The panel from the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County included Frank Blair, Thomas Kozak, Tom Cole, and Paul DeVillo. This library is noted for its innovative work with teens and with media. The presentation outlined their Tech Scholars sabbatical program - and I could see that many in the audience were envious of the program and thinking of ways to do something like it at their libraries.
The idea is to take staff's innovative ideas and make them into realities by offering a 6 month scholarship opportunity. Successful projects answer needs like, "there should be a website that ..." or "there should be a database that ...". After an open application period, proposals are evaluated and awarded. Then successful staff candidates are given a 6 month hiatus from their current job requirements to design and implement their ideas.
Successful candidates question the status quo, tolerate risk, exhibit patience and persistance, trust the process (not all projects, once completed, will be adopted), and leverage resources (beg-borrow-steal) to stay within the budget, or lack thereof.
Last year, four staff received the opportunity to develop innovative services. Wouldn't it be a great opportunity for professional growth if SPL could start something like this?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
0 comments:
Post a Comment