Maribeth Shafer
Central Kansas Library System
Assistant Director & CE Consultant

Tell us about your experience leading a change in your library and/or in your community.
As our library system sun downed a mail a book program I submitted and won a grant to start a new program on long term lending of tablets with cell network connection to rural patrons.
For systemwide training for 54 public libraries and 26 Schools, I initiated a monthly webinar series called Tuesdays with CKLS. Staff and other library experts trained on a wide range of topics from budgeting, cataloging, talking books, new taxing laws, trustee training and more.

I train new directors on the deep admin tasks they need to know, whether single staffers or directors with many staff members. I developed a new training regimen to give the new director different stages several weeks apart over several months to improve knowledge retention.

I train board members on state library law and help them become compliant and meet all the requirements.

What is your mentoring philosophy & style?
I believe in providing the information and guiding from beside. I’m there to support and advise but the decisions are theirs.

What else would you like a leadership mentee to know about you?
I enjoy puns and believe finding the humor when discussing an issue is a good way to get some distance from the issue and break the tension.

Areas of expertise
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