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before his graduation in May 2020. Danny believes libraries will continue to grow and thrive just as long as they stay open to new innovations and ideas presented by the unique populations they serve. As a Southeast Asian-American male entering the LIS field, Danny feels it is his duty to represent the many diverse voices and professions he is associated with to the greater library world and its affiliated networks across the globe.
His interests include (but are in no way limited to) dancing, culinary adventures, international travel, CD/book/vinyl/toy collecting, writing/performing poetry, and studying the business of art, fashion, and culture.
Questionaire
1. Why are you interested in this position?
I latched onto the idea of joining the board when I attended the previous CLA conference in 2018 at Santa Clara (hosted by the Santa Clara City Library). I was one of the recipients of the Edna Yelland Scholarship, and although I was still very new to the greater library world, the experience and comradery I found there reminded me of my decades of experiences working within the arts, education, nonprofit, and activist communities. The alignment of my values with that of the public library’s core principles opened within me a kindred synergy that affirmed the choices I made these last four years to pivot my life’s mission and trajectory, were right on the money.
Although becoming a librarian is an important milestone for me (as well as graduating with a master’s degree) I feel that my effectiveness as an information leader/champion would benefit being in communion with other passionate leaders in the profession, helping to expand my knowledge on how libraries across our region (and nation) work and global breadth of the library’s influence in societies around the world. I see myself on the road to being a global minded information advocate, and what better place to increase my professional score than to be on the board with other CLA leaders.
2. How would you describe your personal leadership/communication style?
I would describe my style of leadership to be fairly democratic with an emphasis of strategic planning. My background working with many different types of teams I have found that the most effective leaders allowed everyone in the organization to be able to speak their minds and share their ideas with the rest of the group. This of course being within smaller organizations that were more manageable and candid. Being able to give everyone a platform to speak is important to group moral, and that often increases the equity in the work environment over time. Although the final say would come from the top brass, I believe the decisions that are made in the end will have the weight of every input that was said or written by other significant members of the team. Yet, I also feel if you are a person who has some governance over certain decision making, and other individuals are not being fair towards the process, then making an executive decision for the good of the organization is necessary too.
As far as my communication style, I feel that I lean towards an assertive style, as I do not like to beat around the bush with confronting issues or engaging in creative planning. I enjoy face-to-face meetings, whether that is speaking to a small board, or to an audience of hundreds. My background in performance poetry, nightlife entertainment, and civic work has prepared me to speak to important issues head on with faith and courage (even when I am not so confident in myself).
3. What strengths would you bring to the position?
I have always acknowledged my ability to connect different entities with one another, sometimes individuals, groups and organizations who have no prior knowledge of one another and create some amazing opportunities from chance. My strength in relationship building and networking has served me well in different capacities and careers. I enjoy helping people (or in this case libraries) improve their station in life by focusing on the areas that need improvement and finding creative solutions to uprooting the causes of their frustration, and/or planning for a long-term commitment that would gradually help the person (or org) over the span of their existence.
I can speak to the many different cultures I identify with and find ways for them to get into the library space, or at the very least collaborate with the library to reframe their narratives in a positive light for all to see. I was brought up as a Vietnamese-American who enjoyed participating in Hip Hop culture with its many facets found in all parts of the world. But it is stigmatized for its street origins and often enough, by the way it is portraye in the media, demonizing ethnic communities and the youth in urban cities. I think I speak not only to the urban creative arts, but also comic book lovers/creators, the video game industry, fashion entrepreneurs, and the growing local culinary scene here in the Bay Area. These voices are also important to the library as they are inspiring the everyday person into personal narratives not always found in the stacks. I know how to help bring them into our spaces, and often it is simply by earnest invitation.
Plainly enough, I’m a people person. All peoples.
4. What experience do you bring to this position?
In the last 19 years I have worked in the fashion industry in production and marketing, the entertainment industry (club promotions and booking), event organizing (for nonprofits, artists, and fundraising), toured as a performance poet, freelanced as a music blogger/writer for the web and in print, worked on campaigns for music and arts festivals, consulted for businesses, and my culminative experiences working at the SJPL, SCCL, and the SCCLD.
5. What issues or trends are particularly informing your work at this time?
I definitely see how the digitization of information and how that is accessed, vetted, and consume is affecting the way I perform and work in and outside the library. Technology has given an upper hand to the everyday person to be creative, publish their work/thoughts, find community in their personal interests, and also monetize their activities. As technology improves more people who have entered certain niche areas such as photography, filmmaking, and design now have the means to access the equipment and tools (software, tutorials) all from their library and/or the internet. Take for example music and dance. It’s an amazing time for producers and dancers to be inspired by hundreds of people, at once, by merely streaming the content from their computer or smartphone. This sort of instant access to inspirational content did not exist 20 years ago, but now it’s almost commonplace for certain societies to be able to have that access. I want to be able to champion this sort of creative discovery, but in a way that’s curated for this new generation of library users, that makes sense for them (and that is personally meaningful). The curation and organization of creative digital content is something very new to public libraries, and I would like to be able to help shape what that might look like in the decades to come.
6. Who are the thought leaders (in libraries or in other fields) who interest you?
At least within my general area I look up to library leaders such as Michael Lambert, Jill Bourne, and Christopher Brown who have inspired me to look beyond the typical paradigm of what a librarian is supposed to look and feel like. I believe their ideas, words, and demeanors all speak to the way we should view our public spaces and the resources within them: with reverence and pride every day.
I’ll list some other people below, who have inspired me to be bold and resourceful in this
profession and in others:
Steve Jobs (Apple founder)
Jeff Chang (Journalist, author)
Viet Thanh Nguyen (author, professor)
Anthony Bourdain (author, chef, documentarian)
Neil Gaiman (author)
Michael Pollan (author, journalist)
Roy Choi (chef, entrepreneur, activist)
Yuri Kochiyama (activist)
Ta-Nehisi Coates (journalist, author)
7. Who are the regional and statewide stakeholders libraries need to be in communication with?
From my personal experience public libraries have everything to gain by working with local businesses and cooperate entities that do not normally associate themselves with library spaces. I think it’s always interesting to drive new partnerships with unlikely entities because you never know what kind of ideas may spring up from these pairings. I believe there is a lot of gain with working with technology companies, especially towards skill sharing, professional networking, and workshops on emerging trends and innovations. Libraries are adapting quickly to meet the technological needs and well as the interest of their patron base but there is so much out in the public sphere not reaching the libraries (due to lack of funding, knowledge, or trained/skilled staff). Patrons are becoming more savvy with their information searching and retrieval norms, and they utilize the latest tools (apps, browsers, data bases etc.) for those means. Libraries have always been great at finding cost-effective, and/or creative solutions to leverage the skillsets of other professionals for their own educational development and equitable stock.
Another focus group I would like to keep on the radar are leadership and mentorship organizations. We live in an area that is in dire need of passionate people who wish to assistance young and adult patrons reach their full potential by helping them navigate through the hurdles they find academically and professionally in their lives. I feel libraries can be perfect hubs to assist these organizations needs by creating space for volunteers to meet, research, and utilize the space for the edification of their target audience. I see libraries helping along new citizens with citizenship classes, conversation clubs, and literacy programs. I believe we can do the same for people who are looking for help in their professional aspirations in school, in traditional careers, in a trade, or entrepreneurship.
8. What do you feel are the most critical challenges and opportunities facing California libraries right now?
I can only speak from my own personal experiences, but some of the challenges I’ve seen library have to deal with is budgetary, and that often translates to staff and resources, especially with larger city systems. I have worked with many amazing senior librarians, library assistants, clerks, and pages in San Jose, but one of the main concerns I found were people becoming burnt out due to the lack of support in adequately staffing their branches with enough help to handle the many day-to-day tasks and desks hours. Another area of concern is how these staff members handle the constant barrage of patron abuse, whether verbally, physically, or self-inflicted (drug use). Understandably it is costly to have security at every location. I don’t think that’s the solution, but I found that when staff are overworked and the resources are stretched thin, these invaluable librarians move out of these city systems and relocate to smaller library systems that logically pay more and have more to give in terms of funding (in grants and other). Talent retention is important, but I also think supporting librarians and support staff when they are in dire need of help is important too. The hiring process for some libraries take too long and that can push branch moral to its limits when staff shortages are in the red.
Another unique area to focus on is libraries who have their own marketing and communications team. I have found that many librarians are often at odds with their marketing departments on how marketing materials are meant to be used, displayed, or promoted. Some love it, but I hear more negative comments than good. This kind of fractured relationship might be due to the nature of the marketing department, as they are not seen every day by the library managers, yet are told to promote their libraries as such to fit the standards of the library’s brand image. I believe in branding and marketing, but I also believe that librarians known their locations best and that the marketing department should listen to the nuances found in each branch and tailor their content to each location.
9. Describe your experience serving on Association committees and/or interest groups.
I do not have too much association committee experience, but I have sat on with regional organizational teams for artists summits, arts and music festival teams, a part of several fashion design brands, and a part of many creative leadership cohorts (MALI Silicon Valley). My part in these group range from minor roles on specialized teams to having a direct say in the shaping of certain projects and campaigns.
10. Describe your network of connections with library professionals and library stakeholders in California.
I do not have too much association committee experience, but I have sat on with regional organizational teams for artists summits, arts and music festival teams, a part of several fashion design brands, and a part of many creative leadership cohorts (MALI Silicon Valley). My part in these group range from minor roles on specialized teams to having a direct say in the shaping of certain projects and campaigns.
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