A new voice

WebJunction, ARSL join forces to advocate for rural, small libraries

By Jim Malzewski, Rural Library Program, WebJunction

When Stacey Buick noticed a 60 percent increase in circulation and a doubling of Wi-Fi usage at the Malvern Public Library in Malvern, Iowa, she knew it was no accident. Rather, it was the direct result of participating in a Rural Library Sustainability workshop sponsored by WebJunction and the Iowa State Library—one of nearly 300 workshops delivered across the country over the past two years as part of WebJunction’s Rural Library Sustainability Project.

The workshop presented Buick, the library director, with new ideas about strategies, marketing and action plans that she brought back to her library and implemented. “The conference gave me not only the knowledge but the courage to try things. It really forced me to focus on our community and find ways to meet its needs.”

The library also has increased its offering of computer classes for staff and users, as well as adding two new after-school programs for kids and three for senior citizens. “All of these successes have just built upon each other and created great synergy in our community,” she says.

Success begets success, and small actions compounded over time can produce unbelievable results. Enter into the picture two organizations—WebJunction and the Association for Rural and Small Libraries (ARSL)—that have recently partnered to better serve rural and small libraries facing sustainability challenges. By connecting individuals in a Community of Practice that provides information, resources and inspiration, both organizations hope the new partnership will provide encouragement and support to libraries as they take actions similar to Buick’s.

Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, WebJunction’s Rural Library Sustainability Project, which recently concluded its two-year run, brought workshops to 42 states and more than 6,000 library staff. The curriculum is now available in a free online course that provides resources for technology planning, outreach, funding, training and collaboration.

The need to have a national voice for issues facing rural and small libraries drove the formation of the new community. As ARSL’s recent president, Ken Davenport, puts it: “ARSL is on track to become the advocate for small and rural libraries across the country. WebJunction is the place where resources and thinking come together—a one-stop shop for all things rural, if you will.”

WebJunction, a thriving online community of library staff actively learning and sharing knowledge to build vibrant libraries, supports peer-to-peer discussions, cooperative content sharing and broad access to online learning with more than 28,500 registered members and 50,000 unique monthly visitors.

ARSL is a network of people and materials that support rural and small library staff, volunteers and trustees who integrate the library thoroughly with the life and work of the community it serves. Its current board consists of 14 members representing nine states.

WebJunction’s Rural Library Sustainability Project, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, served as a launching point for many rural library staff to explore better ways to sustain a library in today’s world and the issues critical to success: funding, understanding community needs and maintaining/upgrading technology. At its core, however, the project was about connecting colleagues to each other and information and lessening the isolation so often felt in rural and small libraries.

“In addition to the resources that have come out of the project, I believe that the cross-pollination of ideas helped bring a broader sense of community,”said John DeBacher, Public Library Administration Consultant for the State Library of Wisconsin. “It provided an awareness of additional resources to draw upon for ideas and support.”

Now that the project is winding down, ARSL intends to take the ball and run with it. “WebJunction and ARSL working together is an important step forward in the effort to support and sustain a critical group of libraries,” says Marilyn Mason, Executive Director of WebJunction. “We are thrilled that this partnership with ARSL will help WebJunction continue to address the specific needs of staff at rural and small libraries.”

Nanette Bulebosh, Kiel Public Library Director in Kiel, Wisconsin, recalls her early experience with the Community of Practice: “Some nights I’d lay awake, head spinning with plans and ideas. I took a hard, analytical look at my library’s strengths and weaknesses, challenges and possibilities, where we’ve been and where we’re going—and where we might go, with a little thought, planning and organization.”

Six months after writing this in her journal, Bulebosh is happy to report that she is now working on a long-term plan with the library board and with a state agency she discovered. She keeps a daily Director’s Log that tracks her accomplishments and ideas, and is now a fixture at city council meetings. When she delivered a recent presentation to council on her library, the response was,“We never knew you did that.”

She visits the community often and recently used resources found there to create a “Bytes for Beginners” class that Kiel seniors love. She constantly refers others to the community.

For Nanette and Stacey, and colleagues from around the country, ARSL and WebJunction are committed to making rural and small libraries the vibrant center of every community. Whether it’s finding new resources, learning new technology or using the message boards for inspiration or advice, the new Community of Practice is positioned to assist rural and small libraries for years to come.

More key resources:

Rural Brainstorms

Rural in Focus Webinars

Rural Discussion Space

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