PLMI 2015 Wrap Up

I feel like I have gained so much through this certification for PLMI. I am so grateful to the State for offering this. I have so much more confidence in myself as a branch manager. I have a wonderful network of fellow librarians across the state and also at TSLA. I have a toolbox of information that I can go to again and again. There is just not enough words to express how much this has meant to me and my library. I feel so often I can't and now I know that I can!

PLMI Thursday 2015

How did I feel about the challenges? Well let me say that I dreaded those so bad but I really enjoyed them so much! What fun and they really did challenge me. It was so fun to work with everyone else and I really found myself having a blast!! Changed my attitude completely.

PLMI 2015 Wednesday

I am feeling really good about the group project. I think Amanda S. and I work really well together. I am feeling stressed because it is coming down to the end for the project but I think we have done our best and I guess that is all we can do. Sometimes it get's a little hard because we are the only group of two but we have not let it bother us. We just carry on. And that's OK!

PLMI 2015 Tuesday

Wow! I loved Mary and Judy. They were wonderful and so personable. Loved the presentation and how she got everyone involved. We learned so much and laughed so much. I learned that my attitude matters a lot. I also realized that there is a better way to get things done besides getting mad and being defensive. I will be able to take so much back to my library and I will definitely keep this book close!

PLMI Monday 2015

I feel pretty good about the team aspect and project. I guess I am a little overwhelmed but I have a wonderful team mate in Amanda S. We are the only team with two members so we have to really rely on each other. I think we work really well together and respect each others opinions and strengths. The project itself is something I know we can handle but it is a little overwhelming. I am excited to see our completed project!

Thursday's highlight for me

I really enjoyed Robert Benson's presentation a lot. He basically said the same things that Heater has been telling us all week. I liked the fact that he was so honest about himself and his staff. He brought a lot of humor into his presentation which I loved. I especially liked his analogy of the bus and how it relates to our staffs. We are all going to the same place but with some we have to show them what seat they should be sitting in and with some we just nee to stop the bus and let them out. We feel bad about those that need to go but if they don't have the vision or the ownership with the library then they could actually be doing more harm than good. Sometimes doing what is best for your library is a difficult thing but we have to remember that it is our job and we have to look at what is best as a whole for the library.

Surgoinsville Moving Forward

I think my staff and I have a wonderful team attitude. We get along and work really well together. After pondering this question over I have come to realize that because of my attitude I have held us back from reaching our potential. We are a small branch, only open 24 hours a week, I find myself thinking of us as small and unable to do things because of this. An excuse to not do more. I hold us back with excuses like, we don't have the staff or the budget or the time. But after a lot of self evaluation this week I know I have to change my attitude and in doing so it will change my staffs attitudes. One example is ILL's. We don't really participate in this right now because honestly I just don't need one more thing to do. (Remember this is a judge free zone). I need to trust my staff to help me to be more active in this. Train them and trust them to do the job I need them to do.  I can't do it all but as a team as a team we can do it together. Also we may only be open 24 hours in a wee but for our patrons we are important and we need o do all we can to make it easy on them and offer every program possible to them. They deserve our best!