What prompted the need for a Risk and Reward Conference?
Shelley and Stacie can provide the back-story about how this initially came about.
Shelley Walchak (SW): Libraries across the country have been deeply concerned about their future since the beginning of the recession, and yet, one Colorado library district – Anythink Libraries (Rangeview Library District in Adams County) seemed to be resistant to the downturn. In fact, within the last 5 years they have built or remodeled seven libraries and won ALA’s National Medal as well as the John Cotton Dana Marketing Award.
SW: Colorado libraries were curious as to how Director Pam Smith and her staff were so successful. As I worked with libraries across Colorado, directors and staff wanted to understand Anythink’s successes. And so, a visit with Pam Smith, followed by a discussion with her Manager of Communications, Stacie Ledden, led to the development of a committee to create a conference that would explore Anythink’s successes. Without the following committee members, R-Squared: The Risk & Reward Conference would not have been born: John Bellina and Tasso Stathopulos from Ricochet Ideas, Barb Brattin (Telluride), Susan Dobbs (Anythink) , Shelly Drumm (formerly with Colorado State Library (CSL), Ryan Ewers (Aurora), Jamie Hollier (CSL), Scott Lupo (Anythink), Steve Hansen (formerly Anythink), Valerie Horton (Colorado Library Consortium (CLiC), Christine Kreger (CSL), Stacie Ledden (Anythink), Sharon Morris (CSL), Judy Poe (Bayfield) , Elena Rosenfeld (Weld), Crystal Schimpf, (CSL), Pam Smith (Anythink), Judy Van Acker (CLiC), and Shelley Walchak (CSL).
Stacie Ledden (SL): Once Pam and Shelley started talking about launching a conference, they brought in the Anythink Communications team.
SL: At the time we were working on an exhibit for Anythink called “The Power of Creativity,” which will be on display at R-Squared. The exhibit highlights six characteristics of creative individuals–originality, curiosity, risk-taking, open-mindedness, connecting, productivity–and its purpose is to show people that creativity manifests itself in many different ways. It’s not just artists, writers, dancers, musicians who are creative: everyone has some creative ability.
Click the link above to read the whole interview.