At the beginning of summer, when our Director gave his notice, there was definitely a feeling of being overwhelmed. Most of the Trustees were very concerned about how the process of looking for a new Director would go. Fortunately for us, we had a plan in place, and after speaking with Alex from Deiters & Todd, we hired them.

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I was impressed with their confidence and relieved that they would essentially be handling most of process. Additionally, the timeline that was given and the experienced way that they  handled everything were truly appreciated. The interviews all were seamless and having at least one of the in on the interviews helped to keep them running smoothly.

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In the past, we have had some issues with the public and we were worried this would affect our job search; however, we had several
very qualified candidates that allowed us to choose who we believe will be an amazing addition to our library.

 

I would not hesitate to use them again; but we are hopeful that it will not be necessary for a very long time.

Alex exceeded expectations for our board training.  The pace was on par.  The examples were relevant.  The jargon balanced between newbie and veteran exposure.  It is evident that Alex is passionate about the world of libraries and after a seasoned career, ably shares his education, experience and enthusiasm.  As a presenter, these wonderful attributes made all of the difference. 

 

Workshops such as these are often called "Saturday Sacrifices" and with good reason.  But that was not the case here.  This was an affirmation that we continue to instill integrity into all aspects of the library - time well spent.

When our library district experienced significant board turnover, including the departure of key officers and the addition of three new trustees, we recognized the need for external guidance to ensure a smooth transition. I contacted Deiters & Todd for assistance, and it turned out to be a wise decision.

Alex and Jim delivered an outstanding presentation, sharing their extensive knowledge on trustee duties and responsibilities, officer roles, Sunshine Laws, trustee self-evaluation, levy information, and more. Their expertise and engaging approach captivated our trustees, who left the training equipped with foundational knowledge and a renewed commitment to advocate for their library.

I highly recommend Deiters & Todd to any library seeking professional guidance and training for their board members. Their exceptional training style sets the stage for board success.

As an alum of Alex Todd's budget workshop for new library directors, I knew it would be beneficial for my library's board to receive the same information. Alex's presentation was similar to that in the budget workshop, except he utilized my library's process and financials in the presentation. This was extremely helpful to my board as they were able to apply the base layer of information directly to our library's finances. Alex's deep understanding of the library district budget process is clear and concise. His ability to explain the many steps in easy to understand terms allows for near immediate understanding. I highly recommend the budget workshop for both new and seasoned trustees. 

The most important job of a library board is making sure that they have a competent, knowledgeable, and trustworthy director running their library. When our director resigned, we turned to Deiters and Todd to run our director search. Jim and Alex performed a national search for us. All of the candidates that they presented to us were qualified, but also differentiated enough so that we were able to debate and choose the candidate that we felt was best for us. They did an outstanding job of understanding who we were looking for, keeping the process moving forward, overcoming hurdles and then helping us to finalize the hire. Since they are library directors themselves, I feel that Jim and Alex bring a unique perspective that gives the board an advantage in selecting the right person. I am extremely happy with the results of our director search. I highly recommend DTLC.

Deiters and Todd was the perfect choice for our first ever Board Retreat. Board Members were thrilled to be able to work with such experienced speakers and delve deeper into several topics that they didn’t feel had been covered well in other training they attended. Having the flexibility to target topics, ask additional follow up questions and explore Board and Director responsibilities was invaluable!

The first thing I learned when I became a Library Director is that there was a whole lot that I didn’t know and needed to learn quickly. The budget workshop Alex hosts in the Spring provided a terrific foundation, complete with working spreadsheets, formulas, timelines and practical advice. That got me through my first year. As I approached the second year’s budget, I realized that I had questions specific to my Library’s budget and financial circumstances. Alex took the time to study my spreadsheets, correct my formulas and clarify my timelines with me, one-on-one. I would recommend that any library director call Deiters and Todd for practical insights and support—their expertise and empathy can make a world of difference.

Our library board was very pleased to have Jim Deiters and Alex Todd to assist us with the process of hiring a new library director.  They are very knowledgeable on the role of a library director which was a great help to our library board during this process.  I would highly recommend that any library that is looking to hire a director seriously consider using Deiters & Todd Library Consulting as their recruiting firm.

It was such a wonderful experience working with both Jim and Alex. My first thoughts were, how are we trustees going to go about finding qualified applicants? Where do we begin? Jim and Alex made the process very easy and we followed their timeline to a T. They prepared the questions to be asked to the applicants, went over final details, and the process was extremely organized. Most importantly, we were able to work together in unity as one team! We were so happy with the final applicants. Overall, the process was very rewarding! The process was very effective and led with of clarity and organization. Deiters and Todd Library Consulting was very professional and experienced. We are very pleased with our new administrator. I will definitely recommend Deiters and Todd as a library consulting firm. 

We are so grateful to have had the expertise of Dieters & Todd to guide us through our library’s Director search. Jim and Alex were professional yet personable throughout. They sought our input, and the input of our staff, every step of the way. They were quick to reply to emails and answered all of our questions thoroughly. We felt very respected and well-informed throughout the process. They gave us a timeline and were able to stick to it, even through the holiday season. The Board and staff were very impressed with the candidates Jim and Alex presented to us. The knowledge that they bring as library directors themselves is invaluable. We could not be more pleased with the process and the results.

We worked with Alex from Dieters & Todd to review BPL’s financial resources and develop strategies to optimize our budgeting process. Alex’s practical experience and expertise were particularly helpful. We worked together to develop strategies that our library board and I can use to track, forecast, and create long term projections for our budget. We were pleased with the advice shared and knowledge gleaned from our experience, and highly recommend Dieters & Todd for budget consulting services. 

D&T provided outstanding support at a price point that is accessible to everyone. Alex’s passion for financial management is obvious and his delivery is approachable and engaging. Jim was patient and supportive, his feedback was as thoughtful as it was helpful. Both Alex and Jim bring valuable and varied experience to the process and I would recommend their services to anyone.

If you are looking for affordable, charismatic, and knowledgeable library professionals for a staff training, professional development day, or other such event, I highly recommend Jim and Alex. Their collective experiences in public libraries land them comfortably in the category of "experts," and I would add that the humor and personality they bring to their presentations keep even the driest of topics (ahem, Robert's Rules) from being boring and stale. Come for the Foghorn Leghorn accent that Alex does, stay for the approachable, Midwestern candor of Jim, and make sure to take notes because you will learn so much and leave their company smarter than when you first arrived.

There are many steps in the search for a library director, and Jim Deiters and Alex Todd guided our Board through each phase with friendly professionalism. They coordinated every detail, through developing a timeline, consulting with Board and staff, recruiting candidates, managing preliminary interviews, advising the Board on proper conducting of interviews, and hiring a candidate.  At the end of the process the Board was confident that their responsibility to the community for selecting a qualified director was met with appropriate due diligence and accountability. The Evergreen Park Public Library Board of Trustees is grateful to have partnered with Deiters & Todd Consulting in fulfilling this most important obligation.

We knew hiring a library director during a pandemic would be a large undertaking, however, Jim and Alex made the process smoother than I thought it would be.  With their knowledge of how a library operates, this hiring process was quick and painless.  They were able to bring forward excellent candidates who could really help grow and advance our library.  If something went awry, they had a back-up plan ready.  Overall, I would recommend Jim and Alex for a director search.  They handled the  behind-the-scenes tasks which left the trustees able to focus on the interviews and selecting the best director for our location. 

As a fairly new director faced with creating a long-term capital expense plan for the first time, I was feeling a little lost.  Jim and Alex took the time to carefully review my library’s situation with me, and to help get me on the right path to creating a solid plan.  Having their perspective as seasoned directors with a broad set of experiences in different libraries saved me a lot of time and worry.   I would highly recommend using them as mentors for sticky situations, especially if you can’t see the forest for the trees!   

I wasn't looking forward to an hour and half on Robert's Rules, but they made it interesting.

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Jim and Alex took the time to research our organization to help create a presentation that was customized to the needs of our library.