Rules for Improv @ Your Library

I'm behind the curve on this one. I just finished listening to the audiobook of Tina Fey's Bossypants, and like lots of other bloggers, I was struck by her Rules of Improvisation That Will Change Your Life and Reduce Belly Fat*. I think the reason so many folks have posted the rules and how they relate to their professions is that they're just good rules for life in general. If you haven't read them yet, here they are, slightly paraphrased from Tina's book. Her thoughts are in bold and italics, and mine (specifically on how I see these play out in librarianship) are in regular type.

1. Agree. Always agree, and say "yes."  

This rule reminds you to respect what others have created and to "at least start from an open-minded place. Start with a 'yes,' and see where that takes you." 

We've all heard that "librarians fear change." No, not every single one of them, but enough of them to add it to the stereotype (hey, I don't knit or own a cat, but plenty of library folk do). I think we have trouble with this rule; our instinct is to say "no" and to question why we should do something new. But what if we took this rule to heart? Jenica Rogers, one of my library heroes, does just this (emphasis mine, fabulous writing hers):

After the first six months in my current position I told my team that my operating principle is that I will say yes unless I must say no, and that I define “must” by considering our mission, our goals, and our resources. And I’ve been consistent in that.  They trust me. And they expect a yes, but respect a no, because they understand how I make those decisions. Someone, upon hearing that, once asked me if I didn’t think that was a misstep – telling the team. Because now that they knew how I made decisions, they could manipulate the system, and thus me. I just stared at them. If my decision-making process is something I’m proud of, and it’s based on mission, goals, and resources, how precisely would someone manipulate me? If their idea is good, I say yes. If their idea compels me to say no, I say no. Knowing that doesn’t give them some strange power over me, it just makes them more comfortable asking me for things because they know how I will treat them when they do.

I love this idea. Most people (especially in libraries!) aren't going to propose random changes without some reason for them, so what are we so afraid of? Let your employees or co-workers try something new! Even better...

2. Don't just say "yes." Say "yes, and..." 

Agree, and then "add something of your own.... To [Tina Fey], 'yes, and,' means don't be afraid to contribute. It's your responsibility to contribute. Always make sure you're adding something to the discussion. Your initiations are worthwhile."

Encourage your staff/colleagues/librarians-where-you-work by joining in with their ideas. Instead of questioning them, kick it up a notch! "Oooh, I like that idea! And what if we added x as well?" What would happen in our institutions if we embraced new ideas? If we brainstormed without judging? If we weren't afraid to just go for it with no-holds-barred abandon? Think about it. Dream about it. Do it.

On to rule 3...

3. Make statements. 

"This is a positive way of saying, 'Don't ask questions all the time....'" Don't just raise questions and point out obstacles; be part of the solution. "Make statements with your actions and your voice."

I don't even need to add to this (but it's my blog, so I will). Leaders, if you're spineless, grow a spine. Stand up for yourself and your people. Be firm! Say what you mean! Everybody, if you have an idea, share it! Don't hem and haw or sell yourself short. You're in this business for a reason. You love it. You're passionate about it. If you think something might improve a process or a service, let the leaders and managers know. Own it!

4. There are no mistakes, only opportunities.

"In improv, there are no mistakes, only beautiful, happy accidents."

Try something new. If it doesn't work, you can always go back, or better yet, try another new thing. Instead of dwelling on what went wrong, look for what you learned from the experience. How can that help you improve the next iteration? What are we so afraid of? You're never going to please everyone; that's a given. But what could you do that would brighten someone's day or make a process more efficient? Do that.

The whole idea of improvisation is that you're doing something new and creative. It hasn't happened before. It may never happen again. But in this moment, right now, you can have an impact on the other actors in your scene (your co-workers and employees). You can give your audience (patrons) an experience that they'll never forget. You might even impress your directors and producers (those administrative higher-ups who really call the shots). If you always follow someone else's script, what's special about you? Anyone can do that. Live a little, and "set the stage" for something new and exciting!

*Improv will not reduce belly fat.

Precious Memories

I was asked to share some thoughts about hymns in preparation for my church's hymnal dedication service, and the response was positive enough that I thought I would post my remarks here. Happy reading!

As many of you know, I spent six years working as the librarian and archivist at the Georgia Music Hall of Fame and another three as the popular music archivist at Georgia State University. Those two jobs provided me with a lot of exposure to all kinds of music. I learned that many famous performers got their start singing church music, either alone, with family groups, or in church choirs. I also learned that some singers used hymns as inspiration for their pop music hits, such as when Ray Charles changed the words of “I’ve Got a Savior” and recorded “I’ve Got a Woman.”

As many of you also know, I now work as the head of special collections at Mercer University. You may not be aware, though, that Jesse Mercer, the esteemed Georgia Baptist minister for whom the school is named, compiled and published hymnals in the 1800s. These early hymnals did not include music, only words, and they were small enough to fit in a pocket.

As much as I love sharing trivia about music, though, most of my experiences with hymns are more personal. I ended up deciding to share a few memories with you today.

My father is a retired Baptist minister. I grew up in south Monroe County and was raised on the songs in the 1956 edition of The Baptist Hymnal. (We had enough copies of the 1976 edition for the choir, but not for the congregation.) The choir would occasionally mix things up and sing from The Country and Western Gospel Hymnal if the music director felt rebellious.

In months that had five Sundays, the fifth Sunday night was a “Singspiration” service. Instead of a regular worship service, there was special music by the choir, solos, duets, quartets, and so on. There was always a time for “congregational favorites,” and attendees called out the numbers or titles of their favorite hymns. You could almost always count on somebody requesting “The Old Rugged Cross” or “At Calvary” during that time. The music director would jot down five or six songs, and we would sing the first and last verses.

Speaking of that, I don’t know the third verses of most of the hymns I learned as a kid. We always sang one, two, and four. Except, of course, if we were having revival. Then we sang through all six verses of “Just As I Am” until everyone was hoarse.

The hymns I grew up with are still some of my favorites. The lyrics and music have stayed with me, and I still think of them from time to time, not just when we sing them here. Nothing is more comforting than remembering “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” if you’re feeling low.

I’ve enjoyed singing hymns from the new hymnal. It’s got a nice mix of old favorites and some newer songs that aren’t just repetitive choruses but really have some theology in them. I’d like to encourage all of you to come back tonight and bring some friends for a time of worship through song. Thank you.

The Hidden Suffering of “Good Librarian Syndrome”

It’s a really tough time to be a(n) ___________. Fill in that blank with your chosen profession. It’s true for all of us right now. But in my own role as a librarian and archivist, there are some particular challenges.

I recently had an online discussion with some wonderful library/archives friends from around the country who are all struggling with hiring freezes, budget cuts, and administrators begging us to do more with less. One of the issues that was mentioned was a lack of staffing, which led to position restructuring within the library but no change in services. As usual, library employees were expected to endure these changes with pleasant smiles and helpful demeanors. But why? Other departments are not burdened with such expectations. Nobody bats an eye if they stand up and fight against cuts. Why are we so different?

It was suggested that the core of our problem is “Good Librarian Syndrome”: it hurts us to say “no” when we are asked by our supervisors, administrations, or even our patrons to do something. The librarian who described this malady went on to say that we have to teach librarians how to say “no” – it’s not a natural behavior for those of us who love to help people. Instead, we will naturally go out of our way to help patrons discover topics, find the best sources, and format and cite their research papers. It’s just what we do. We can’t help helping. And we will help you until it kills us. Maybe not literally, but we will “do more with less” until we have nothing left to give to anyone.

One of the librarians in the discussion fought back: “I don't understand why we have such a problem saying ‘no.’ If our budgets get slashed and we have to cut resources, and then people complain, I feel like we should be honest and say, ‘Hey, our budget got slashed. It totally sucks. Here is who you should complain to.’ I find the fact that we are not ok with doing this mind-blowing. I don't think it is good to portray libraries as not suffering, if in fact they are. I think it could work against us. How can we ask for more when we always seem to be doing more with less?” She’s right, of course. If we continue to maintain hours and services with fewer and fewer resources, we will never get our budgets restored or our vacancies filled.

The answer she received in our chat was, “Because ‘Good Librarians’ like to suffer and want to seem like superheroes. It's a nice idea but it leads to bad service, unrealistic expectations, and burnout.”

Yes, it does. Why do we think this is normal behavior? Why aren’t we empowered to stand our ground and state our case? How can we maintain our “Good Librarian” status without running ourselves ragged? I don’t have all the answers, but I think the outspoken librarian above is correct. We need to let people know that we’re suffering and that we’re not superheroes no matter how much we long to be. (And with a name like “Superstarchivist,” I do long to be.)

Another Week in the Life

Welcome, dear reader, to the end of #libday7. I haven't been able to post as much as I'd like this week; it's just been wild.

Today I got to do a couple of things related to my job as a university archivist (or archivist in a university, which isn't exactly the same thing). As part of our "facultyness" at MPOW, librarians (and yours truly, as the archivist, or special collections librarian) are expected to participate in professional development activities. This may include writing articles, presenting papers, serving on committees, or whatever we do to further our academic careers while trying not to embarrass the university.

I'm currently serving as the Secretary of my state archives organization, and we had a board meeting today. So I was able to take a day off work to further my professional development. The group has a terrific, enthusiastic board, and taking the minutes isn't difficult. It's a good way to stay involved and to keep current with what's happening in archives in GA.

After the meeting, I came home and reviewed applications for job vacancies. That's another part of my faculty life, helping to recruit for our library faculty positions. This is the first time we've formed a search committee to deal with all the applicants (we have a lot, and we have two jobs available). It's definitely easier to be on the hiring side of the table when it comes to job searches!

I hope all of you have had a good week and have enjoyed seeing some of the diverse activities librarians are involved in. We don't just shelve books, you know!

What a week!

I'm behind on my Library Day in the Life posts. It's been a zoo of a week, and it's not over yet. Some highlights include:

• getting workouts loading an archives collection into and out of my car on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively,
• sorting out the duties of MPOW's first ever search committee for a library job (actually, two jobs),
• attending a campus wellness "lunch and learn" program on gardening,
  
• printing out a large number of job applications for the above-mentioned positions,
• hosting a research team working on another college's 150th anniversary plans,
• showing one of my great staff members how to log in to our archives blog,
  
• keeping up on new writings about QR codes,
• and a whole bunch of stuff I've forgotten!
  

Another exciting round of "Library Day in the Life"

Yes, friends, fiends, and fans, it's time for another exciting week of "Library Day in the Life" posts! Follow the fun on Twitter by searching for #libday7, or see more at http://librarydayinthelife.pbworks.com.

My own day thus far:

• Before 8:00am - stop to pick up lunch and some cookies for today's going away party for two colleagues.
• 8:15 - 8:45 - check in with colleagues to find out what I missed by being out for professional development on Friday.
  
• 9:00 - 10:00 - check email and voice mail to discover an urgent reference request for a campus department. Start digging. Find out from assistant he is working on same question. Email campus department and learn that they have already answered one part of their question.
  
• 10:00 - 11:00 - library management group meeting. Discuss fall plans (we're short on reference and subject librarian help) and brainstorm ways to survive. Deliver report from library communications committee on next steps.
• 11:00 - 11:30 - open snail mail from Friday, delegate contents of some envelopes, put other items in box for student to file.
• 11:30 - 11:45 - start blog post on #libday7. Talk to circulation desk about fall student hiring.

That's it for now!

Pork Chop, Pork Chop, Not So Greasy

With mad props to Mary Puskar, I present to you her recipe for Spicy Pork Chops as found in the first Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook. This is far and away my favorite way to eat pork chops.

5-6 center-cut loin pork chops
3 Tbsp. oil
1 onion, sliced
1 green pepper, cut into strips
8-oz. can tomato sauce
3-4 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. vinegar
1.5 tsp. salt
1-2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1. Brown chops in oil in skillet. Transfer to slow cooker.
2. Add remaining ingredients to cooker.
3. Cover. Cook on low 6-8 hours.
4. Serve over rice.

A few modifications from Chez Superstarchivist: when we were out of tomato sauce, we used a 14 oz. can of diced tomatoes. Equally yummy! We've also added extra peppers and onions just because we like them. Also note, these aren't really what you think of when you think of "spicy." A better name might be "Sweet and Sour Pork Chops." Regardless, though, enjoy!