Hope, Joy, and Beyond

Getting the Support You Need to Sustain the Good Work

Photo credit: Ian Wagg

Libraries are still standing

As public trust continues to fracture along multiple lines, community spaces become increasingly important for people to connect, learn from each other, and work toward solutions.

Community spaces are there when politicians and government agencies aren’t. Community spaces are there when business leaders look the other way. Community spaces are there when the reliable existence of a long-running news program treasured by millions is suddenly in question.

In the middle of it all, the library as community space still stands — free, open, and welcoming to everyone regardless of income, politics, education, or background. In fact, the library may be one of the last genuinely shared public spaces we have left, where learning and connection remain sacred. This is no small thing.

So, before we go on, let’s take a breath together and appreciate this.

Thinking big

In the spirit of libraries as a community-centered force for good, one of our founders, Stacie Ledden, recently joined Deux connards dans un bibliobus (Two Assholes in a Bookmobile) — a French podcast by librarians, for librarians — to talk about what this moment asks of us, why joy is the work and not just a luxury, and how Stacie remains hopeful through it all.

Stacie talked about what it means to create library programming that doesn’t turn away from what’s complicated or sensitive, and to cultivate joy while doing so — not as a denial of all that’s difficult today, but as a deliberate act of resistance.

Listen to the full episode →

The argument she makes is simple and urgent: Libraries are too important to operate small. This stormy time is exactly the moment to lean in and program with a bold mindset. By serving up programming with renewed courage and even a little twinkle of joyous defiance, libraries can continue to show up for their communities in ways that only they can.

Yet the hard work Stacie describes doesn’t sustain itself on hope and joy alone. It needs structure and practice. It also needs a team of people committed to doing it together. That’s the work Embolden by Design (ExD) is built for, and there has never been a more important time to do it.

Going for bold

Crouching low in a protective stance is rational sometimes. But when we accommodate this position for too long, it’s also painful. That’s why standing up feels so good. The blood starts flowing again. We get to see the horizon. Yes, we’re exposed, but rising also allows us to move, to look around, to engage directly with what’s happening in our environment, to be resolute in it. This is what it feels like to be bold.

Cultivating a bold mindset starts with inspiration and movement, yes, but training is how to turn that mindset into practical reality.

One of the foundational philosophies upon which ExD is built is that our training isn’t about teaching your library staff what they already know how to do, because they’re experts in their fields, and what they know is awesome. It’s about building up their confidence and ability to navigate these particularly complex times, even when it’s uncomfortable to do so.

Preparation and confidence help staff meet their community where it is. It helps them facilitate the possibility for connection, empathy, and deep understanding at a time when these are so hard to come by, and when few others are doing it.

It’s important to understand that a bold mindset doesn’t have to be a serious one. It can be fun, creative, even irreverent. Remember hope and joy? It can be hopeful and joyful, too! No matter what, boldness is relational — we recognize it in each other — which also makes it distinctly human. And that’s always a good thing.

Now is the time to ask: What does boldness mean to you? What might it mean to your community? How could everyone, from your internal staff to your external customers, benefit from bold programming right now?

Bringing ExD to your library

Ready to move from inspiration to action?

ExD offers a full-day, onsite staff training experience with collaborative program development, promotion and press materials, and evaluation tools, plus follow-up support — everything your staff needs to deliver bold, community-centered programming with confidence and to keep doing it after our partnership wraps up.

Let’s talk about where your library is, where you want it to go, and how we can help.

Schedule a conversation.