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How values guide our understanding of trends and transition

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Center for the Future of Libraries | Library Trends | Core Library Values

future-web

For many futurists and trend spotters, “futuring” is fundamentally about the study of change.

“We can learn a great deal about what may happen in the future by looking systematically at what is actually happening now,” wrote Edward Cornish, one of the founders of the World Future Society.

We study change so we can prepare for the many futures that might happen. We start seeing what’s coming next. We study so that we won’t be surprised. And we study so that we’ll be better prepared to start creating the future.

That’s good news for library and information professionals. We are expert in finding, organizing, processing, and prioritizing information. From wherever we are in our organizations, we all have opportunities to observe changes in our communities and consider the implications over the long term.

But observation is simply not enough. One of the biggest lessons my colleagues and I have learned while developing the Center for the Future of Libraries is that studying change is useless without considering values. We need to look at trends and changes with consideration of our own professional values (confidentiality and privacy, diversity, equitable access, intellectual freedom and expression, preservation) and the values that we seek to provide to our communities (a civic commons, democracy, discovery, education and literacy, public discourse).  And so, looking at changes, we need to ask ourselves what they might mean for intellectual freedom, for education, for equitable access, or for any of the other values that drive our work. Read more….

[IFLA-L] Open Societies are Healthy Societies: IFLA rejects unjustified barriers to the free movement of persons

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Human Rights | Library ethics & Advocacy | Freedom of Movement

logo-iflaOpen Societies are Healthy Societies

Libraries are at the heart of healthy societies. By bringing people together – students, researchers, creators, citizens – they support learning, sharing, and the creation of new ideas.

They also support the delivery of key human rights, as set out both in national constitutions and international conventions, most importantly the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: freedom of expression and access to information, as well as the right to participate in cultural life and enjoy the benefits of scientific progress.

Libraries have long supported the flow of ideas and information across borders. IFLA has called for reforms to laws that hold this back. Evidence shows that such flows promote innovation and creativity, which in turn drives growth, jobs and equality everywhere.

However, arbitrary and unjustified barriers to the movement of people jeopardise this situation. Such policies run contrary to states’ obligations under international law, which prohibit discrimination of any kind on the basis of race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status, as set out in the UN’s New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants.

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Read more:  www.ifla.org/node/11176

Why Leaders Can’t Afford to Overlook Rudeness at Work

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Heather R. Huhman Contributor Career and Workplace Expert; Founder and President, Come Recommended

August 31, 2015

Anger, gossip and irresponsibility are the sorts of behaviors that come to mind when we think about a toxic workplace, but a new study reveals another behavior leaders should beware of: rudeness.

Rude behavior is contagious and can spread quickly throughout the workplace, according to the study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology in June. The study found impolite interactions cause employees to perceive rudeness in later interactions, which often results in impolite retaliation.

Leaders shouldn’t tolerate this kind of harmful behavior — it’s not something that can be swept under the rug. Here are some ways to address rudeness in the workplace, before it spreads:

1. Set and maintain expectations.

One of the most important employee needs is clear expectations. If there aren’t any established boundaries and expectations, employees don’t have a guideline to follow.

“Great managers don’t just tell employees what’s expected of them and leave it at that; instead, they frequently talk with employees about their responsibilities and progress. They don’t save those critical conversations for once-a-year performance reviews,” states an article published in Gallup’s Business Journal in April.

Establish expectations through frequent conversations with employees. Don’t not just meet monthly or quarterly. Keep a positive tone and address examples of what employees already do well. When gray areas are uncovered, address them by collaborating with employees to determine a set rule.

Related: How the Epidemic of Bad Behavior Affects Your Business

Read more: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/250005

Image credit: Marie Richie | Flickr

Ten Nuggets of Wisdom About Leadership

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Dan Rockwell, author of the “Leadership Freak” blog

via Ten Nuggets of Wisdom About Leadership.