Despite the saucy title, this session had nothing in common with a certain Usher song. It was, nonetheless, a great session. New directors have many of the same experiences in a new job the rest of us have — lots of training, endless orientation sessions, meeting tons of new people, adjusting to a new role, possibly in a totally new system — except that their experiences are much more public.

I most enjoyed Elizabeth Elder’s discussion of her early days at Salt Lake Public Library. Before she even started at SLPL, she made a list of all the people she needed to meet (city officials, department heads, community leaders, etc.). When she met with those people, she asked them three questions:

1. What is your vision for the city?
2. What has your experience with the library been?
3. And, If I (and the library) get in trouble, will you help me?

The last question may seem strange, but it was really strategic. Elder had experienced major controversy in her previous position, and learned that libraries need defenders when there is trouble, rather than simply defending themselves. Her question was well-planned; soon after, a major problem brewed, and she went back to those local leaders for help. With the support of these people, and by engaging with the people on the other side of the particular issue, she was able to achieve a positive solution to the problem for all involved.

Elder believes that when there’s a problem, you need to turn toward it, rather than running away from it. This theme of facing conflict head-on has come up again and again in my sessions at PLA; whether the conflict is personal or political, you can’t solve it by ignoring it.