Bookmobile/Outreach Manager
Kitsap Regional Library, 2015-present
I manage our Bookmobile/Outreach Department, which consists of 7 people (5.75 FTE), 3 vehicles (a Bookmobile plus two Outreach vans), and an annual budget of $300,000. The Bookmobile/Outreach Supervisor is my direct report, and she in turn supervises the rest of the staff. The Bookmobile maintains its own collection, and Outreach houses a small collection of Large Type books and 22 deposit collections.
Several employees who had been in the department for decades recently retired within a short span. That turnover has opened up unprecedented opportunities for change and innovation. We worked to preserve their institutional knowledge while also opening the department to new people and ideas.
Early results of this new climate include:
So much change at once isn't always easy, but we are committed to supporting each other and our patrons as we realize a new vision together.
Several employees who had been in the department for decades recently retired within a short span. That turnover has opened up unprecedented opportunities for change and innovation. We worked to preserve their institutional knowledge while also opening the department to new people and ideas.
Early results of this new climate include:
- developing a shared mission, goals, and strategies for the department
- working as a single team, rather than silos of BK and OR staff
- building shared language that reflects our values
- educating and including the rest of the system, so all staff understand and can connect patrons with our previously hidden services
- developing clear, shared criteria for Bookmobile stops, soon to lead to our first public application for Bookmobile service
- creating efficiencies in high-touch, high-time Outreach home delivery service while maintaining or increasing service excellence
- reviewing and updating our neglected collections procedures
- coordinating with the branch locations to create a spectrum of Outreach services, allowing some homebound patrons to maintain their connection to their branch libraries as they age.
So much change at once isn't always easy, but we are committed to supporting each other and our patrons as we realize a new vision together.
