Innovation Station: BRAINSTORMING
INNOVATION STARTS WITH AN IDEA…
It is not easy to innovate, but it is one of the most rewarding things you can do. Consider and
play with ideas regarding new and interesting ways to serve patrons, market your library, and
become a place that serves patrons in a way that no other place can.
We can all be creative. Creativity is simply defined as “using the thinking process to develop
ideas that are unique, useful and worthy of further elaboration.” (Chaffee, 2012). No special
skills, no technical prowess needed. Creativity comes from the imagination and is organic,
progressive, messy, and fun. But it starts with an idea.
GOAL:
I want you to brainstorm with your colleagues. Studies show that we work and become more
productive when we work together in groups. This does not have to do with I.Q. but with the
exchanging of ideas, open mindedness and the sharing of experiences. Learn from your group,
bounce ideas off of each other and have fun.
Finally, I want to say that this is a technology symposium, but don’t feel you need to just
consider technology related material. This symposium is technology second, and innovation
first. No idea is too simple, complex or silly. As one of my favorite quotes states, “If people
never did silly things [or, I might add, thought silly things], nothing intelligent would ever get
done.” (Wittgenstein).