Concept to Concrete: Building a local Interlibrary Loan special interest group in a metropolitan area Friday, May 1, 2015 Colorado ILL Conference Presented by: Jan Brooks, Johnson College Community College Ellie Kohler, Rockhurst University Kari Sime, Johnson County Library
Reminder: This is the proposal Today’s interlibrary practitioners have a wide variety of skills and deal with libraries across the country every day, yet we often work in isolation. In the Kansas City area, a group of ILL practitioners saw a need in their local area for a platform to provide a free exchange of ideas and best practices, encourage collegiality and mentorship, and foster collaboration within the local community. In 2013, with the support of the Mid America Library Alliance, a local alliance that offers professional development training and provides courier services, ILL departments created an ILL special interest group. This presentation will discuss how easy, and how difficult, it is to create a special interest group as well as discuss the challenges of working without funding.
Why a SIG?
Meet Jen
So why a SIG? For the group! Collaboration Sharing Best practices Leadership opportunities
Ok, the real reason: It’s personal
How we did it… with no budget
Technology Online meetings Online documentation Blog
MALA: Mid American Library Assn address Facebook posts Newsletter “Featured” on Website
Getting the Word Out
Mentor List Untapped talent everywhere Promote libraries Make connections People love to share expertise
Print Resources List
Member Spotlights Meet Kate, future ILLSIG Chair Her patronus is a housecat She’s loaned a book to DLC!
Events
Future Events
Future in Flux What will we look like next year? Or in 5 years How much should we push our vision? All our committee members are leaving! Local vs regions
The MALA Issue January 2015 Pros and cons Fee vs free Sponsorship vs self-directed
MALA Issue Today Unconference Go ahead as planned (free conference) Assess after conference Decide whether to become an independent group
Attracting Participation Committee positions Event attendees Blog traffic
Lessons learned
Thank you! Questions?