MentorNJ Online Meetup: Leading Lean Libraries

Small community libraries abound in New Jersey. According to data from the 2021 New Jersey State Library Statistical Report, 187 of 304 reporting libraries (or about 60%) have 2 or fewer FTE professional librarians on staff, and/or serve populations of 15,000 and under.

Leading a small library means you have unique opportunities to connect with individuals, develop community partnerships, and think creatively  about how you can improve and increase your services while stretching every dollar in your budget.

The job can also be very isolating. It means being responsible for everything, even if you have never encountered a problem before (think: replacing a toilet seat, escorting an escaped mouse out of the building, or any of countless other “and other duties as required” moments). When faced with an unfamiliar problem, many of us feel that we should have an answer immediately, and that if we don’t know something, it means we are bad at our jobs. We forget that we are librarians - and that means our job is not to KNOW everything, but to figure out how to find the information we need, when we need it.

If you feel that you could use the support, perspective, and advice of others who understand all the plates you’re juggling, then join us for “Leading Lean Libraries,” MentorNJ's newest online meetup. We will pool our collective knowledge, celebrate our successes, brainstorm together,  and support each other as we work to ensure that our small libraries can survive and thrive.

Discussion Leader: Mary Martin, Wanaque Public Library

Please note, attendees at all Meetups are expected to abide by the LibraryLinkNJ Code of Conduct : https://librarylinknj.org/code-of-conduct