Statewide Conference Focus Groups

Feedback from Focus Groups convened at the 2016 LTNM Statewide Conference identified five major target areas to improve support for New Mexico libraries and their communities:

I. Stable, recurring funding is necessary. State funding sources (such as a Technology Tax) to fund broadband for all libraries and communities for access to health, early literacy, and financial literacy resources.

Ideas:

Education and advocacy are needed (librarians, community, policy makers)

Build rapport with association of counties with the goal of districting and property tax funding

Create unified voices through partnerships and collaborations

Data-driven advocacy (qualitative and quantitative measures of impact); clearinghouse of impact outcomes

Campaign for GO Bond

Capitalize on the things the library does well (like the Bookmobile) and get a line item for library funding

Emphasize how reasonable per capita costs are for library services

What is state plan for economic and workforce development and how do/can libraries contribute

Establish state level funding source (new) for technology (technology tax)

Work with HED/NMCAL on bond wording

State library subsidies (Gale, InfoTrac, BrainFuse)

State price agreements; shopping list of vendors

Other sources of funding:

Private

Corporate

Wills/estates

Grants

Charging for services

Title I

II. Redefine role of the State Library.

Ideas:

Coordinate data clearinghouse

Establish consortium of all types of libraries coordinated by State Library

More tasks taken on by State Library (grants, resources, funding)

Identify avenues of private funding

Provide state library consultant to health with eRates

III. Support the creation of a board or coalition for broadband access across the state for everyone (other states have done this). People rely on libraries for Internet access. The need for broadband is bigger than libraries.

Ideas:

Create Board with partners and stakeholders

Partnerships for broadband

State and federal legislators

Mobile hotspots (eg, school bus)

Statewide broadband to include all libraries (also agencies, institutions, municipalities, etc.)

Broadband as public utility; free WiFi in city limits

Potential Stakeholders/Partners:

HED

PED

NMCAL/NMLA

LFC

Rep – state technology

DOIT

Procurement – state purchasing

Mobile carriers (Verizon, T-Mobile)

Digital (online content) – content providers

Electrical companies – Century Link, Comcast

Legislative Finance

ASL

Financial institutions

Government agencies

Communities (chamber of commerce)

Partnership between schools and libraries

Commercial entities

Municipalities

Navajo Nation launches a satellite so all the Chapter Houses can talk

Nmconnect.org

Department of Health NM Telehealth Alliance

Getting devices w/ 4G – Homework Help Resource Map

IV. Develop non-traditional partnerships; become community hub; the community’s source of what it wants, library manages/takes initiative/backbone; embedded into the community; library ambassadors (people from the community who speak the language of the community)

Potential Collaborators:

Media, NM Humanities Council, nonprofits, community foundations, colleges and universities, public schools, state agencies, museums, teachers/students/parents/PTO; Corporate, health care providers (shot clinics), federal agencies, La Familia, Pull Together, University preschool teachers program, academic libraries, Community members, state agencies, schools/teachers, nonprofits, professional organizations (eg NMCAL); Collaborate with Tribal libraries, FatPipe Abq, local filmmakers, SCORE /retirees, Business centers, American Indian Library Association, other community centers, Parks & Rec, Health care for homeless, Friends groups, Jr. Medical Reserve Corps, Adult Literacy programs

Services/Programs:

Literacy, health literacy, financial literacy, community use rooms, baby showers with vendors, books for babies, limit fines for children, school trips to library, author receptions/fund raisers, Place to fill out driver’s license forms

Outreach with DoH and NMLM colleagues

Literacy training (information, digital, health, financial)

Monthly luncheons for veterans with representatives from health groups

Classes – online, skills (computer, language)

Market what we have

Provide online access – Hulu, Margo (language)

Health clinic In library

“Book a Reference Librarian” for help with job search/progress

Support vocational training

Pop up libraries/ “Book Bike”

Collaborate with museums and other cultural agencies, with summer reading

Get STEM/STEAM activities out to public (donors like this)

Digital storytelling/ using personal photos to tell stories

“Talk Story”

Creating stories (Funded by Toyota)

Early childhood literacy (0-3yrs)

Look at scheduling of storytime in libraries

Mobile computer lab; maker space; outreach in community

Create a “business” center

Outreach for low-literate adults

Feed them

Library branch at the mall

Early childhood literacy

Connect with summer lunch programs

“Library in the park”

Family night – once a month with dinner and literacy

Services for refugees

Services for second language learners

Connection to community

Go to businesses

“Brown bag” lunch

Preliteracy programs

WiFI hotspots – can check out from library

Break down barriers between school and public libraries

V. Accountability and follow up

Accountability – six- month follow up

Share information about services

Think systemically, act locally; all librarians advocates at local level

Develop roadmap, plan of action with accountability (6 month follow up)

Tech is not the problem – our people, institutions, attitudes, shortsightedness are; need to establish priorities, think “out of the box”

Go where people are