CIL Day One: Delight Your Customers

Yesterday was the first day of the Computers in Libraries conference, and I must say that I was pleasantly surprised. I have attended seven CILs, and while they have always been immensely helpful, I always felt like there was a bit of anxiety surrounding the conference.  I attributed this to uncertainty in the profession regarding the future of libraries.  I could hear people thinking "Is this the next big thing?"  "Will this new gadget save libraries??"  "Is this what patrons want?????"

I'm happy to note that this year feels markedly different.  The focus is back to how we can make customers happy.  This shift in atmosphere should not be overlooked.  If we shed our anxiety regarding the future and instead focus our energy on delighting our patrons, then we can truly become successful innovators. 

Ideas flow freely from inspired people.  Inspired people must be free of anxiety and fear.  Stop worrying about the future of libraries and start focusing on bringing joy and inspiration to your communities.  If you do this, and do it well, then you won't ever have to worry about becoming irrelevant.  

I hope everyone in attendance can feel this positive shift, and I hope that it's reflective of a larger trend in libraries.   Finally, I hope that every single person present at this conference returns to their respective libraries newly inspired, and spreads that inspiration to all of their coworkers.  What great things we could do together!