Pivot! Pivot!
2021 Regional Conference
July 29, 2021
COVID-19 took libraries by storm a year ago. Staff had to stop and figure out new ways of doing things, especially programming. We all seemed to be thrown into fast rapids, spinning towards rocks that attempted to bring down the programming librarians’ enthusiasm to help connect the patrons with each other. Rocks we had to navigate around included: budget cuts, virtual platforms, familiar and popular speakers not wanting to do virtual, sharing materials but not sharing the germs, and more. We had to learn to pivot and go with the flow as much as possible, while avoiding the rocks in order to make lasting programs that once again engage, educate and entertain patrons both virtually and in person. Pivot! Pivot! is about how to assess current problems, new problems that pop up, and preparing as best as one can for the uncertain future. It’s important to assess the problems as they come; know that its okay if something doesn’t work; take your time finding the best tools for your library; and work on keeping your original patronage, but also finding a new one. Throughout the pandemic it was important to: Get our content out in the community, Keep the quality of physical and virtual content high while keeping the sense of community. We are striving to keep a sense of community as well as provide quality content on all avenues. Today, while walking with us through our experiences, you’ll gain the tools to take to your library and assess the new normal of a pending future.
Presenters: Antoinette Giamalva, Faith Wahlers
Faith Wahlers is a Reference and Programming Librarian at the Mandel Public Library of West Palm Beach. Wahlers graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2019 with her MLIS, with a concentration on public libraries and accessibility. Starting out as a Circulation Page at UNC’s Davis Library, Wahlers’ later worked as a Reference Assistant and Social Media Coordinator at the same library. Wahlers now coordinates art programs for Studio 411, facilitates exercise programs, and generally tries to keep patron’s fingers safe from hot glue and sewing needles.