Early on we realized that in order to convince librarians to move forward we had to demonstrate a clear connection between our recommendations and established library principles, values, and beliefs. We also recognized that those principles, values, and beliefs are powerful motivators when they are personalized, because everyone has a slightly different take on what matters most about libraries and librarianship.

We found it so useful in our own collaboration to share our professional philosophies with each other that we decided to publish a “This We Believe” statement, in hopes that it might stimulate your thinking as well.

They encourage you to write – and share – your own.

Mentioned in this podcast: EPIC 2014 and the origins of the word “truthiness.”

The first podcast addressed the question, “Will it show?” The second podcast asked, “Can it grow?” This third podcast addresses the question, “Does it flow?”

Questions asked in this podcast:
• Is it equitable (not necessarily identical) across our entire service area?
• Is it conveniently accessible to community members?
• Can most members of the community use it without specialized instruction or extensive assistance?
• Is it compatible with tools – especially non-library tools – the community already uses?
• Is the format based on community demand rather than library tradition?
• Does it value “yes” over “no”?

Here is the checklist they’ve been using in this series.

How do you decide what activities have a future? And once you make that determination, how can you be sure that you have the staff and resource time to keep the activities going? They ask another important question as well: are you ready for success? There’s a lot of food for thought here.