LongShots Podcast

Longshots #211 The Future of Libraries Begins with the User Experience

Sarah talks with Tom Sloan, Executive Director at the DuPage Library System, headquartered in Geneva, Illinois. Tom brings to Illinois successful models of library and library system cooperation from his previous director positions at the Southeast Florida Library Information Network (SEFLIN) and the State Library of Delaware. Tom explains why the future success of libraries is dependent on a solid examination of the full user experience at the library versus the more limited focus on the collection. Tom also explains why libraries must perform as community centers that supply the tools for creative energy, not just places to provide meeting rooms and a place to study.

Longshots #210 Why Working Together is the Key to Survival

Sarah talks with Michael Piper, Executive Director for the Prairie Area Library System, which covers a service area of 10,000 square miles in northern Illinois. Through years working in the arena of multi-type library cooperation in Kansas, Texas, Michigan, and Indiana, Michael is convinced that the sustainability of libraries and library systems is dependent on cooperation and consortia. And as "bartenders of knowledge," cooperative efforts will support us in what we do best – help people transform and grow.