A look back at Year 1 of our IMLS grant

As we wrap-up Year 1 of our IMLS grant, we wanted to pause and reflect on what we have been able to accomplish as a team, particularly in 2022. Our team of 7 Charter Member libraries from around the country have been hard at work and willing to be flexible as we navigate the building and sustainability of an inclusive community.

Forming a Collective

Our IMLS project is primarily focused on serving libraries that have been overlooked by the maker community, including small, rural, and under-resourced libraries. The hope is to create a Collective where a diverse membership of library professionals can support one another by sharing resources and learnings about how library makerspaces have and will continue to shift their programming as a result of the pandemic. 

Research

To launch our efforts, we looked at articles that showcased process models and methodologies to strengthen the formation and sustainability of collective learning and leadership. And we conducted interviews with representatives from library and maker-related collectives and networks that helped to identify more current and actionable trends.

One of the major points that arose was the importance of building trust among our Charter Members. Therefore, we took our time at the start to simply get to know one another. We focused on building a set of collective norms for our group and communication strategies for ways we could work together synchronously and asynchronously to ensure that everyone had an opportunity to have their voice heard.

Defining Values

From there was born a set of values that we agreed upon to guide our work together:

Learning - As library maker staff we are in a constant state of learning and growth. Because we don’t know everything, we want to offer a network to share knowledge, resources, and mentorship. Members are open and supportive of different approaches to learning.    

Everyone - The Collective is a place for everyone no matter their race and ethnicity, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, gender identification, socioeconomic status, age or physical or mental ability. We treat members fairly and respectfully. People are valued based on distinctive skills, experience, and perspective. We recognize and embrace the uniqueness of each individual and their contributions to the collective. 

Community - We make sure our meetings and events are accessible to all members of the collective. We come together as professionals regardless of position or titles in support of learning and each other. This collective is a work in progress and will continue to adapt to the needs of its members as we grow and the world around us changes.

Community Design

We have since moved on to using a resource called Community Canvas as a guide. We found that working in subgroups has been more efficient and effective to get things done so we have three subgroups formed now that focus on important areas of building a community: Identity, Experience and Structure.

Webinar Series and Conferences

And in between all of that, our team hosted a series of webinars on Infopeople, attended various virtual and in-person conferences (Play, Make, Learn, PLA, Connected Learning, NOMCON and soon, ARSL and ATALM), and have the result of our libraries response to COVID-19 to share.

We are looking forward to launching Year 2 of our grant and bringing more opportunities to engage all of you as we go. Thank you for your continued interest, patience and support!