Please save the date for the annual St. John’s University Libraries’ Town Hall Event on April 23, 2020 featuring guest speaker Steven Bell. This event is co-sponsored by the Metropolitan New York Library Council (METRO).
Topic: “Let’s Work Together for Change: Using Design Thinking for Better Libraries”
Description: Why do library workers engage in a change process? Put simply, we create change to make our library better. Whether it’s repairing broken workflows, implementing a new service or rethinking a space, if we can eliminate pain points then library customers have a far superior experience. Ideally, that leads to greater repeat use, word-of mouth referrals, brand loyalty and community support. The challenge is the difficulty in creating change – which can be a pain point for library workers.
This workshop is designed to introduce design thinking as a collaborative process that engages all staff to work together to for a better library in a creative, pain-free process. At the core of the design thinking is accurate problem or service gap identification and then thoughtful development of possible solutions to eliminate that problem or gap. Our workshop leader, Steven Bell, was an early adopter of design thinking and now teaches this process to LIS students at San Jose State University’s iSchool. Steven will use a series of activities to introduce the design thinking process and empower attendees to develop and conduct their own design challenges with colleagues.
When: April 23, 2020
Where: St. John’s University, 8000 Utopia Parkway, Queens NY 11439 and simulcast at the University’s Staten Island campus.
This is a free event, open to all librarians and library workers. Continental breakfast and lunch will be provided. Due to limited seating, registration will be required.
More details to follow in the coming months!
Please reach out to the planning committee with any questions by emailing LibraryTownHallWG@stjohns.edu