strategy – Page 17 – matt finch / mechanical dolphin

New strategic plan for Supreme Court Library Queensland

August 14, 2019Mechanical Dolphin

I’m pleased to announce the publication of one of my recent projects, the new five-year strategic plan for the Supreme Court Library of Queensland, Australia (SCLQ).

Queen_Elizabeth_II_Courts_of_Law,_Brisbane_03 — Queen Elizabeth II Courts of Law, Brisbane by Wikipedia user Kgbo – CC BY-SA 3.0

The project, which ran through 2018 and early 2019, comprised research, interviews, survey and workshop design, plus co-writing the finished plan with Supreme Court Librarian David Bratchford.

Researching and writing the plan gave me the opportunity to explore one of the most fascinating and challenging sectors of the information profession – the law.

The Library as Value-Creating System

August 6, 2019August 6, 2019Mechanical Dolphin

Here are a few thoughts on how we might apply the Value-Creating System (VCS) approach – which focusses on relationships as much as transactions or products, emphasises collaboration as much as competition, and incorporates values other than the financial – to public libraries.

Box full of colourful characters and figures with placards labelled "Library of the Future - Some assembly required

What Does a Library Do, Anyway?

It can be hard to define a library’s purpose these days.

This is more of a problem for public libraries than for other institutions. Universities and colleges have well-articulated information needs, as do hospitals, courts, and other government bodies, or large enterprises which employ librarians of their own. Libraries within these organisations serve the information needs of a specified group, and often those needs and services are pretty well defined too.

Public libraries, however, struggle more with self-definition. They provide a wide and varied range of services, plus the communities they serve are often more diverse and less tightly defined. Some corners of Libraryland have been talking about this online for a while. Read more →

Getting Your Head Around Value-Creating Systems

August 4, 2019October 4, 2022Mechanical Dolphin

Here are some notes & thoughts from one of my summer reads – Rafael Ramírez and Ulf Mannervik’s Strategy for a Networked World.

Cover of Rafael Ramírez and Ulf Mannervik, Strategy for a Networked World

This book sets out the latest version of a strategic approach called Value-Creating Systems (VCS). The late Richard Normann and his colleagues first developed VCS over 20 years ago. Its focus on relationships and connections, exploring collaboration as well as competition in business environments, seems ever more relevant in our increasingly networked world.

As people go on summer holidays and the pace of work in the northern hemisphere slows a little, it’s a great time to read, learn, and grow.

How Public Libraries Can Help Us Prepare For the Future – The Conversation

July 18, 2019Mechanical Dolphin

Could public libraries revolutionise politics and society by helping local communities to develop long-term foresight?

800px-state_library_of_queensland_01 — State Library of Queensland by Wikipedia users Kgbo – CC BY-SA 4.0

My first piece for The Conversation, “How Public Libraries Can Help Us Prepare For the Future“, has just gone live.

It draws on research I conducted with the University of Southern Queensland’s Kate Davis and conversations with Rafael Ramírez of Oxford’s Saïd Business School.

The article explores the possibility of using public libraries as hosts for deeply local scenario planning initiatives, putting foresight tools commonly used by policymakers, big business, and the military in the hands of grassroots communities.

You can read “How Public Libraries Can Help Us Prepare For the Future ” over at The Conversation now.

GovLove Podcast for Emerging Local Government Leaders

July 16, 2019Mechanical Dolphin

I joined Kirsten Wyatt of the US Emerging Local Government Leaders’ GovLove podcast to talk about scenarios, strategy, foresight, play and the power of drawing.

You can catch our full conversation over at the ELGL website.

Yoga for Futurists, Part 2

July 9, 2019Mechanical Dolphin

Got a pen, paper, and fifteen minutes to think about the future?

The second short video in my series “Yoga for Futurists” offers some quick questions and prompts to help drive informal coffee-break conversations around strategic decision-making.

You can watch the first part of “Yoga for Futurists” here.

Public Libraries News: Mission to Library Island

July 1, 2019Mechanical Dolphin

Investigating potential futures as they emerge elsewhere in the world, avoiding “copy and paste” innovation, playing games to figure out the choices our organisations should make next: I talk Library Island & scenario planning with Ian Anstice over at the UK’s Public Libraries News website.

@LibrariesUnLtd went to Library Island last week for some loud and lively professional development, in collaboration with @swrlsdir & @UKSCL pic.twitter.com/Z13IZpMIPw

— Matt Finch (@DrMattFinch) June 4, 2018

Florida Webinar: Get Started with Strategy

June 27, 2019Mechanical Dolphin

If you work in a Florida library, you can join me for a special webinar next month: “Get Started with Strategy: Practical Planning for the Future“.

How do we prepare for the future when the road ahead is unclear?
What technological and social changes should our library be anticipating?
What information do we need to begin strategic planning and how do we get it?
How do we get our colleagues or stakeholders on board with a vision or mission that best suits our community’s needs?

“Weclcome to Florida Sign” by Flickr user DonkeyHotey, used under CC-BY 2.0 licence

On 17th July, this one-hour session for Florida librarians will introduce you to simple, quick-to-master tools and techniques for building strategic awareness and setting out your service’s plan for the future.

Find out more at the Florida Library Webinars site – you have to be a staff member of a Florida library to participate, so you’ve either got two weeks to move there and find work, or reach out to me directly for a webinar or workshop of your very own.

Yoga for Futurists, Part 1

June 21, 2019July 9, 2019Mechanical Dolphin

Got a pen, paper, and fifteen minutes to think about the future?

This short video, “Yoga for Futurists“, will help you build strength and flexibility in the ways you or your organization looks at the future.

You can also read more about one of the activities featured in this video, “Arrows of Time“, on this blog.

So if you feel like stretching your sense of the world to come, and the ways by which you might choose your future, grab something to write with and press play on the video above.

Library Island Is Here!

June 12, 2019September 30, 2021Mechanical Dolphin

Welcome to Library Island!

This interactive training activity helps participants to explore strategy, innovation, and the messy business of working with communities. We’ve spent the last two years perfecting Library Island with university staff, health workers, museum professionals, students, and, yes, librarians.

The free CC-licensed print-and-play kit is now available for download in PDF format. Feel free to adopt it, adapt it, and make your own visit to Library Island.