I think there’s still time for one more Top 5 list as we come to the end of Birthday Week. Heck, my 3 year old still thinks that any package that comes in the house is a “present”, even though he celebrated his birthday at the end of April. So here are a few thoughts on the Rural Library Sustainability Project and five points to ponder:

1. It’s about connecting. The one thing that stands out from the hundreds of workshops and thousands of library staff coming together over the past few years, is that the connection is everything. There is no magic potion to address the sustainability challenges and struggles that libraries face around the country, but learning from colleagues and knowing that others face similar challenges is comforting and empowering. The Library Connections Brainstorm lists many of the ways our workshop participants decided they would stay connected to colleagues and information. Take a look and see how many of these you use.

2. Are we on the same page? No two towns and no two libraries are alike. While one town may have tons of community support but not enough space, the other may have a brand new spacious facility, but an indifferent community. The Rural Library Sustainability Continuum introduced common language and levels at which a library can begin to assess where they stand, and more importantly, which areas of sustainability they may want to try to address.

3. Just Act. John Wood, in his PLA address, talked about his staff living by the philosophy of GSD – Get Stuff Done. The Action Plan we introduced in the workshops was built off this same mantra. There’s no need to create elaborate plans that take days to develop and months or years to come to fruition. Start with the baby steps. Success begets success. However, you want to look at it, there is huge truth to the notion that just moving and “showing up” creates amazing results.

4. The Beat Goes On. When 6,000 individuals take a day out of their lives to connect with one another and strategize on the futures of their communities and libraries, the results are impressive. All of the Brainstorms from those workshops are available today and are ripe for the picking. Also, the Online Course, which replicates what we tried to do in the live workshop, is available for free and can be taken at any time. Lastly, the Association for Rural and Small Libraries is now actively involved with our Rural Community of Practice, and will continue delivering fresh content, and encouraging lively discussion and sharing of best practices for years to come.

5. It really comes down to the people. The best part of my day is gaining inspiration from all of you. Getting to work with the Brenda Hough’s and Carla Lehn’s of the world is a great fringe benefit. Seeing our workshop participants nudge the trajectory of their communities by implementing a small tip or strategy introduced to them in one of our workshops or webinars is what it’s all about.