Both Cynthia and I, since we are new to library development, decided to register for the pre-conference workshop for people new to the field. The ALADN conference program can be found at http://aladn.library.ualberta.ca/program.html
I think I can speak for both of us that it was a good choice. It led off with a presentation by Arthur Criscillus, "Personal Solicitations: Realities, Roles and Relationships" in which he talked about the basics of fund raising. Not having done this too much in the past, I do have some hesitation about approaching people for money. The thing that I will take away from his talk is that fund raising or development for out Library is about the greater good. We are doing good things for the university and our students and we need to be proud of that and be able to present our story to all that we talk to. People want to be part of something, but they want to know how what they give will be used; always be ready & prepared to answer the So what? question.
It is always fun and interesting to hear from people about their successes—many of which you might be able to use in your own library.
Gena Scott and her colleague from University of Missouri at Columbia spoke about "Getting Everyone on the Same Page: How to Turn the Entire Library Staff into a Successful Development Team" I really liked a couple of their ideas, including the Honor the Graduate program which is directed at the parents of new graduates to buy a book in honor of their student & the book will be added to the collection with a bookplate recognizing the student.
My favorite session was by provided by Sam Huang, the Development Officer at the University of Arizona. Sam was a librarian for 28 years before he went into development. He said that he went into fund raising for the University of Arizona library because he was tired of seeing the library’s ARL ranking decline because of budget cuts. He works hard but obviously has a lot of fun. He had many wonderful ideas, but the one I like most was about a Library Faculty Development Endowment, which Cynthia and I ave vowed to try to get started at ECU.
Talking with other participants is always the best part of any event like this. I had lunch with a great group who talked about the best ways to promote your library—black tie events, art openings, literary festivals were all discussed. One intriguing suggestion was to host a “Bring Your Pictures” event at the Library during Home Coming. Concentrating on the featured classes, the Library gets people into the building, receives a lot of relevant pictures for the archives, and probably makes a lot of good “friends.” Sharing all of the pictures on a CD with the participants—or even the “class” seems like it might be a great development tool. Again something I think we should try.
At this event Sue & I have gotten to meet and spend some time with Cynthia’s husband Wayne—we all went out to Bumpers—the Beef Place last night. Cynthia and I however opted for barbeque ribs, which were quite tasty.
We continue to marvel at the incredible beauty of Banff. After the workshop, Sue and I took a short walk, ending up going through a trail in the forest. We saw a young elk grazing calmly, about 50 feet from us. She looked up and studied us for a few minutes and then ambled on her way. Evidently we posed no threat to her. It is still early spring here and so there is not a lot in bloom. I did discover some kind of orchid growing along the woodland path—perhaps a lady slipper. They were very, very tiny—no taller than three or four inches, but oh so lovely. Of course we did not have the camera, so no pictures were captured, but I am going to go back. Well that is all for now.
I think I can speak for both of us that it was a good choice. It led off with a presentation by Arthur Criscillus, "Personal Solicitations: Realities, Roles and Relationships" in which he talked about the basics of fund raising. Not having done this too much in the past, I do have some hesitation about approaching people for money. The thing that I will take away from his talk is that fund raising or development for out Library is about the greater good. We are doing good things for the university and our students and we need to be proud of that and be able to present our story to all that we talk to. People want to be part of something, but they want to know how what they give will be used; always be ready & prepared to answer the So what? question.
It is always fun and interesting to hear from people about their successes—many of which you might be able to use in your own library.
Gena Scott and her colleague from University of Missouri at Columbia spoke about "Getting Everyone on the Same Page: How to Turn the Entire Library Staff into a Successful Development Team" I really liked a couple of their ideas, including the Honor the Graduate program which is directed at the parents of new graduates to buy a book in honor of their student & the book will be added to the collection with a bookplate recognizing the student.
My favorite session was by provided by Sam Huang, the Development Officer at the University of Arizona. Sam was a librarian for 28 years before he went into development. He said that he went into fund raising for the University of Arizona library because he was tired of seeing the library’s ARL ranking decline because of budget cuts. He works hard but obviously has a lot of fun. He had many wonderful ideas, but the one I like most was about a Library Faculty Development Endowment, which Cynthia and I ave vowed to try to get started at ECU.
Talking with other participants is always the best part of any event like this. I had lunch with a great group who talked about the best ways to promote your library—black tie events, art openings, literary festivals were all discussed. One intriguing suggestion was to host a “Bring Your Pictures” event at the Library during Home Coming. Concentrating on the featured classes, the Library gets people into the building, receives a lot of relevant pictures for the archives, and probably makes a lot of good “friends.” Sharing all of the pictures on a CD with the participants—or even the “class” seems like it might be a great development tool. Again something I think we should try.
At this event Sue & I have gotten to meet and spend some time with Cynthia’s husband Wayne—we all went out to Bumpers—the Beef Place last night. Cynthia and I however opted for barbeque ribs, which were quite tasty.
We continue to marvel at the incredible beauty of Banff. After the workshop, Sue and I took a short walk, ending up going through a trail in the forest. We saw a young elk grazing calmly, about 50 feet from us. She looked up and studied us for a few minutes and then ambled on her way. Evidently we posed no threat to her. It is still early spring here and so there is not a lot in bloom. I did discover some kind of orchid growing along the woodland path—perhaps a lady slipper. They were very, very tiny—no taller than three or four inches, but oh so lovely. Of course we did not have the camera, so no pictures were captured, but I am going to go back. Well that is all for now.
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