CALLAN BIGNOLI is the director of the library at Olin College of Engineering in Needham, Massachusetts. She gathers inspiration from everywhere to inform user-centered practices and push the profession forward. Callan studies and speaks about user experience design, library management, and social issues in technology, challenging students and colleagues to fight for a more just and human future. She tweets at @eminencefont and can be reached at callan.bignoli@gmail.com.
LAUREN STARA is a library building specialist with the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, helping public libraries around the Commonwealth improve their physical spaces. A registered architect and a librarian, she has worked in and/or consulted for libraries in eight US states, three Canadian provinces, and three Eastern European countries. She has taught at library schools in Canada and Bulgaria, and she speaks and presents frequently on library design, design thinking, and service design. Lauren can be reached at lauren.stara@gmail.com.
Stephanie Chase is the Director of Libraries for the City of Hillsboro, Oregon.
With more than twenty years of experience in local and municipal government, serving communities ranging from the small and rural in New England, resort communities, and some of our largest urban centers on both the east and west coasts, Stephanie is an accomplished innovator and change leader, with significant experience leading organizational design and effectiveness and community engagement initiatives.
Prior to Hillsboro, Stephanie coordinated service strategies to libraries for BiblioCommons, was the Director of Library Programs and Services for The Seattle Public Library, a founding member and inaugural chair of national advocacy organization LibraryReads, and founded the Green Mountain (VT) Library Consortium, a statewide consortium serving 150 member libraries. In addition, Stephanie currently serves on the Public Library Association’ Board of Directors and the American Library Association’s governing Council.
Hillary Ostlund is a Manager for the City of Hillsboro’s Library department. She currently leads the library’s Cultivate team, focused on staff development, training, and employee engagement. A continuous learner with a background in design thinking, Hillary is always looking for ways to bring inspiration and ideas into the workplace while matching people’s strengths to their work.
Hillary is extremely passionate about public services – especially the role libraries play in communities – with notable training in leadership and development. She is excited to hold a leadership position at the City of Hillsboro’s Library and loves being part of an innovative and inspiring municipal government.
This episode of Circulating Ideas is brought to you with support from Becky Spratford and RA for All. Readers’ advisory is a core concept for libraries and you want your staff trained by the best. Back in 2007, librarian Becky Spratford was working at a public library and teaching the readers advisory class at Dominican University but wanted to do more to compile her best ideas and save the very best of her students work, so she started a blog, RA for Allas a way to showcase and catalog it all. The blog is now one of the most trusted and respected RA tools available. After 15 years of public service, Becky transitioned into being a full time consultant in 2015 and provides RA training to library workers all over the world. If you are interested in hiring Becky to present at your library’s staff day, your state library conference, or wherever library workers are learning (either in person or virtually), go to raforall.blogspot.com to preview sample past programs, see her current schedule of events, listen to Becky talk about RA service, and obtain basic pricing. Click the RA for All logo at the top of the blog to find her contact information and if you mention Circulating Ideas, you will get 10% off if you book by the end of 2019.
John Huber is an author, Lean Library Consultant and international speaker. After assisting over 100 manufacturing, distribution retail organizations dramatically improve their service and cost performance, Mr. Huber turned his attention to the Library world. This partnership has been impactful. Due to Mr. Huber’s leadership, libraries have established and met heretofore-unexpected new levels of service and cost performance. Sample library clients include the Pubic Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, The New York Public Library, Austin Public library, Houston Public Library, Texas A & M University, Multnomah County Library, Gwinnett County Public Library, and many, many more. Sample manufacturing clients include Thomas & Betts, Midas, American Airlines, Safelite Glass, Rheem/Ruud, Zebco, Home International Products, and B. E. Aerospace.
Mr. Huber is the author of these popularly received books, Lean Library Management, Eleven Strategies for Reducing Costs and Improving Services and The Purpose Based Library, Finding Your Path to Survival, Success and Growth by visiting J. Huber & Associates website: http://www.jhaconsults.com.
Mr. Huber has a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering and management from Oklahoma State University and holds three U.S. patents. He can be reached at jhaconsults@gmail.com.
Steven V. Potter is the CEO and Library Director of Mid-Continent Public Library. He has been with the Library system since 1988, where he started as a typist after finishing his undergraduate work in history at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. In the years since, Potter has held multiple positions at the MCPL. He was responsible for the system’s first website and the project to bring public Internet computers to the Library as well as developing the largest public genealogy library in the U.S. (The Midwest Genealogy Center). Potter is now overseeing the MCPL’s shift to providing library access in a digital age. The innovative Woodneath Library Center gathers many of these innovative efforts in one place. For these reasons, and many more, MCPL was recognized as a recipient of the 2014 National Medal from the Institute for Museum and Library Service.
Potter coauthored The Purposed Based Library and was named Public Administrator of the Year by the Greater Kansas City Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration in 2015. Under his leadership, MCPL placed a question before the voters asking for the first increase in funding since 1983. The voters soundly endorsed the library’s vision in November 2016 setting the library’s course for the next decade and beyond. He has become a leader in the field of local economic development and its impact on public entities.
He serves on multiple boards of directors and is an adjunct professor for the University of Missouri. He holds an MLS from the University of Missouri-Columbia and an MPA from the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
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Circulating Ideas 