| State
Librarian of California Susan Hildreth said in her welcome that the
orientation’s goal was to “bring the state together as a team.”
And in an early session, chair of the California Library Association (CLA)
Legislative Committee, Mark Smith emphasized that government leaders see
library directors as “authorities,” that the CSL’s training would
enable the directors to be “even better” advocates for their
libraries.
Hildreth’s
and Smith’s imperatives resonated over two days of sessions as CSL
leaders, CSL staff, and distinguished guest speakers addressed topics
such as “California Library Funding Programs,” “Pending State and
Federal Legislations,” “On-Line Statewide Library Services,” “State
Library Services,” and “Future CSL Initiatives.” |
Mark Smith and
Danis Kreimeier share the podium at the Public Library Directors Orientation
|
Many serious subject matters engaged the group. The
audience listened attentively to the sessions, among
which were: |
| • |
Deputy
State Librarian Cameron Robertson delineating the
history of the Public Library Fund (PLF). |
| • |
Library
Development Services staff explaining Library Services
and Technology Act (LSTA) funding (what Hildreth calls
“California’s venture capital”). |
| • |
CLA
President Danis Kreimeier calling for institutional
memberships in the CLA. |
| • |
Mark
Smith calling on directors to be “experts in their
communities.” |
Diverse
Districts – Diverse Needs
According
to CSL Library Development Services Chief Tom
Andersen, the orientation “was geared toward newer
directors, but those wishing a refresher were
welcome too.” The mix of veterans, new directors,
and deputies made the orientation conducive not just
to formal instruction, but also to informal
mentoring. Between sessions, attendees glimpsed
distant California districts from other leaders’
stories; they picked-up funding tips; they exchanged
business cards and management strategies.
Though
the directors all were in Sacramento to hear about
the CSL’s services, how they would use CSL tools
and information in their districts varied widely.
Lisa
Rutherford, director of the Banning Public Library,
traveled to Sacramento to learn firsthand how the
CSL could help her “rapidly expanding” district
between Palm Springs and San Bernardino. Rutherford
says “if the economy keeps growing our county
officials project that our district’s population
will double in the next 10-15 years,” a statistic
that is prompting Rutherford “to do long-term
planning.”
Because
she will have to apply for a library construction
grant for her growing district in the near future,
Rutherford found Bond Act Manager Richard Hall’s
presentation on the planning software Libris
Design useful.
Lisa
Musgrove of the Siskiyou
County Library, some 723 miles north of Banning,
came to Sacramento, like Rutherford, to learn how
the CSL could help her library. Far from “growing”
though, Musgrove reports Siskiyou County’s economy
is struggling. The sparsely populated northern
community (some branches such as Happy Camp and Tule
Lake are 1 ½ hours from the Yreka main branch) must
live with declining timber and mining industries and
the cash draining proximity of tax-free Oregon.
“I’m
here,” Musgrove said, “because my rural library
is financially dependent on the state. I’m also
very interested in the legislative aspect – in how
the Governor and the legislature are going to be
treating my library…” The orientation, said
Musgrove, allowed her to “wrap [her] head around”
CSL funding sources such as e-rate,
the PLF, and LSTA grants. It also helped her “remember
that legislators can help rural libraries.”
At
the orientation’s conclusion, Hildreth touched on
future activities that will help public library
directors. She talked about a collaborative
statewide summer reading program in which
participating libraries share marketing strategies,
supplies, and logos. And, of primary interest to directors-in-training, she said the CSL would
develop an executive component of CSL’s Public
Library Staff Education Program in cooperation with
San Jose State University’s Executive Master of
Library and Information Science program for library
managers and administrators.
For
more information about the CSL’s services for
public libraries and people who work in public
libraries, please explore Services
to Libraries on the CSL homepage, www.library.ca.gov.
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