare your answers in advance.

Q1 Have you ever heard the term bibliotherapy? Have you had any experiences with this concept?

Q2 What is your understanding of the difference(s) between bibliotherapy and readers advisory?

Q3 s a library professional have you ever been asked for a book recommendation in a way that veered more into the bibliotherapy realm than the readers' advisory realm? How did you handle it?

Q4 Do you think bibliotherapy has a place in libraries? Do you think it's a realm we as library professionals should be looking to develop our skills in?

PLEASE CONSIDER JOINING IN ON TWITTER AT 8:30 PM ET NEXT MONDAY, APRIL 16 USING THE #LISPROCHAT HASHTAG.