The Boardroom Series This Fall

September Through November

The Boardroom comes back this fall with a 3-part series titled Intersections.  Starting in September and continuing through November, Intersections explores 3 keys areas where close cooperation between city governments and city libraries is essential.  Here's the scoop on Part 1:

Intersections Part 1.  Buildings.  September 21. 6:00-7:00PM

The fall series will begin with a discussion of the library's physical facilities. Library buildings are city property, covered under the city’s contents and liability insurance. Why then are so many library boards told they are responsible for building maintenance and even capital improvements? We’ll cover best practices for working with city administration for improved day-to-day facilities management, as well as bigger building projects. We’ll offer clarification of city responsibilities vs library responsibilities and we’ll touch on who should have keys to the library.

About “Intersections"

“Intersections: Where City Government and City Libraries Meet” is a three-part webinar series designed for library boards.  The sessions highlight best practices for city governments and libraries to meet in the middle comparing policy and practice. Join us this fall, beginning with a discussion of facilities and continuing with sessions on budgeting and personnel, all intended to help foster improved communication and cooperation with your partners in city government.

Attending these webinars enables library trustees to meet
Standard #8, required at a Tier1 level:
"All members of the library board  of trustees participate in a
variety of board development training each year..."

Click For Dates, Topics, and Registration

Getting The Most Out Of Question Sets

Top 5 Tips

Last week’s Eye-Opener included an article contributed by Christian Gutteridge with WhoFi.  Christian explained Question Sets, the newest service from WhoFi.  Today, WhoFi rep Ashleigh Matos shares her Top 5Tips For Getting The Most Out Of WhoFi Question Sets.

#1. Involve Staff: Reduce your reporting burden by delegating some of the data-collecting tasks to your staff! Doing so will take more off your plate, involve the staff more with library operations, and leave more time for interacting with your community.

#2.  Take Notes: Remembering in August what happened in January can be tricky... that's why libraries add Edit Check Notes to their data entries. Find the paperclip icon in your Question Sets and add notes to remember extra details.

#3.  Include Instructions: It can be tough to remember your exact routine each month. You've got numbers everywhere, so let's make this easier! In Question Sets, you can add instructional notes for your exact processes to keep consistency and involve your staff with more data collection.

#4.  Add Board Reports: You deserve all the credit for your hard work, and presenting your efforts to your board in an easy-to-review manner can help you get more pats on the back! Adding report templates is easy and will save you time when you need a quick report for a board meeting.

#5.  Create Your Own Question Set: Not seeing your specific data points in the monthly or daily tracker? No problem! Adding your own Question Set is easy and your custom Question Set can talk to the state-provided ones. Contact us if you need help setting one up.

My thanks to Christian Gutteridge and Ashleigh Matos, company reps with WhoFi, for contributing these articles to the Eye-Opener!  You’re welcome to contact WhoFi directly as you look to get started with any or all WhoFi’s products: email [email protected]

Read All About WhoFi For Iowa Libraries

Click here to View More Information About Monday Morning Eye-Opener - August 21, 2023