Recordings & Resources

Libraries collect and generate a lot of data. How do we use that data along with data from other sources like the U.S. Census to tell our library’s stories? In this webinar, you’ll learn to craft questions that can be supported by data to support library services or initiatives, identify and access relevant datasets, and recognize available visualization tools. The heart of the presentation will focus on stories and how you can combine questions with visual data to craft your library’s story.

After an exhaustive two-year process, the DPI's Public Library Development Team has released the 6th edition of the WI Public Library Standards. Utilizing a work group of more than 30 library directors, trustees, and system staff from all regions of the state, the team has radically changed the layout and structure of the Standards, including a new approach to the quantitative values. This session will explore and explain the challenges, including those pertaining specifically to public library trustees.

In this session, we will challenge the traditional model of advocacy for libraries and instead look at how we create activists for libraries to build the public support we need to survive. We’ll look at how our current advocacy model is failing libraries and causing massive defunding and closures and we’ll explore many of the strategies and tactics used by some of the best community organizers, political action committees, and politicians to build real actionable support from networks of change through community organizing and political action. We will emphasize the resources and skills that librarians and library staff need to develop if they want to have the political and community support that they need in order to increase support and funding.

Meetings may sound boring to some but in fact, they are the best place to discuss your library's policies, how busy the library is, and how well the library is meeting its goals.  Surprisingly, many boards do not function well.  There may be a bully on board, someone might dominate the conversations, or there might just be plain personality clashes.  This program will show you how to resolve any issues you may have and how to prevent them from happening in the first place.

Becoming a new trustee can be an intimidating experience.  There’s that huge DPI Trustee Manual, there are all those acronyms to learn and the decisions you have to make can affect people in your area for years.  Krista will simplify the process of orientating new trustees.  A few basic principles to know and understand will enable new trustees to hit the ground running, be effective early, and set the tone for continuous learning of all the information they need to know to represent their library or system in an efficient manner.