New Mexico State Library

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Public Library Directors 101

Are you new to the public library director role? Or considering becoming a director in the future?
This series will introduce you to the many and unique facets of public library directorship. Each of the four on-demand recordings provide a broad overview that both informs and inspires.

Overview
Public Library Directors 101 is an introduction to some of the key concepts every new public library director needs to know on the day they start their new job.

This four‐part video series was designed by state librarians, library development directors, and CE coordinators around the question: “What do public library directors tell us they wish they had known when they started their job?

The videos are under ½ hour each and apply to any library director in any size of library in any state. It is recommended that new library directors view all of the videos within the first month they begin their job. The videos are as follows:

1. Your New Role – Whether you have served in a different role at your library or you are brand new to the community, this video explores how a library director needs to refocus when assuming this new position.

2. Community Relations – The directorship is an outwardly‐focused position in the library. This session explores the concept and considers the library as a community anchor institution.

3. Planning and Project Management – The director is the futurist for the library. While he or she may have participated in planning activities in the past, now the director will be leading the charge in planning for the library’s future and implementing the plan.

4. Asset management – Finally, this episode looks at how the director will be managing all the assets of the library system ‐ which includes buildings, the collection, revenue, and staff.

Length: 3 hours

Public Library Directors 101 was produced through the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA) Continuing Education Connector project and supported through funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

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