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Facilitation and Process Management: Guiding and Managing Groups and their Conversations

Group Conversations

Some conversations are better when you have support. We bring people together and facilitate the conversation so they can plan for the future, explore ways to implement change, and move their organizations – including libraries, library systems, and other coalitions – forward in collaborative, meaningful, and actionable ways.

Examples of our work include:

  • When Appleton Public Library was ready to move into their new building after working from two different temporary locations, WiLS facilitated the library leadership team’s service planning for the new building.
  • L.E. Philips Memorial Public Library (Eau Claire) brought WiLS in to work with the management team to lay out a new vision of their organizational structure.
  • JobPod, a collaborative made up of Nicolet Federated Library System, Brown County Library, the Bay Area Workforce Development Board, and the Department of Workforce Development, partnered with WiLS to articulate the shared vision for the project.

Group Processes

There are times when groups need limited but longer-term support to make lasting, impactful decisions. WiLS has experience working with library systems, libraries, and other organizations on multi-year projects that require process development, management, and facilitation. 

Examples include:

  • WiLS provided process development and project management for the Public Library System Redesign project, a three-year, statewide project that involved many people in the Wisconsin library community and resulted in a concrete, actionable plan for improving services to public libraries in Wisconsin.
  • Prairie Lakes Library System (PLLS) was established on January 1, 2023, through the merger of Arrowhead Library System and Lakeshores Library System. WiLS, in partnership with the two systems, developed and facilitated the merger process. The successful merger led to the creation of an IMLS-funded System Merger Guide.
  • Northern Waters Library Service (NWLS), Wisconsin Valley Library Service (WVLS), and their consortium members engaged in a comprehensive joint project to determine the value and feasibility of a merger between their two Integrated Library Systems and respective ILS consortia. The systems hired WiLS to manage the process, collect and analyze data, facilitate several workgroups, and report findings.

Do you have an upcoming project that could benefit from an experienced, trusted facilitator? Contact Melissa McLimans at melissa@wils.org to learn more!