"Me and My Shadow" H.W. Wilson Award-Winning Staff Development Program By Mary Behrle

On September 26, 30 organizers and participants in "Me and My Shadow," a library staff exchange program, met at the Danversport Yacht Club to wrap-up the first year of the project and kick-off the second. The speaker was Diane Young, a library consultant for Inside Joke Brain Trust, who discussed the job rejuvenating concepts of the Seattle Fish Market's Fish! program. Participating Shadows received copies of the books, Fish! Tales: Real-life Stories to Help You Transform Your Workplace and Your Life by Stephen C. Lundin, John Christensen, Harry Paul, and Philip Strand, and Dig Your Well Before You're Thirsty : The Only Networking Book You'll Ever Need by Harvey Mackay.

Liz Doucett Welcoming Participants

Introducing Diane Young

"Me and My Shadow" cake

The workshop and the books were funded through the H.W. Wilson Staff Development Award. Liz Doucett, assistant director at Lucius Beebe Memorial Library (Wakefield), had the idea for the program, applied for this national Award last year, and won! It was announced at the ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans in June.

"Me and My Shadow" is facilitated with the help of members of the Assistant Directors' Forum (thank you to Elizabeth Dickinson and Nancy Ryan for help in establishing the first year). Open to staff from any type library, it is an opportunity to network with colleagues and to learn from them. Shadows are asked to go to their host library with a question and come back to their own with an answer or a new idea.

For information about the upcoming program, link to Me and My Shadow - Second Year