2012 Best Practices for Government Libraries

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BEST PRACTICES 2012
Importance of Communities: Influencing Change by Working Together
By Karen Huffman, Manager of Technology Solutions, National Geographic Society’s
Campus Technology Team
The skills and competencies we acquire as information professionals through our
educational pursuits and experience gained at work and through our professional
involvement translates across work and professional communities. Collaboration is at the
heart of productive communities. It consists of four core areas -- agreements,
communication, action, and outcome.
Agreements Communication
Reviewing and re-negotiating our ideas
today to best meet our ever changing
needs of the future. Open to change.
Action Outcome
Bringing your skills, abilities,
experience, and knowledge.
Conversing day-to-day on what’s happening,
should happen. Ability to communicate to
various groups and through multiple styles.
Working together to create a different future.
Everyone’s contributions matter.
The glass flowers designed by Dale Chihuly http://www.chihuly.com/ hang in the
reception hall of the Bellagio Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada. It represents the ideas I will
share below about how the impact of this display would not have been as impressive
without all the various colors
and shapes which speaks to me
about the power of collaborative
communities and the influence
we have, not just with our peers
but across any community
within which we choose to
engage. It takes a community to
influence change and make a
difference, not just one person.
Agreements: Since shifting
from the Libraries to the
Technology division at National
Geographic four years ago, I
have transitioned between four different areas and managers. One of my core roles has