Justin Hoenke shares his experiences moving from the super creative world of youth services in libraries to the still creative but not the same kind of creative world of leading a library. He discusses the pros and cons of moving into leadership and managing teams and how to use your creativity to engage your team and community.

1. Justin Hoenke shares his experiences
moving from the super creative world of
youth services in libraries to the still
creative but not the same kind of creative
world of leading a library. He discusses
the pros and cons of moving into
leadership and managing teams and how
to use your creativity to engage your
team and community.
Using Creativity to Grow & Develop
Computers in Libraries 2023
Wednesday, March 29: 10:45 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

3. MOVING INTO LEADERSHIP
LET GO: you’re entering a period of growth and change. Let it
happen naturally.
RETRAIN YOUR BRAIN: time to go back to school.
OFFICE WORK: organize your space, find focus, and get to work.
NEVER LOSE SIGHT: don’t stay in your office. Get out there and
remember where you came from.
TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF: this is a big change. Be kind to
yourself. You’ll get there.

4. MOVING INTO LEADERSHIP
“The leader’s job is not
to provide energy but to
release it from others.”
-Frances Hesselbein

5. CONNECTING WITH THE TEAM
LISTEN: your team now generates the ideas. You’re there to help make those
ideas come to life.
CONNECT: you’ve got to connect with the people you work with. This
connection will make the library work grow and connect to the community
more.
HANG OUT: think about how much time you spend with your staff. Enjoy that
time.
LISTEN PART TWO: I can’t stress how important it is to listen to your team.
ENCOURAGE THEM: you are the brightest shining beacon of positivity in the
world!

8. KEEP THE CREATIVITY GOING
LISTEN: their ideas shape the library services. Listen to the ideas that the staff has, find out how
you can support them, and trust them to happen.
ENCOURAGE: nudge the staff to think differently about both library services and how things are
done. Get them trying new things at their own pace.
PLANT A GARDEN: find ways to encourage creativity. Pretend that you’re planting a garden.
Sprinkle those seeds into the library soil, water them, and see what happens.
BE A PART OF EVERYTHING: keep a little bit of yourself involved in as much of the library as
you can without being overwhelmed. Not only will you know what’s going on but you’ll keep the
fire and drive that you have for libraries still burning.
FIND TIME FOR YOURSELF: what creative pursuits do you have? Make sure you take care of
yourself and keep yourself creative. Libraries are not everything and we are not just our work.

9. PROS
CONNECTION!
GROWTH!
UNDERSTANDING!
SEEING OTHERS THRIVE!
THE AMAZINGNESS OF HUMANS!
BUREAUCRACY!
PAPERWORK!
HUMAN RESOURCES!
DRAMA!
NEVER ENOUGH RESOURCES!
CONS

10. RESOURCES
Chattanooga Public Library Work:
https://justinthelibrarian.com/category/libraries/chattanooga-public-library/
Titusville, PA Heritage Connection:
https://justinthelibrarian.com/2019/06/24/titusville-pa-heritage-connection/
Benson Memorial Library Obituary Index:
https://justinthelibrarian.com/2019/03/27/relevant-at-any-size-benson-memorial-library-obituary-index/
Waitohi Community Hub and The Hive Makerspace at Wellington City Libraries: https://justinthelibrarian.com/category/libraries/wellington-city-
libraries/
Great Library & Community Work by Lewis Ioane:
https://justinthelibrarian.com/2021/09/27/great-library-community-work-by-lewis-ioane/
Pride 2021 @ Johnsonville Library:
https://justinthelibrarian.com/2021/07/13/new-zealand-library-work-pride-2021-johnsonville-library/
“Let Your Creativity Flow at The Hive Makerspace”:
https://justinthelibrarian.com/2021/06/09/let-your-creativity-flow-at-waitohis-makerspace/
The Hive Makerspace:
https://justinthelibrarian.com/2021/04/20/new-zealand-library-work-tuhura-hive-makerspace/
Creativity in Public Libraries during Covid-19:
https://justinthelibrarian.com/2020/04/08/creativity-in-public-libraries-during-covid-19-an-ongoing-list-of-cool-things/