Why the Right Library Support System Matters

Two weeks ago I met with a team of county officials to discuss a potential new Library project.  They were extremely enthusiastic about this new project and wanted to know my take on all things design and more specifically Library design, of which they were informed is my specialty.  The meeting went very well and I walked away from a meeting that left me feeling super excited about a new Library for a local community that is definitely in need of it.

Little did I know just how much.

One week later I was swept quickly into another meeting, only this time with the Library team, to take a tour of the existing building and discuss their needs and dreams for something new.  As is usually the deal, we talked about square footages and shelving needs, genealogy rooms and story time rooms.  We talked about admin areas and what's necessary to function in back-of-house as well as staffing all required areas in the public spaces.

Join your colleagues and other Library-minded pros on my Off the Shelf Facebook group!  Get connected now for more great information and conversation about Library design! 

Knowing what is typical in a Library design is important, but hearing what each individual Library needs is even more important.  And I mean really hearing them.  I approach every single design, Library or otherwise, in the most unassuming way possible.  I'm a professional designer.  I'm educated, licensed and experienced.  I know how to do what I do and I do it well.  This isn't a boast, just the knowledge that I get it and all the pieces that go with it.  And anything I don't know, I learn.  

But what I know best is that if the designer isn't listening to the people who inhabit the building, the project will not be a successful one.  And that goes double for the officials supporting and often implementing the local Library.  But we'll get to that a little later.  For now, let's backtrack a bit.

As we wrapped up our kickoff meeting for the new Library design, I began to panic a bit about all they wanted to put into their new space.  I knew how much space we were moving into; 20,000 square feet.  It's a good number.  But I had yet to walk the building and didn't know how much space we were moving FROM.  

So I asked, "Just how much space do you currently have?"  6,000 square feet.  I nearly fell out of my chair.  6k to 20k?  Yeah!  We can do that.  Now I needed to see what we were working with. 

As we walked the space, it very quickly became clear to me that these people were superheroes.  How does anyone cram an entire Library into 6,000 square feet of space?  I imagine there are smaller, but this was the smallest I had ever seen.  And honestly, a large portion of that was meeting room space. 

And they've made it work even though they are busting at the seams.  In fact, their work room doubles as their breakroom!  Consider me floored.  They're going to have more space than they know what to do with!  Well almost.  But trust me when I say, we'll figure it out.

Here's the thing though.  What makes this project so amazing is their upper-level support system.  They have people in their corner that are truly invested in building a new county Library and that's absolutely everything.  

If you don't have a good support system, your projects will be much harder to implement.  

So what makes a good support system?  

• Genuine enthusiasm for your proposed project
• True understanding of the importance of your project
• A reasonable understanding of the necessary budget
• Ability to be there when needed but also able to step back and let the Library pros do their thing

There are other things of course, but these are my top four.  If you have a team with these attributes, consider yourself blessed.  That being said, sadly not all will have this kind of support.  I've worked with one project in particular that had officials that didn't believe in the Library at all.  They saw little benefit to it and therefore opted to not assist financially or any other way.  The Library was on their own . . . for everything.

Without a truly good support system, your job becomes exponentially harder.  I wish I could tell you how to keep them in your corner.  But the truth is, they either get it or they don't.  But I will say that building strong relationships and keeping them informed of just how important your Library is to your community are great places to start. 

FINAL THOUGHTS

If you can't find support in your county leaders, find it wherever you can.  As many of you know, that's often in your Friends of the Library groups.  The people who love the Library like you do and know why and how it benefits your community, are the people who will be there for you whenever you need them most.