LLN Funding & Politics Articles

Jamie LaRue Speaks:

February 4, 2008: Citizens, engage
October 15, 2007: Shall library funding be increased?
October 6, 2007: Who endorses the library?
August 7, 2007: Reform Needed not Just for Schools

March 2007 LLN Peer Panel

We have yet to read an employment advertisement for a library director’s job that says anything akin to “sales experience essential.” And yet, selling is an important part of the job for virtually every library leader, especially at budget time or when we are asked to explain our existence in the world of the web. Thus in March, we have asked the LLN Peer Panel to: “share with our readers the three or four (more, if you have them) selling points you use as you seek funding and respond to the many questions about the importance and relevance of the library in the Web Era. And if you are not currently running a library, tell us what you would say if you were.”

"The Director-board Team: Myth or Must Do?

From time to time, LLN likes to pass on what are best described as "useful quick tips." One such "UQT" is this one concerning how to make the most of library governance, from new LLN contributor Ellen Miller. (March 2007)

The $16 Billion Library

Quantitative data on library usage have proven somewhat helpful in the past but, as this article from Bob Molyneux suggests, understanding what causes the numbers is more useful than the numbers themselves. The fact that we are not doing a very good job of understanding and measuring these “whats” should be cause for some alarm bells to ring. Maybe we can learn from Google and Yahoo? (March 2007)

Holt Perspectives: Is DC Public Ready for Its Renaissance?

August 22, 2006: Part 4
Glen Holt concludes his series on the District of Columbia Public Library by recounting recent dramatic events and discussing the success factors and players involved in the hoped-for renaissance.

August 8, 2006: Part 3
In Part 3 of his essay on the Washington, D.C. Public Library, Glen Holt discusses the Blueprint authored by the mayor’s taskforce. The devil is in the details, of course, and Glen is fast to point out the many challenges new director Ginnie Cooper and her staff face as they make the Blueprint into a living, breathing, and hopefully successful, library.

August 1, 2006: Part 2
We continue with the saga of the Washington D.C. Public Library. In Part 2 (of 4), Glen Holt makes it clear that it takes a lot more than money to create a great library system. The funds are flowing in our nation’s capital, but many managerial challenges await new director Ginnie Cooper.

June 10, 2006 :Part 1
The late banker Walter Wriston would often (off the record) refer to Washington D.C. as “Disney World North.” Indeed, everything that happens “inside the beltway” is magnified beyond proportion--often grotesquely--by a combination of politicians, power, money and a media on steroids. And the effort to bring about a “renaissance” of the D.C. Public Library System is not immune from this phenomenon. In this first of a series, Glen Holt explores the background of this renaissance: the people and the politics involved with this most visible institution. Subsequent installments will deal with the varying views concerning the desired outcomes of this renaissance and explore the critical question: “Will the residents of DC get the great library system they need and deserve?" While Washington D.C. is certainly a "special" environment, we think you will find a number of parallels with the issues faced by all library leaders, regardless of library type and size.

Frankly Speaking : Libraries in the Flat World

June, 2006 LLN Peer Panel

June's questions:

What has worked best in attaining and maintaining the funding levels needed to offer your users first class service on an ongoing basis?
What new mechanisms have you employed (or heard about) that have enabled you (or others) to tap new sources of income for new or existing programs?
What is being done in the LIS arena to help prepare tomorrow’s leaders for this aspect of their jobs? What programs are available to current leaders?

Closing the Deal

Our recent article about Thomas Friedman's book, The World Is Flat, received an immediate response from Jamie LaRue, a member of the LLN Peer Panel. Jamie noted that not all of us are card-carrying extroverts, and thus may be a bit reticent about the "sales" responsibilities we have as part of our jobs. His article talks about his own experiences in a humorous and helpful way. (March 22, 2006)