If there’s one thing I’ve learned since starting work on my MLIS, it’s that libraryland is a culture of sharing. The best class I took during my graduate career was called Innovation in Public Libraries, which I was fortunate enough to take as a WISE* student through Syracuse University. My professor, the wonderful Alison Miller, encouraged creativity and sharing not only our ideas, but those we found elsewhere. I literally came away from this class with a portfolio of things I wanted to try.
A lot of my most successful programs – including Blind Date with a Book, Vehicle Day, and teddy bear picnics, just to name a few – have been inspired by offerings at other libraries. How many of you look on Pinterest for programming ideas, or even story time crafts? If you’re not doing this already, you should start. One of my favorite things about librarians is that we’re happy to share our successes and failures without qualms. It’s the nature of our profession; if we’re sharing our love of reading with our patrons and offering them a really nifty service for free, why shouldn’t we help out our fellow librarians?I haven’t encountered many other industries where this is the case. Although I’m a competitive person by nature, it makes me proud that librarians are such great collaborators and are so willing to help each other out. This is part of why I think networking is so important in the LIS world; you never know who you might be inspired by next. In today’s world of small budgets, it also helps that you can ask for advice before jumping into a new venture. For example, I’m planning on adding iPads to my children’s department this fall. The research process leading up to their inclusion would be much harder if I couldn’t consult other librarians who have done this before. It’s a win-win no matter which you way you look at it.Which of your programs have been inspired by offerings at another library?
*WISE is a consortium that allows LIS students to register through their home school to take up to six credits in another LIS program. So, even though I went to Pitt, I theoretically could have taken two classes elsewhere. Although I love Pitt with all my heart, this was incredibly helpful since different programs focus on different aspects of librarianship.
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Ms. Gretchen Says 
My workplace recently ran a “human library” program, where they had people from different backgrounds in a room and people could ask them questions about themselves. The first library to do this in my city was the public one and a few post-secondary libraries followed suit.