Author: yestoknow

I'm Tony Tallent and I am the Chief Program and Innovation Officer for Richland Library. I like to talk about writing, libraries, arts and communities. Contact me if you'd like to do that, too.

3000 Signs

Ever wonder what it would look like if 3000 yard signs promoting the love of reading (and libraries) might look like if they were stacked in your office area? Probably not. But, here is an image that can give you an idea.
These signs (all 3000 of them–some of which I couldn’t get in the shot) are the centerpiece for the “Paint the Town Read” initiative that kicks-off next week on February 14! It’s a rather massive undertaking when all the stuff comes in, but knowing that these signs will be popping up all over the county to promote the idea of “reading is fun and important” is worth it.
Find out more about this big and fun inititative on the Paint the Town Read Web Page.
Thanks, Em, for helping bring this idea to life!

Creating Crystal-Clear Boxes

After reading Dan Heath & Chip Heath’s arcticle Get Back in the Box– How constraints can free your team’s thinking in Fast Company, I’ve been pondering how important (and simply helpful) it is to have something real to hang our imaginations on when creating a new space, product or service. Many writing classes remind students to engage sense imagery in order to involve readers and create a connection between the story and the reader who only knows what is revealed one sentence at a time. In the same way, a common ground of images and references gives designers, project managers and staff some grounding as they venture into new territory. The idea of “thinking outside of the box” cannot be productive if it means operating in a vacuum. We take our experiences, senses, individual tastes and connections with us into every situation–every project. The article suggests that a project requiring innovation while still providing some constraints as “a crystal-clear box.” Goodbye to blank slate approaches. The phrase “crystal-clear box” alone conjures an idea of structure without visual constraint. I see the “crystal-clear box” being constructed by strong, clarifying direction that allows designers and project staff the ability to project new ideas and daring thoughts onto project without missing the mark. The next time we’re asked to create an “innovative program” or to be “forward thinking” or to “be change agents” lets ask for a semblance of a “crystal-clear box” first. And let’s also be mindful to offer up those same crystal-clear boxes to help clarify what we’re asking for.

Drop Everything And Learn

This idea has received enough buzz from the Library in Action blog that I also administer that I thought it would have a good audience on Yes To Know as well…

For the past several months the YO Team (the department I direct) has re-energized its commitment to personal and professional learning through a concept I call “Drop Everything And Learn”. We call it DEAL for short. In a very small nutshell, this idea encourages staff to stay curious and follow-up with what inspires, intrigues or makes them wonder by learning more about it. How they go about that is up to them on an ongoing basis.
At times, however, “DEAL challenges” are thrown out for staff to dig in and discover more about a topic, idea or something they’ve noted in their DEAL notebooks. Recently, The YO Dept. had another Learn & Play Experience (our version of team building and staff enrichment with a slant toward making it fun). Knowing that the light rail in Charlotte had just opened to the public, we decided that we should know more about what the experience is like so that we can talk to our community about it. So, the whole team boarded the light rail, took it down to Southend and we had a great lunchtime together while learning the ins-and-outs of this new transportation system in Charlotte. Along with this trip there was a DEAL Challenge: Find out 3 new things about Charlotte or something else from the experience.

Here are 3 things I learned:

1.Low country food CAN be low fat, low sodium. Try Woods on South to find out how.
2.The light rail goes much slower than I imagined from uptown to Southend
3.Atherton Mill (now a high-end design & consignment complex) was one owned by the Lance Co. (yes, think: Lance Crackers)

So, what have you learned lately about the community you live in?

By the way: I encourage managers and supervisors to have “Learn & Play Days” with your staff. It is a great experience, you learn more than you’d ever expect by taking this approach, and it builds a stronger team. (Do away with the terms “in service” and “staff development” if you want to help staff perk up to learning and growing)

How many people can you fit in a library?

Many many many! It’s really hard to keep up as we continue to rock out with Gustafer Yellowgold here at South County. You can do this to at your library or location! Why wouldn’t you want to? This crowd of at least 200+–many who came just for this experience and many still streaming in to find something far more than they expected at the library.
The point-and-snap camera I’m using can’t get an image of all the kids, parents, adults and–yes senior adults, too–that are sprawled all over this library! Right-on!

What we can learn from the weather

This morning it snowed in Charlotte. As I was walking up the street to my office at Main Library, I snapped this picture of the ImaginOn sign on this cold January morning. You get the picture.

So, in the bigger picture, what does this bring to mind for me? Just like the weather, we have to be ready to revolve our presence, add a layer of newness, something meaningful (even if temporary) to our space, our brand, our philosophy. Think of it like the weather. It moves and shifts and–remember this–people repond to that.

How can libraries really ROCK?

Music and Libraries are like cake and ice cream. Great on their own. Delicious and memorable when put together. For a prime example, take a look a Gustafer Yellowgold coming to the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County.
To find out how to make this happen at your library or location, ask me: Tony, massive Gustafer fan and library lover extraordinaire …reach me at yestoknow[at]gmail.com.
Rock on…I know you are already!

Fun Find Du Jour

What is not remarkable about this everyday item with some sizz. A mini-stapler with neon staples!
And get this–it even has a magnetic bottom, so it can stick to the side of your filing cabinet (or soda can, I suppose). I didn’t need a stapler, but I bought it anyway…now that’s enticement.

Ordinary can become extraordinary.

Paint The Town Read!

What do most people love? Here are a few things I think answer this question.

1. To support something they believe in.

2. To be a part of a bigger world, a bigger “something happening.”

3. To have their faces seen and their voices heard.

These are three simple but oh-so true qualities we’re committed to remembering when we unleash “Paint The Town Read” on February 14.

The thing to support: reading for fun.

The bigger something: the whole area will have the opportunity to celebrate together and watch signs pop up in yards and windows across the region.

The way to have your face seen: take pictures of yourself or your family with your sign and upload the images (yourself!) to flickr and we’ll pull those tagged with “plcmcpaint” into a slideshow that lives right on our web site. (Thanks Louisville Free Public for the yard sign idea!)

There are several other bells and whistles we’re planning. To get the simple gist of this initiative, we’ve put up a very simple Paint the Town Read web page. It’s still evolving, so stay tuned. I’ll keep you posted as we move forward! The painting begins on February 14 and goes until our giant Red-Read Party at ImaginOn on April 18 (yes, that’s National Library Week!).

Here’s to celebrating our community, reading, and public libraries!