鈥淭hinking Around the Box鈥�: A Q&A with USF Alum on His New Framework for Developing Community-Centered Library Programs
For this Q&A, we had the pleasure of catching up with USF alum Brian Mathews to discuss his latest publication, 鈥淭hinking Around the Box: Using Complementary Innovation for Designing Programs and Nurturing Community,鈥� published in Practical Academic Librarianship: The International Journal of the SLA Academic Division.
A 2001 graduate of USF鈥檚 MLIS Program, Mr. Mathews currently serves as Associate Dean of Research and Innovation at Carnegie Mellon University Libraries. Before this role, he held various leadership positions at Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, and the University of California, Santa Barbara. Mr. Mathews鈥� leadership experience and enterprising mindset inspired his latest research on 鈥渢hinking around the box,鈥� a concept that reimagines traditional approaches to library program development through a fresh, strategic lens.
Central to his research, Mr. Mathews introduces his 鈥淚ntegrated Program Development Map鈥� model, which is a framework he created to organize key categories鈥攔esources, expertise, space, tools, exhibits, educational programs, partnerships, and encounters鈥攁round a targeted audience to develop comprehensive services that address their unique needs. With far-reaching applications across various industries, we鈥檙e excited to explore the inspiration behind his work.
Q: What inspired you to explore complementary innovation and the concept of 鈥渢hinking around the box鈥�? Was this drawn from your academic experiences, or does it stem from earlier professional insights?
A: In all my roles, I鈥檝e been deeply interested in entrepreneurship and innovation. For me, it鈥檚 always been about transforming ideas into actions. How do we design and launch new services? How do we scale and sustain them? How can we refine and improve existing services? And perhaps the biggest challenge, how do we uncover unmet or emerging needs in new audiences? These questions are consistently on my mind.
I first came across the concept of complementary innovation while listening to a podcast featuring David Robertson, which eventually led me to his book. His ideas really resonated with me, especially the notion of 鈥渢hinking around the box鈥� instead of the more conventional 鈥渢hinking outside the box.鈥� I鈥檓 constantly seeking models, frameworks, and tools to inspire creative and strategic thinking within my teams, and this approach felt like a perfect fit for that purpose.
Q: What advice would you offer for a library team interested in adopting this approach as a consistent management framework?
I think teams in all types of libraries can benefit from this framework. It encourages us to take a holistic view of the different segments or communities we serve and to examine the library鈥檚 portfolio from their perspective. It helps us think creatively about how we can bundle or package our existing resources, expertise, technologies, and spaces in ways that are more meaningful and impactful. It also reveals gaps and opportunities for new directions.
In my work, for example, we might develop services and outreach plans tailored specifically for first-generation or international college students. A public library might apply the framework to focus on teens or other unique community groups. Libraries serve such diverse audiences, and this approach provides a practical way to better understand and engage with them.
My article adapts the complementary innovation framework into something that鈥檚 accessible and actionable for library teams. It鈥檚 particularly useful for collecting and sifting through ideas, brainstorming, and mapping out potential plans. Ultimately, it鈥檚 a great tool for moving creative thinking into a more concrete direction.
Q: How do you envision libraries evolving over the next 5鈥�10 years if the principles of complementary innovation are widely adopted?
I have a long essay on the future of libraries coming out in portal: Libraries and the Academy in April 2025, where I take a broad, long-term view and compare academic libraries to the Cambrian Explosion. I encourage everyone to check it out when it鈥檚 published! It鈥檚 been a side project I鈥檝e had in the back of my mind for the past eight years, and I finally completed it last fall.
But to answer your question: I think over the next 5鈥�10 years, libraries will increasingly feel pressure to demonstrate their impact. We鈥檙e all doing incredible work, but frameworks like complementary innovation can help us better organize our intentions, sharpen our focus, and improve our storytelling. This approach also aids in advocacy and clearly demonstrates the value and impact of what we do.
My hope is that this framework will help us deepen our engagement and interactions with the communities and relationships we aim to nurture. It offers a meaningful context and a clear canvas to articulate needs, while enabling libraries to support, partner, and engage in a more holistic and impactful way.
Q. When implementing your 鈥淚ntegrated Program Development Map" model, what metrics or frameworks would you recommend for libraries to evaluate the impact of complementary innovation on community engagement and user satisfaction under this model?
It鈥檚 really context- and community-specific. For example, if I鈥檓 mapping out services for first-year college students, the focus might be on onboarding, retention, and building foundational skills, with metrics like participation rates, resource usage, or sense of belonging. In contrast, a community of media creators might prioritize access to specialized equipment, workshops, or collaborative spaces, with success measured through project outputs or skills development.
For aspiring entrepreneurs, it might be about fostering innovation and providing mentorship, with metrics like venture creation or participation in incubator programs, pitch competitions, or hackathons. And for undergraduate researchers, we could focus on scholarly output, conference participation, or mentorship connections. The metrics and evaluation criteria vary significantly depending on the community, its needs, and the goals we set. It ultimately comes down to the focus: are we measuring quantity and reach, or are we prioritizing depth and meaningful engagement?
That said, my map is designed primarily as a planning tool rather than one for execution or assessment. Its purpose is to help frame internal conversations about the communities, segments, or audiences we currently work with鈥攐r aspire to reach. It offers a cohesive starting point that鈥檚 intended to inspire and provoke thoughtful discussions among teams, enabling them to plan in a way that鈥檚 both strategic and creative.
Q: As a USF alum, do you have any advice you would like to share with our students, especially those aspiring to publish a paper or exploring academic librarianship?
I鈥檓 always happy to connect with USF students about their goals and aspirations, especially if they are interested in academic or research librarianship鈥� feel free to reach out to me on LinkedIn.
For those interested in publishing, my advice is simple: always be writing. Whether it鈥檚 in a paper journal, a daily notes app, a blog, or another medium, developing a regular habit of capturing your thoughts and turning them into words is invaluable. Writing is both a habit and a muscle鈥攊t gets stronger with consistent practice.
I also encourage students to read and listen (podcasts, webinars, YouTube, etc.) widely across diverse fields. While I follow innovation frameworks and models, I also explore design, architecture, philosophy, psychology, and the history of science and technology. Many of us are drawn to librarianship because we鈥檙e naturally curious about a wide range of topics, and writing provides an outlet to channel and apply that curiosity. Experiment with combining ideas in unexpected ways and situating them within a library or academic context.
For example, in a recent article, I blended an ideation framework with concepts around community development and the loneliness epidemic. I shaped it into something broad enough to be applied by any library engaging with any community.
While writing papers for class might sometimes feel like a chore, I encourage students to see writing as an opportunity to explore questions, problems, or interests that arise in their world. For me, everything I write is rooted in a real challenge or curiosity I鈥檓 facing in my job. Writing is both therapeutic and enlightening鈥攊t helps me find clarity, and often, the solutions I uncover resonate with others as well.
Mr. Mathews鈥� article is available online and can be found here. For more information on Mr. Mathew鈥檚 work and upcoming research projects, visit his website at:
Full Article Citation: Mathews, B. (2024). Thinking Around the Box: Using Complementary Innovation for Designing Programs and Nurturing Community. Practical Academic Librarianship: The International Journal of the SLA Academic Division, 14(2), 4-15. https://pal-ojs-tamu.tdl.org/pal/article/view/7203