Day 1 of the Exchange Has Concluded!

The first day of the Exchange successfully concluded. Recordings of the presentations, plus the presenters’ slides and a transcription of the presentations are available on the Exchange website.  We encourage you to continue the conversation with the presenters by submitting comments and questions to their presentation pages on the website. Additionally, you’re encouraged to use the Twitter backchannel #ALLExchange to interact with other participants throughout the conference. The Exchange website features a Twitter feed to keep everyone informed. Day 2 continues on Wednesday, May 6, at noon EDT.  Each day will conclude with a summary of the day’s events. The following summary is provided courtesy of Exchange Working Group member Narine Bournoutian.

Exchange Day 1: May 4, 2020. Leadership and Change Management

Keynote: Making Power, Making Change: presented by Emily Drabinski

Drabinski emphasized the importance of building power collectively to make the change that we want both in our institutions and the world. This topic is especially relevant in the current pandemic: what power vacuums are now opening up?  Librarians should be aware of the power built into library infrastructures; the systems we build determine what’s done within them and how the power flows. This applies to many systems within libraries, which means that many of us do have some ability to determine the flow of power within our libraries, even when it seems like we may have none. One example cited was the LC classification system, which can set up a narrative of power- -what is worthy of classification or set up as the default narrative?

Emily noted that power is contingent and contextual, relative to a demand, and shared/collective (which is the essential principle behind union activity within libraries). She shared her experience as a locked out faculty member at previous position and how it helped her learn how to build power collectively, particularly in a union environment. She stated that solidarity can take many different forms, including the less visible organization on the backend that’s essential for public organization and overall change to occur. Finally, Emily pointed out that unions are good structured systems to leverage collective power, but not the only method to do so. She recommended getting to know everyone in your organization and having the ability to collaborate and mobilize collectively, particularly in a non-union environment.

Managing Change from The Inside-Out: The Library as Catalyst for Transformational Change: presented by Cinthya Ippoliti

Ippoliti’s presentation focused on transformational change as defined by Jean Bartunek: one where there’s a shift in organizational attitudes, beliefs, and values. Reframing often requires new information and perspectives, which can lead to conflicts and contradictory ideas within an institution. She highlighted different kinds of leadership, but recommended the concept of inclusive leadership, which focuses on diversity, curiosity, intelligence, being impartial about one's institution, holding others and oneself accountable, and being open to collaboration.

Cinthya noted that administration and institutional leaders must establish trust: be consistent and transparent about the organizational processes that drive change work and consider the processes themselves in detail. It’s important to show vulnerability and acknowledge mistakes when they’re made, as well as being mindful of psychological challenges to changes. One must also develop a strong infrastructure: establish guidelines, documentation, and clarify roles. Participants shared their own opinions on infrastructure challenges, including lack of staff, funding, transparency, communication, documentation. In closing, Cinthya stressed the importance of stakeholder engagement—it’s important to have stakeholders as collaborators in inclusive leadership. Leaders must be sure that they can tell their community's story authentically for an audience to understand it and to ensure that it reflects their institutional values.

Are We Ready? Including Organizational Readiness in Your Change Plan: presented by Aaron Noland

Noland’s presentation addressed extending Lewin's Change Model, which he felt has limitations due to its assumption that change is linear (which it isn't all the time). Lewin’s Change Model is a 3-step process: A) Unfreeze: emphasize the need for change while managing anxiety; B) Change: plan and implement and communicate with everyone involved; and C) Refreeze: institutionalize the changes, celebrate progress. Some of the pitfalls for successful change include lack of impetus to change, insufficient communication, lack of vision as to "why," no short term wins, claiming success before it’s done, and a lack of connecting change to organizational culture.

Aaron proposed that “readiness” should be added in as a first step in Lewin’s Change Model: one must assess the organization’s preparation for change before there’s any unfreezing.  Readiness is formed by both organizational attributes and individual attributes. Ways to increase readiness included vicarious experiences, formal communication from the top down, improving organizational culture, and mastery experience with smaller scale changes. He provided examples from the James Madison University Libraries, which used low stakes annual planning to increase readiness for larger institutional change.

Culturally Responsive Public Services: presented by Sarah Copeland, Chapel Cowden, and Lu Gao

“Culturally responsive” was defined as the ability to understand and consider the different backgrounds of the people you teach or to whom are offered services. It’s an important consideration for all public facing services within the library, even if staff are not in an immediate customer service role. The presentation also touched on culturally responsive teaching for instructional librarians, which is a pedagogy that recognizes the importance of including cultural references in all aspects of learning. It’s vital that library staff recognize the importance of relationship building, self-reflection and self-education, and move beyond "cultural highlighting" in their services and collection.

It was recommended that librarians can broaden their cultural responsiveness by reading widely, completing continuing education, finding relevant facts, and listening to the concerns of all community members. Sarah, Chapel, and Lu shared a list of recommended reading for librarians to broaden their knowledge, which can be found with the presentation handouts.  The presentation also emphasized that self-reflection is critical before getting to know one’s communities. They invited participants to engage in guided self-reflection and posed the following questions: what’s your cultural background and can you think of ways that it affects your approach to providing library services?

3 C’s for Leading Community Engagement Initiatives in Academic Libraries: presented by Steven Bell

Bell started his presentation by highlighting the “Town-Gown conflict” that often arises when universities take over a neighborhood and make local residents feel like outsiders, particularly in high-density urban neighborhoods. However, universities need the support of such communities for both the communities and institutions to thrive and for a positive relationship to form between these two spheres. One relevant example from Temple University was that a planned football stadium’s construction was indefinitely delayed due to protests from local residents.

Steven then went on to illustrate the three “C’s” for community engagement: A) curiosity- investigate every possible opportunity to engage with your community; B) Collaboration: be willing to take the first step and reach out to administration, community leaders, or both. This also means be willing to face rejection; C) Conviction: believe in your ideas and articulate them in ways that will gain you followers. He provided examples of two successful projects at Temple University Libraries, including an initiative to offer summer library jobs to middle school students and to help them consider libraries as an employment path. Despite initial resistance, students excelled at the work. A second community engagement project was to open computer lab hours for local community residents who lacked access to internet or computers, including staff offering tech support if needed. Steven then invited participants to share their own ideas and examples of community outreach projects or initiatives.

 

Managing Change from Inside-Out

Cinthya Ipololiti,  Director and University Librarian, University of Colorado, Denver, will present the session “Managing Change from the Inside-Out: The Library as Catalyst for Transformational Change” on May 4, 12:45 at 1:25 p.m. EDT. Her guest blog post follows.

Change management is widely discussed today in a wide variety of contexts, including libraries. At the organizational level, change can prompt the organization to question its core mission, vision, and values as it grapples with its situational conditions and experiences. Managing change in this environment is not about controlling the change and reactions to it, but rather engaging in activities and discussions that help to shape it. To effectively deal with change, one must first understand what it is and how it affects the organization on both a structural level (doing things differently), and an affective one (how each person reacts to these dynamics). Change is much more complicated than the application of a specific model or framework, and the other facets of change, such as anxiety and uncertainty, are often up to the individual to navigate without much direction or support.

Transformational change is defined by Jean M. Bartunek as one in which there’s a shift in organizational attitudes, beliefs, and cultural values. David L. Dinwoodie et al. draw comparisons between transformational change and ecosystems: it’s widespread and self-sustaining, occurs in stages and in networks that face systemic disturbances, and that it encounters challenges and opportunities that provide added layers of complexity. If we examine these elements more closely, we begin to see that what they’re discussing is a staged approach in which individuals help to prepare the organization for change by understanding the existing terrain, strengthening and growing relationships as change becomes integrated within the system, and creating an environment where it’s is widespread and sustained. 

This session will offer information about transformational change components, what type of leadership actions and considerations might be effective in navigating this environment, plus practical applications of these concepts through organizational examples and best practices.  Let’s discuss your questions about these processes and elements. Please insert comments and questions into this document via Google Docs.

Sustainable Thinking: A Conversation with Keynote Speaker Rebekkah Smith Aldrich

Rebekkah Smith Aldrich
Rebekkah Smith Aldrich
is the Executive Director, Mid-Hudson Library System (New York), a cooperative library system chartered by the New York Board of Regents. She's also one of the keynote speakers for the Exchange, and her address is titled "Sustainable Thinking for the Future of Libraries." That keynote will take place on Friday, May 8, 2020, at 12:10 p.m. EDT.

The following is a Q & A with Ms. Smith Aldrich.

 

1. How did you become involved with sustainability and libraries?

RSA: Much of my career has been focused on the need to inspire taxpayers, government officials and private donors to invest in libraries. Passing budget votes, referendum for capital projects, designing capital campaigns and smaller fundraising efforts puts a microscope on whether or not an institution is worthy of investment from members of our communities. Are we worthy? Working backwards from that question next led me to think about our values as a profession. We’re a noble profession doing good work that makes a difference in people’s lives. That should be enough, but often isn’t. We need to live our values out loud in everything we do. Our values must be infused in our polices, procedures, facilities, service and program design. If we truly care about those who work in our institutions and those we serve, that should be evident down to the bones of our work. That means we need to start at the beginning, every choice we make tells a story about who we are as professionals and as important community assets that have immense influence over those we serve. How we build buildings, what materials we choose to furnish our facilities with, where do our office products come from, where do they go when we are done with them are just as important as how we treat our staff and patrons, what books we put in our collection, and what programs we develop for our constituents.

Environmental sustainability should be evidenced in our work, alongside a commitment to social equity and fiscal stewardship. This is the “triple bottom line” by which we can create libraries that are focused on the right things, that produce working and learning environments that are healthy for people and a place from which to embed our service design philosophy so that we are focused on the right things – helping those we serve thrive in today’s world.

There’s no bigger shared interest than the health and well-being of our world. It impacts us all and library leaders should take responsibility for caring enough to prioritize the Earth if they truly want to live their professional values out loud.

2. You co-chaired ALA’s Special Task Force on Sustainability. The Task Force’s final report includes this quote, “When considering the urgent environmental threats – air and water quality, food insecurity, depletion of natural resources, rising sea levels, more frequent severe weather and the multitude of economic, political, technological and social disruptions that are evolving concurrently with these life-threatening developments, what the world needs now is more empathy, respect and understanding so that people can pull together to find shared solutions to the issues that affect us all.” Can you elaborate on this statement, which by the way, is so relevant to our current circumstances? What steps can library professionals take to help others thrive in the face of adversity and challenge?

RSA: In my opinion, the most critical element to deal with the climate crisis is social cohesion. The very nature of crisis and disruption is that it has unpredictable elements to it, otherwise we’d have a clear plan and know just what to do to minimize damage to our society. When you don’t have a clear plan, you need smart people who can come together to figure things out and both draw on existing assets of a community as well as source new assets – whether they be physical or intellectual – to solve a particular issue.

As we watch our world leaders tackle the COVID-19 crisis, we can see that the communities that came together to care for one another, to support those who were more vulnerable, to create face masks when a local hospital’s PPE supply was running low – these are the communities that will have less people who die from the virus. Communities that are in denial, who circle the wagons and hoard needed supplies and let the more vulnerable in our communities fend for themselves exacerbate the problem, increasing infection rates and depleting the support system that wasn’t designed for such a catastrophe. If we focus – long-term – on generating empathy, respect and understanding, we’ll bolster a community’s resilience in the face of what’s to come – whatever that may be.

To do this, we need to focus on both the social connectivity and the practical aspects of resilience. Social connectivity can be strengthened in so many ways through library programs and services – choosing titles for a community read that tell stories of compassion, empathy, and a broader understanding of those not like yourself; children’s programs that infuse good citizenship, kindness – as well as through a library’s policies – how we treat staff and patrons through our institutional choices. The practical aspects of resilience – access to food, shelter, clean water, and safety can be addressed through a library’s own facility design and planning – renewable energy sources, greywater systems, generators that enable the facility to serve as a refuge or cooling center; as well as through the programs and partnerships they seek out – programs on self-sufficiency like food production, preserving and canning; repair cafes and fix-it programs; partnerships with first responders for disaster preparedness thinking and training – a focus on local – how will we communicate locally should traditional means of communication break down, how will food supplies be addressed if supply lines are compromised, how will kids be educated if they cannot enter school facilities for a long period of time? Many of these things, which once seemed very farfetched, have come into sharp focus during the COVID-19 crisis; it has greatly tested our business continuity planning and revealed areas that need attention for the future.

3. When people see or hear the term “sustainable,” they tend think in solely in terms of the environment. What are some ways that people can be encouraged to think differently so that they may develop sustainable solutions for their facilities as well as funding and leadership?

RSA: The definition of sustainability has been one of the most important messages to convey throughout our work on this topic. To help people understand that nothing exists in a vacuum, it’s all connected, means we need to deploy a whole-systems thinking strategy to truly produce libraries and communities that are sustainable. This is represented by the “three-legged stool” or triple bottom line definition of sustainability:

• Environmentally Sound
• Socially Equitable
• Fiscal Stewardship

If one of these elements is missing in a decision, facility design, product or policy, it’s highly likely it’s not sustainable. It’s through the balance of these three things that we design sustainable paths forward in our world.

I think we can encourage people to think differently by helping them see how things are connected: how a choice in the business office about copy paper isn’t just about the bottom line of how much it costs, but also about from where that paper came, what resources it took to create it, and where it will go at the end of its useful life. Just thinking through that one product can be incredibly eye opening. Very cool things can emerge, such as realizing you can make a better choice for the environment and actually pay less for the same outcome; it could result in realizing that we use way too much paper and find ways to cut down on that. This same step-by-step thinking can be applied to much larger systems such as paying a living wage, supporting local businesses, building facilities that are human-centric. Basic eco-literacy can go a long way.

4. Please discuss sustainability leadership and what it means. How can sustainability leadership become part of change management?

RSA: Sustainability leadership is a holistic, long-term approach to understanding how to create institutions built to withstand what’s coming. Change is always happening, sometimes on a short or small scale, sometimes on a long or large scale, but usually in between. Sustainability leadership asks us to take a very long view, to keep our eye on a horizon point rather than a calendar and to adopt a mindset of continuous improvement using the triple bottom line as our guiding light. Rather than change management, I see sustainability leadership as framing change as evolution - as a living organism, our institutions are evolving to not only respond or react but to lead the future.

5. What are some immediate steps that library professionals can take to initiate change and bring about sustainability in their libraries?

RSA: Start talking, find others who feel like you do. Institute policy at the governance and administration level of the organization to embed sustainable thinking and convert it to practice. It’s a big lift and one that will take buy-in at every level. What I’ve seen be effective is a champion who can help make the case, teams that can then translate vision into action and then thoughtful leadership that can align their library with community partners who have similar vision. That’s when true collective impact that makes a large-scale difference starts to happen.

6. The Mid-Hudson Library System is enormous, with sixty-six member libraries. The system’s website has a section devoted to sustainable libraries. How is sustainability practiced/instituted among the system’s members?

RSA: Each of our member libraries’ is autonomous with a locally appointed or elected board – that board of trustees is critical to the sustainability of the library. Trustee education and support for our member library directors is a huge focus for us to help them devise policy, programs and services that translate to supporting the needs and aspirations of those they serve. Many of our conversations are kicked off by the pursuit of sustainable funding, meaning voter-designated revenue that’s not compromised by the whim of a new administration. Direct relationships with taxpayers/voters is a way for a community to decide what kind of community they want to be, one that invests in the education infrastructure like the library or one that de-invests in itself. Building credibility, trust, respect and good financial stewardship are the building blocks of helping our libraries be sustainable for the future so they can be co-creators of resilient communities.

7. How can libraries become involved in the Sustainable Library Certification Program?

RSA: The Sustainable Library Certification Program is currently working with fifty libraries in New York State and will be available nationally later this year. There’s no exam or worthiness test to start. We’re interested in working with libraries that have buy-in from the governance and administrative level who understand the importance of the work and want to approach it methodically to aid in a comprehensive look at a library’s policies and practices while positioning themselves as critical allies in their community, in their school or on their campus to address sustainable, resilient and regenerative approaches to the future. Visit https://sustainablelibrariesinitiative.org/ to learn more.

Visit the Exchange website for a full schedule and registration information.

Keynote: Sustainable Thinking for the Future of Libraries

Session Description

Library leaders must mobilize to ensure libraries take an active, visible role in building sustainable and resilient communities. Our future depends on citizens who are able to work together with empathy, respect, and understanding to adapt to the many challenges facing society. In 2019, the American Library Association adopted sustainability as a core value of librarianship. We will explore the importance of infusing the new core value of sustainability into everything we do, and demonstrate how libraries that lead into the future using “sustainable thinking” fulfill our mission as libraries in new and innovative ways. “Sustainable Thinking” is a concept that aligns the core values of libraries with the “Triple Bottom Line” definition of sustainability (i.e. the intersection of economic feasibility, environmental stewardship and social equity) to inspire investment and build support for your library in the future.

Presenter(s)

Rebekkah Smith Aldrich, Executive Director, Mid-Hudson Library System (MHLS)

Rebekkah Smith Aldrich
Rebekkah Smith Aldrich, a powerful advocate for public libraries, is the executive director of the Mid-Hudson Library System (MHLS) in Hudson, New York. In addition, she is a certified sustainable building advisor (CSBA) and is a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional (LEED AP). Smith Aldrich holds an advanced certificate in Public Library Administration from the Palmer School of Library and Information Science at Long Island University, where she is also an adjunct professor. She is a founding member of ALA’s Sustainability Roundtable and helped to pass the ALA Resolution on the Importance of Sustainable Libraries in 2015. Smith Aldrich was named a Library Journal Mover and Shaker in 2010 and writes a sustainability column for the journal. A prolific writer, Smith Aldrich is the author of Sustainable Thinking: Ensuring Your Library’s Future in an Uncertain World. She has also contributed chapters to Better Library Design (Rowman and Littlefield) and The Green Library (Library Juice Press). Like Drabinski, Smith Aldrich has given numerous presentations and keynote addresses at venues that include IFLA, the Association of Rural and Small Libraries Conference, the US Embassy in Peru, the American Library Association Annual Conference and the New York Library Association Conference.

Keynote: Making Power, Making Change

Session Description

Librarians make the future every day: we select and acquire, catalog and classify, circulate and preserve, determining along the way what is worth accumulating, sharing, and keeping forever, and what is not. Every time we decide to purchase one book and not another, we use our power to shape the library of the future. But what happens when we want to use that power for transformative change and not just tinkering? How do we upend our own systems and structures in order to produce more just futures? How can librarians change the world? Drawing on lessons learned from the labor movement, this talk develops an analysis of power as something library workers can build with and for each other. Using tools and techniques we already have in our repertoire, we are well-positioned to make another world possible.

Presenter(s)

Emily Drabinski, Interim Chief Librarian at Mina Rees Library, Graduate Center, City University of New York (CUNY)

Emily Drabinski
Emily Drabinski is the Interim Chief Librarian at Mina Rees Library, Graduate Center, City University of New York (CUNY). She is also the liaison to the School of Labor and Urban Studies and other CUNY masters and doctoral programs. Drabinski’s research includes critical approaches to information literacy instruction, gender and sexuality in librarianship and the intersections of power and library systems and structures. She currently serves as the series editor for Gender and Sexuality in Information Studies (Library Juice Press/Litwin Books). Additionally, Drabinski serves on the editorial boards of College & Research Libraries, The Journal of Critical Library & Information Studies and Radical Teacher, a socialist, feminist and anti-racist journal devoted to the theory and practice of teaching. Drabinski has given numerous keynote addresses and presentations at the Big XII Teaching and Learning Conference, the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Conference and the Digital Library Federation.

Managing Change From The Inside-Out: The Library as Catalyst for Transformational Change

Session Description

Located in downtown Denver, Colorado, the Auraria Campus is home to three institutions of higher education – University of Colorado Denver, Metropolitan State University of Denver, and Community College of Denver – the latter two are Hispanic-Serving Institutions. The Auraria Library serves the campus’ approximately 43,000 students, including many first-generation, underrepresented, and non-traditional students, and sees more than 750,000 visits a year. In 2018, I was hired as Auraria Library’s director. In addition to the challenges of serving three institutions with differing needs, I quickly realized that the library itself was in a state of transition and seeking answers for what was going to come next for the organization.

Library employees are incredibly passionate and dedicated, and it was important to build on the existing work that had happened, while redirecting efforts in respectful and productive ways. This session will provide participants with a practical application of change management elements and approaches including:
 
Internal perspective:

  • Discussing the main elements of transformational change which takes an ecosystem approach and where there is a shift in organizational attitudes, beliefs, and cultural values
  • Preparing for strategic change by establishing trust and transparency in leadership
  • Creating new policies and processes in areas such as hiring, workforce planning, and budgeting
  • Building internal capacity through training, recognition, and mentorship
  • Considering the human aspect of change management by addressing reactions to and anxiety about change (both at the employee as well as at the administrative levels)
External perspective:
  • Developing a robust stakeholder engagement framework to assist with strategic planning
  • Telling the library story and raising awareness about its impact for our faculty, staff, and students

Presenter(s)

Cinthya Ippoliti, Director and University Librarian, University of Colorado, Denver

Cinthya Ippoliti
Cinthya Ippoliti is the University Librarian and Director of the Auraria Library at University of Colorado Denver. Previously, she was the Associate Dean for Research and Learning Services at Oklahoma State University where she provided administrative leadership for the library’s academic liaison program as well as services for undergraduate and graduate students and community outreach. Other past work includes Head of Teaching and Learning Services at the University of Maryland where she was in charge of the spaces, services, and programming offered by the Terrapin Learning Commons in addition to coordinating the libraries’ First Year instruction program.