I think the most useful thing that I took away from this conference is that collaboration is a great way to improve outcomes and what your organization (or library!) is capable of without increasing spending. One of the first sessions that I attended encouraged us to think of a problem that we were facing, write it on an envelope, and then find other people in the room who had resources that might be able to help. I wrote down that we struggle with money for additional staffing or staff time. I met someone from a university who mentioned that his students need opportunities to practice some of the skills that they are learning, including graphic design, finance topics, and program planning. I had never really thought about this as a way to increase what we are able to do AS WELL AS help students get some of the practical experience that will benefit them when they graduate and are looking for jobs.
Another resource that was shared with us was the bridging dictionary: https://bridgingdictionary.org/ This resource helps assess language that might be construed as political, offering suggestions for more neutral terms to improve communication and ensure that we are sharing the importance of our work without alienating the people who might be able to help us.
We were also reminded to think beyond grants and find ways to involve community partners in fundraising as well as resource sharing. I know that I personally forget all the time that I don’t have to do everything on my own. I can ask the library board for programming ideas. I can reach out to patrons who are interested in volunteering to have help with planning and executing programs and events. It was encouraging to hear that there were so many resources to support libraries and nonprofits at a time when there has been a great deal of upheaval and change.