Nearly 10,000 library staff, supporters, exhibitors, authors, and guests descended on the Minneapolis Convention Center the last week of March for various workshops and discussions that focused on key issues such as technology; serving adults; youth and new Americans; gaming in libraries; library design; and collection development.
Best-selling travel experts and Authors Arthur Frommer and daughter Pauline Frommer spoke to a crowd of more than 700 attendees. Mr. Frommer stated that his boyhood public library was his town's "only cultural outlet, and it was there I began traveling in my mind." The Frommers also shared various tips and recommendations for traveling overseas and within the U.S. on a budget. They no longer publish “on $40 dollars a day”, instead publishing “budget” guides.
The program highlighting audio books featured best-selling author Jacqueline Winspear; actor, screenwriter and audiobook narrator Scott Brick; and Books on Tape Executive Producer Dan Musselman. Each speaker talked about creating audio books from their own perspective in amusing and informative manners.
In one of the sessions the presenter told about having special shelving for DVDs; it looks like a vending machine but displays the DVDs and provides security. The vendor was present in the exhibit hall so the machine could be viewed.
The conference also offered access to 800 exhibiting companies including top book publishers, who showcased the latest in products and services aimed specifically at public libraries and their users.
One of the best aspects of a gathering of this sort is the opportunity to informally exchange ideas with librarians from all across the U.S. and Canada. If you plan to go to Cape May, New Jersey take your own reading material; they do not allow non-residents/non-property owners to check out materials and all online registrants must provide ID when picking up their cards. Several libraries around the country have staff work only one weekend a month, both Saturday and Sunday. I was surprised how many libraries out there still do not have session management.
Many of the seminars I attended dealt with merchandising libraries; making sure the displays were secure, timely, and uncluttered. Another seminar dealt with preschool story time observations. This discussion was lead by librarians from Columbus, Ohio Public Library; there was a lot of interest in their formal procedure and forms for observing and evaluating preschool programs, in-depth training of new children’s librarians, and established traveling program boxes.
A highlight of my visit to Minneapolis was a tour of Minneapolis Central Library. This new 353,000 square-foot Library with a 2.4 million-item collection opened in 2006. It is a spectacular combination of architecture, technology, a separate teen center, and a really fun children’s room and discovery center. With this new building with all the extras, they seem to have spent all the money on the building and are left with half filled shelves. Items returned are put through a book slot that reads their RFID tags, puts them on the correct conveyor belt and then drops them in the appropriate box for shelving or delivery to another branch. The Teen Center is in its own area that floats over the street. It clearly is for teens and subtly discourages adults. It is the only area in the library that allows food and drink. (Drinks are allowed in other parts of the library) The book cases are gorgeous red stained wood for face out display, tile floors, special furniture and speakers for their games. Bean bag chairs were piled in the corner unused. One room has specially finished walls to allow the kids to write “graffiti”. Teens were sprawled around reading and plugged in. Not only was the building beautiful but throughout the library were fantastic pieces of art, mostly folk art reflective of the Minnesota heritage. The Children’s Room had a built in activity wall as you approached it and lively art work throughout. There is a “museum” within the library, a FOL store, and a coffee shop. Throughout the building are computers and study tables and rolling shelves accessible to the public. There is paid parking underground for and in the vicinity for $3 an hour payable at machines similar to the ones at Bethesda and Rockville libraries.
The day after I left they had several inches of new snow!!
Friday, April 25, 2008
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Great Books
On April 1, 2008, I attended "Great Books" in Baltimore. It is a two day annual event. Librarians, teachers, and other adults from Maryland attended one of the two days.
Prior to the event, each attendee read thirteen specific books published in 2007. At the event, the attendees met with with the "Great Books" facilitators, and discussed books geared to three different reading groups: picture books, children's books, and young adult books.
After a buffet lunch, we had the option of purchasing books by guest speaker Bruce Coville. Bruce Coville has written many children's books dealing with magic and/or fantasy. Mr. Coville's lecture, which followed, was humorous.
Great Books is valuable because it requires you to be up-to-date by reading recently published books. This is useful as a reader's advisory. The individual book discussion sessions let you hear other people's reactions to the books in a nurturing environment.
Prior to the event, each attendee read thirteen specific books published in 2007. At the event, the attendees met with with the "Great Books" facilitators, and discussed books geared to three different reading groups: picture books, children's books, and young adult books.
After a buffet lunch, we had the option of purchasing books by guest speaker Bruce Coville. Bruce Coville has written many children's books dealing with magic and/or fantasy. Mr. Coville's lecture, which followed, was humorous.
Great Books is valuable because it requires you to be up-to-date by reading recently published books. This is useful as a reader's advisory. The individual book discussion sessions let you hear other people's reactions to the books in a nurturing environment.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
4 Stars for CIL 2008
Attending CIL 2008 was a stimulating, informative, and challenging experience. I’ve come away with some understanding of new concepts, inspiration from the activities and mindsets of other libraries, a list of resources to explore, several useful tidbits, and a very long list of things I want to learn.
My concept of tagging and folkonomies has broaden, and I’ve a new respect for this “democratic” development of descriptive subject terms. The librarian brain craves a system of classification and bibliographic control. The subject terms that emerge through tagging can be more representative of how people actual think, then what gotten laid down in stone by Dewey and the Library of Congress.
Speaking of the Library of Congress and community contributions to metadata, I found out about a great project that LC did in connection with Flickr http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/flickr_pilot.html . They posted 3,000+ photos from the depression and World War II. They said that they would “look forward to learning what kinds of tags and comments these images inspire” , and the results were far greater than they expected. People who viewed them on Flickr added updated information and photos on the people, buildings, and landscapes. This type of participation has given meaning to me to the term “social media”.
I was particularly inspired by the philosophy and services at Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public Library. Their main library offers a “Virtual Village Communication Center”. It offers customers a full range of resources to support their participation in the creation of high-tech media. Take a look! http://www.plcmc.lib.nc.us/Locations/mainVirtualVillage.asp
One resource I learned about that is of interest to all of us is www.LibWorm.com . It acts as a search engine for the content of 1400+ RSS feeds from sites that cover our library world. As more library folks have come to use the web for their professional communications, the more valuable LibWorm has become. I gave it a try and checked for info on building libraries. Got a great hit for an slide essay from Slate entitled “ Borrowed Time: How Do You Build a Public Library in the Age of Google” http://www.slate.com/id/2184927 .
As for my learning list, I’ve just set up Google Reader to view RSS feeds I’ve selected, and have been migrating over to http://del.icio.us/ for my bookmarks. Next on the list is Flickr!
For me, CIL is the best staff development experience I can think for stretching my mind. I give it 4 stars! Gail - Silver Spring Library
My concept of tagging and folkonomies has broaden, and I’ve a new respect for this “democratic” development of descriptive subject terms. The librarian brain craves a system of classification and bibliographic control. The subject terms that emerge through tagging can be more representative of how people actual think, then what gotten laid down in stone by Dewey and the Library of Congress.
Speaking of the Library of Congress and community contributions to metadata, I found out about a great project that LC did in connection with Flickr http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/flickr_pilot.html . They posted 3,000+ photos from the depression and World War II. They said that they would “look forward to learning what kinds of tags and comments these images inspire” , and the results were far greater than they expected. People who viewed them on Flickr added updated information and photos on the people, buildings, and landscapes. This type of participation has given meaning to me to the term “social media”.
I was particularly inspired by the philosophy and services at Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public Library. Their main library offers a “Virtual Village Communication Center”. It offers customers a full range of resources to support their participation in the creation of high-tech media. Take a look! http://www.plcmc.lib.nc.us/Locations/mainVirtualVillage.asp
One resource I learned about that is of interest to all of us is www.LibWorm.com . It acts as a search engine for the content of 1400+ RSS feeds from sites that cover our library world. As more library folks have come to use the web for their professional communications, the more valuable LibWorm has become. I gave it a try and checked for info on building libraries. Got a great hit for an slide essay from Slate entitled “ Borrowed Time: How Do You Build a Public Library in the Age of Google” http://www.slate.com/id/2184927 .
As for my learning list, I’ve just set up Google Reader to view RSS feeds I’ve selected, and have been migrating over to http://del.icio.us/ for my bookmarks. Next on the list is Flickr!
For me, CIL is the best staff development experience I can think for stretching my mind. I give it 4 stars! Gail - Silver Spring Library
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Great Books Consortium 2008 -Baltimore
This year's Great Books guest speaker was Bruce Coville. He was very entertaining, inspirational and thought provoking. He talked about putting the joy back into children's literature;how librarians can help by encouraging children to read and write, keeping a journal and how important it is for men to read to children. He spoke of his love for children and his elementary teaching years. He's a wonderful storyteller. He told two stories-"Prince of Butterflies" and "The Great Debate". I was very interested to hear him say we have to put back the spirituality in our children and their culture. He pointed out how the media destroys children. How we make reading so important the first 18yrs and then take it away when the kids get to college.
He emphasized the gender gap in reading. How boys are taught by women to read, but very few male role models read to them. This should be changed. We need more male teachers at the elementary level.
My three breakout groups were excellent. My favorite was the historical fiction- Kids session. We all enjoyed Peak -Roland Smith. It’s so good to be in a group where everyone enjoys the same genre. Other books in this group were Close to the Wind: The Beaufort Scale, Iron Thunder: The Battle between the Monitor & the Merrimac by Avi and Night of the Howling Dogs by Salisbury.
My Teens book session included Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac, Re-gifters, Rucker Park Setup and Dramarama. Re-gifters is a good graphic novel for teens, with a Korean girl as the main character. Finally the picture books were The Golden Rule- Cooper, Help! A Story of Friendship- Keller, This Is Just To Say-Sidman, Nothing But Trouble-Stauffacher and My Friend is Sad and Today I will Fly-Williams.
Attending this workshop helps me keep abreast of current children’s and YA literature so I can do readers advisory at more age levels. I enjoy the open discussion in the breakout groups and hearing different opinions. I have suggested titles for us to buy from attending the Great Books Workshop.
Ginger Wilson, Twinbrook
He emphasized the gender gap in reading. How boys are taught by women to read, but very few male role models read to them. This should be changed. We need more male teachers at the elementary level.
My three breakout groups were excellent. My favorite was the historical fiction- Kids session. We all enjoyed Peak -Roland Smith. It’s so good to be in a group where everyone enjoys the same genre. Other books in this group were Close to the Wind: The Beaufort Scale, Iron Thunder: The Battle between the Monitor & the Merrimac by Avi and Night of the Howling Dogs by Salisbury.
My Teens book session included Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac, Re-gifters, Rucker Park Setup and Dramarama. Re-gifters is a good graphic novel for teens, with a Korean girl as the main character. Finally the picture books were The Golden Rule- Cooper, Help! A Story of Friendship- Keller, This Is Just To Say-Sidman, Nothing But Trouble-Stauffacher and My Friend is Sad and Today I will Fly-Williams.
Attending this workshop helps me keep abreast of current children’s and YA literature so I can do readers advisory at more age levels. I enjoy the open discussion in the breakout groups and hearing different opinions. I have suggested titles for us to buy from attending the Great Books Workshop.
Ginger Wilson, Twinbrook
Computers In Libraries
Go to http://cil2008.pbwiki.com/ or the official site http://www.infotoday.com/cil2008/ to see what was covered. The emphasis of this annual conference (the 23rd) was: INNOVATIVE CHANGE: Integrating High Tech With High Touch.
At the start of each day a keynote speaker addressed the crowd. On Day 1 we heard from Lee Raino, Director, Pew Internet and American Life Project http://www.pewinternet.org/
Mr. Raino discussed how the project paid “particular attention to those who have limited access to the internet and the ways in which libraries might serve them”. In the past year for example, 80% of the American population (169 million people), experienced at least one problem that entailed internet research. 53% of American adults visited a library in the past year. 62% of young adults 18 to 30 made the most visits. 60% of online teens in 2008 use the internet at libraries; up 36% since 2000. Wireless internet connectivity has grown from 0% in 2000 to 62% in 2008. There is no difference in use of libraries among ethnic groups. He concluded by saying that we need to market our services. We need to get feedback and give training. He said “your un-patrons are primed to seek you out”. This is an era of social networking – “aspire to be a node in peoples’ social networks”.
On Day 1, I attended the following presentations, mostly in the ‘Information Discovery and Search’ track.
Super Searcher Shares 30 Search Tips
Mobile Search
What’s New With Federated Search
Text Mining Open Sources
Library Staff Training: High Tech & High Touch
The keynote address on Day 2 was presented by members of the Shanachietour, a group of dynamic Dutch librarians who traveled the USA in 2007 seeking best practices in libraries.
http://www.infotoday.com/mls/mar08/Boekesteijn.shtml# http://www.shanachietour.com/
The rest of the day I attended the following sessions:
Next Generation Library Interfaces
Transparency, Planning, & Change: See-Through Libraries
Libraries as Laboratories for Innovation
Facebook Apps & Libraries Friendly Future
Video, YouTube , & Libraries
On Day 3 the Keynote Speaker was Elizabeth Lawley, Director, Lab for Social Computing, Rochester Institute of Technology. Ms Lawley spoke of the library as a “Center of Happiness”. She said we must put the ‘fun back into functional’ and said ‘virtual is not making tangible go away’. Gaming was a big part of her presentation, as well as a major component of the conference. I didn’t attend any of the sessions on ‘Gaming and Virtual Worlds’, but it does play a major role in how people, especially of the millennial generation, learn and presumably retain information.
Sessions attended on Day 3-
Speed Searching: Tips & Tricks for Speeding Up the Search Process
One Click Ahead: Best of Resource Shelf
Google Tracking: What’s New at Google & It’s Competitors
What’s Hot in RSS & Social Software
I’m not sure if I can or want to ‘aspire to be a node in peoples’ social networks’, but I was glad to see what other library systems and individuals are doing to make their services more innovative and open to the new technology and it’s applications that we must learn to adapt to, to remain relevant. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aX0-nqRmtos
“15 Insanely Useful Websites” (from Steven M. Cohen’s presentation).
Audiobooksforfree.com
Buyitlater.com
Executiveplanet.com
Gethuman.com
Gpoaccess.gov
Infomine.com
Citeseerx.ist.psu.edu
Metacarta.com
Mobileleap
Vtuner.com
Publicradiofan.com
Cooliris.com
Lyricwiki.org
Mortgageprofessor.com
Opencrsnetwork.com
Retailmenot.com
Michael Marx
Monday, April 21, 2008
Great Books Celebration 2008
On April 2nd I attended the "Great Books Celebration" sponsored by the Consortium of Baltimore, Carroll, Harford, and Howard County. The first hour the three committes (picture books, kids books, teen books) presented their favorites among the lists they compiled. Too many to ennumerate here but the lists also have annotations so I recommend getting them from a colleague who attended.
We then broke out into our discussion groups. I attended the "You're My Best Friend" picture group - books read were: "The Golden Rule" by Cooper; "Help! A Story of Friendship" by Keller; "This Is Just to Say" by Sidman; "Nothing But Trouble: The Story of Althea Gibson" by Stauffacher; "My Friend is Sad" and "Today I Will Fly" by Willems. We discussed the pros and cons of the books and how they could be used and/or displayed to encourage customers to check them out. The second session I attended was called "Who Let the Dogs Out?" - books read were: "City of Dogs" by Michael; "Cracker: The Best Dog in Vietnam" by Kadohata; "How to Steal a Dog" by O'Connor; and "Marley: A Dog Like No Other" by Grogan. These were all juvenile titles. The books included fantasy, realistic fiction, historical fiction and nonfiction. Again it was useful to discuss the pros and cons of these titles. The last session I attended was called "Who I Was" - books read were: "Before I Die" by Downham; "Does My Head Look Big in This?" by Abdel-Fattah; "Parrotfish" by Wittlinger; and "Story of a Girl" by Zarr. These were all young adult titles. Again we discussed pros and cons of the titles and more importantly what audience they were intended for.
The speaker this year was Bruce Coville author of many children's books ("My Teacher is an Alien", "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" etc.). Some of the more interesting points he made were that boys often do not have male role models at the elementary school level (men who read books) and the same could be said for Children's Librarians as most of us are women as well. He also lamented that U.S. publishers often are concerned with length in children's books but British publisher do not. He pointed out how kids will read lengthy books if it's something they are interested and excited about (i.e. Harry Potter). Side note - he is also a very entertaining speaker.
I know that the information I gleaned from these sessions will help me with reader's advisory questions, book talks, and I may use some of the titles in the children's book discussion group that I run at Fairland Library. I definitely recommend to other librarians who have an interest in children's and teen books to attend next year.
We then broke out into our discussion groups. I attended the "You're My Best Friend" picture group - books read were: "The Golden Rule" by Cooper; "Help! A Story of Friendship" by Keller; "This Is Just to Say" by Sidman; "Nothing But Trouble: The Story of Althea Gibson" by Stauffacher; "My Friend is Sad" and "Today I Will Fly" by Willems. We discussed the pros and cons of the books and how they could be used and/or displayed to encourage customers to check them out. The second session I attended was called "Who Let the Dogs Out?" - books read were: "City of Dogs" by Michael; "Cracker: The Best Dog in Vietnam" by Kadohata; "How to Steal a Dog" by O'Connor; and "Marley: A Dog Like No Other" by Grogan. These were all juvenile titles. The books included fantasy, realistic fiction, historical fiction and nonfiction. Again it was useful to discuss the pros and cons of these titles. The last session I attended was called "Who I Was" - books read were: "Before I Die" by Downham; "Does My Head Look Big in This?" by Abdel-Fattah; "Parrotfish" by Wittlinger; and "Story of a Girl" by Zarr. These were all young adult titles. Again we discussed pros and cons of the titles and more importantly what audience they were intended for.
The speaker this year was Bruce Coville author of many children's books ("My Teacher is an Alien", "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" etc.). Some of the more interesting points he made were that boys often do not have male role models at the elementary school level (men who read books) and the same could be said for Children's Librarians as most of us are women as well. He also lamented that U.S. publishers often are concerned with length in children's books but British publisher do not. He pointed out how kids will read lengthy books if it's something they are interested and excited about (i.e. Harry Potter). Side note - he is also a very entertaining speaker.
I know that the information I gleaned from these sessions will help me with reader's advisory questions, book talks, and I may use some of the titles in the children's book discussion group that I run at Fairland Library. I definitely recommend to other librarians who have an interest in children's and teen books to attend next year.
CiL 2008
One of the more interesting presentations I attended at Computers in Libraries was Library Web Presence: Engaging the Audience. In the first presentation, entitled Penn State Libraries Research JumpStart: A Fully "Widgetized" Interface, PSU librarians demonstrated how library widgets (small, portable versions of library tools) allow undergraduates to take their favorite pieces from CAT, the PSU library catalog, and move them to other websites such as Facebook, iGoogle, or to any website they want them. The widgets in CAT were designed for use primarily by undergraduates and provide a clean and simple access to catalog searches, including Proquest, as well as quick links to university services. In the second presentation, entitled LibGuides, Temple University librarians described a subject guide management system known as LibGuides which was used to enhance Temple's subject guides. LibGuides incorporates dynamic content such as RSS feeds, widgets, audio, video, search forms, and user comments. Furthermore, LibGuides moved Temple from a Web 1.0 to a Web 2.0 platform, providing ease of use and editing, instant results, flexibility, modular content, and interactivity. Both presentations demonstrated how the use of widgets and interactive subject guides can greatly improve library web services and simplify user interface.
Computers in Libraries 2008 Report
The following are some trends in the federated search marketplace:
- Fewer vendors – less choice
- Increasing open source
- Increased of visual searching
- More affordable turnkey solutions
From Woepac to Wowpac
This session focused a lot on the public interfaces that are available to enhance the catalog experience, to make them more “social”. Library Stuff for Libraries is of particular interest as it appears as if it will make some big Web 2.0 changes for the catalog without being a huge investment, staff or budget wise. It will allow tagging, readalikes, and eventually reviews. Open Source is increasingly being used in academic libraries.
Online Marketing and Outreach and Innovation and Change
Local 2.0 is still young territory, and it’s a place that libraries can take an active role in by developing hyper-local sites with their communities. Doing so would enable libraries to bring a sense of place to the Internet. Everyday life is local, and libraries are community focused so this is a good fit. To stay relevant is to keep it local. Example sites are place blogs that include local photos, maps, news about your neighborhood.
This session focused on how to become transparent as an organization. Open and honest conversations lead to open and honest decision making. The culture of perfect needs to be tossed aside to say yes to innovation and initiatives. Overall 2.0 is a cultural shift, and not a shiny new toy.
Tech Tools for Effectively Managing Information
I left this session with lists and lists of urls to visit. All of the tools discussed in this session will be useful in my
Our community has moved online, and getting our message out to users should not be about us, it should be about our users. The message of this program was to let your customers tell your story and do the marketing by marketing themselves and you (NJ Libraries Video, Photo Contest at Hennepin, Charlotte Read Poster, etc.).
Practical marketing techniques using Web 2.0 were the highlight of this session. Suggestions included listing your events on librarything, being visible on map sites, calendars, social review sites, etc. This presenter focused on how to interact on the web with users to promote library services. She recommended being real, authentic, and showing what you know. Above all, you want to show your community that you are a part of it.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Computers in Libraries, April 2008
Computers in Libraries is always a revelation. Sometimes, attending a session, I’ll think, “In two or three years, when this technology is everywhere, then maybe I’ll understand it a little bit.
From the two keynotes I heard, the most interesting thing to me was an interview with Paul Holdengräber of NYPL. He seeks to "oxygenate" and "levitate" that formidable institution, which now is undergoing a $1-billion (yes billion) transformation.
I heard about an experiment in remote reference using video communications and Skype at Ohio University. So far, it hasn’t been a successful use of technology. Good to know. The only time I used Skype I thought,"Cool!—I wonder if we can use this for AskaLibrarian?" Well, if it doesn’t work very well for that purpose on a university with lots of international students who use Skype frequently, it’s probably not going to work very well in our environment.
I learned a little bit about Drupal, which is open source content management software. It organizes and displays web pages, including many features like blogs, polls, discussion forums, RSS. The presenter made it sound easy to do. Then the techies started asking questions, the presenter floundered, and other techies responded. Might not be so very easy! It is being considered as a possible platform for our new MCPL Intranet. Here's an example of a drupal website deployed by the Skokie Public Library.
I learned more ways that librarians are collaborating via the social web. Take a look at LibGuides, where (mostly) university librarians are sharing their pathfinders.
Sometimes you’re introduced to solutions when you never even recognized the problem. For example, there is software that enables any laptop to communicate wirelessly with library printers. I’d assumed that laptop folks would rather print for free. But let’s consider if we began to “lend” (very) inexpensive laptops for use within the library. Those patrons would like to print, I’m sure.
I learned the term “bookmarklets,” which is essentially a bookmark that executes a small program, allowing you, for example, to move your search terms from one search engine to another with a single click. Can we create and give away a bookmarklet for our catalog? Would this be more acceptable to users than our LibX toolbar? Right now, there seems to be a security issue with doing so. However, other libraries do it. Hmmmm.
From hepped-up speed-talker Steven M. Cohen (librarystuff.net), I found out about Page to Rss , a service that helps you monitor web sites that do not publish feeds. It will check any web page for updates and deliver them to your favorite RSS aggregator.
On the marketing front, Louisville Free PL gave out yard signs to its summer reading finishers, “LFPL Summer Reading Champion Lives Here.” Let the folks do our advertising for us! Perhaps in security-minded, homeowner-association-dominated Montgomery County, this would not work.
One always comes away from this conference with a boatload of URL’s to explore. I think you’ll want to know about slideshare.net for posting presentations (with audio even!) online.
Finally, CIL gave me renewed hope for our catalog. We can institute a “discovery layer,” that will improve vastly the user experience and, one hopes, success in searching. Faceted search results, tagging, customer reviews, read-alikes, results sorting: all of this is doable and can happen SOON!
From the two keynotes I heard, the most interesting thing to me was an interview with Paul Holdengräber of NYPL. He seeks to "oxygenate" and "levitate" that formidable institution, which now is undergoing a $1-billion (yes billion) transformation.
I heard about an experiment in remote reference using video communications and Skype at Ohio University. So far, it hasn’t been a successful use of technology. Good to know. The only time I used Skype I thought,"Cool!—I wonder if we can use this for AskaLibrarian?" Well, if it doesn’t work very well for that purpose on a university with lots of international students who use Skype frequently, it’s probably not going to work very well in our environment.
I learned a little bit about Drupal, which is open source content management software. It organizes and displays web pages, including many features like blogs, polls, discussion forums, RSS. The presenter made it sound easy to do. Then the techies started asking questions, the presenter floundered, and other techies responded. Might not be so very easy! It is being considered as a possible platform for our new MCPL Intranet. Here's an example of a drupal website deployed by the Skokie Public Library.
I learned more ways that librarians are collaborating via the social web. Take a look at LibGuides, where (mostly) university librarians are sharing their pathfinders.
Sometimes you’re introduced to solutions when you never even recognized the problem. For example, there is software that enables any laptop to communicate wirelessly with library printers. I’d assumed that laptop folks would rather print for free. But let’s consider if we began to “lend” (very) inexpensive laptops for use within the library. Those patrons would like to print, I’m sure.
I learned the term “bookmarklets,” which is essentially a bookmark that executes a small program, allowing you, for example, to move your search terms from one search engine to another with a single click. Can we create and give away a bookmarklet for our catalog? Would this be more acceptable to users than our LibX toolbar? Right now, there seems to be a security issue with doing so. However, other libraries do it. Hmmmm.
From hepped-up speed-talker Steven M. Cohen (librarystuff.net), I found out about Page to Rss , a service that helps you monitor web sites that do not publish feeds. It will check any web page for updates and deliver them to your favorite RSS aggregator.
On the marketing front, Louisville Free PL gave out yard signs to its summer reading finishers, “LFPL Summer Reading Champion Lives Here.” Let the folks do our advertising for us! Perhaps in security-minded, homeowner-association-dominated Montgomery County, this would not work.
One always comes away from this conference with a boatload of URL’s to explore. I think you’ll want to know about slideshare.net for posting presentations (with audio even!) online.
Finally, CIL gave me renewed hope for our catalog. We can institute a “discovery layer,” that will improve vastly the user experience and, one hopes, success in searching. Faceted search results, tagging, customer reviews, read-alikes, results sorting: all of this is doable and can happen SOON!
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Great Books Celebration 2008
Great Books is a Consortium of Baltimore, Carroll, Harford and Howard Counties
Baltimore County wanted to have their own notable books modeled after ALA, but changed the title to Great Books, because their focus was good fun books that kids want to read, not necessarily need to read for an assignment.
The three committees, Great Picture Books, Great Books for Kids and Great Books for Teens each reviewed over 100 books and then selected their favorites:
Great Picture Books:
Some Dog by Mary Casanova
The Perfect Nest by Catherine Friend
The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County by Janice Harrington
Living Color by Steve Jenkins
How to he a Baby: By Me, the Big Sister by Sally Lloyd-Jones
Today at the Bluebird Café: A Branchful of Birds by Deborah Ruddell
I’m the Biggest Thing in the Ocean by Kevin Sherry
Nothing But Trouble: The Story of Althea Gibson by Sue Stauffacher
My Friend is Sad//Today I Will Fly! by Mo Willems
Every Friday by Dan Yaccarino
Great Books for Kids:
No Talking by Andrew Clements
Glint by Ann Coburn
How to Steal a Dog by Barbara O’Connor
The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt
The Invention of Hugo Cabret: A Novel in Words and Pictures by Brian Selznick
Someone Named Eva by Joan Wolf
An Inconvenient Truth: The Crisis of Global Warming by Al Gore
Great Books for Teens:
Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You by Peter Cameron
Before I Die by Jenny Downham
I Love You, Beth Cooper by Larry Doyle
Un Lun Dun by China Mieville
Freak Show by James St. James
The Arrival by Shaun Tan
A Lifetime of Secrets by Frank Warren
Guest Author
Bruce Coville, author of I Was a Sixth Grade Alien and Magic Shop series, entertained the audience relating his background, how he became a writer and his philosophy about reading and children. Mr. Coville was born and has lived most of his life in Syracuse, New York. Always a reader, he especially remembers his father reading him Tom Swift.
He became a writer because of a teacher in sixth grade who asked the students to write a story and then read it. Mr. Coville explained that “the right story at the right time” opens up doors to a kid’s heart. A story also helps bring ideas to life and is a way to encourage courage in children. Reading is a gender issue, as children see reading as a female activity and culturally it is not o.k. for kids to be their best. Stories help children to heal so they can help heal the world. Our job is to open doors and stories help children reopen doors.
Book Discussion Groups:
Each participant enrolled in 3 different discussion groups. My Picture Book group was “On the Road Again” and we discussed Stick by Steve Breen, Lightship by Brian Floca, Casey Back at Bat by Dan Gutman (not owned my MCPL), Wind Flyers by Angela Johnson, and Bow-Wow Bugs a Bug by Mark Newgarden (not owned by MCPL). I would encourage you to read Stick, a humorous and delightful journey of a frog, Lightship, a fascinating look at a lightship before light houses were built, and Wind Flyers which recounts the story of a young boy, his love of flying and joining the Tuskegee airman. My Great Books for Kids discussion group was “Little Intrigues” and we discussed The Case of the Left-Handed Lady by Nancy Springer, The Secret of the Priest’s Grotto: A Holocaust Survival Story by Peter Taylor, The Theft and the Miracle by Rebecca Wade (not owned by MCPL) and Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos by R.L. LaFevers. Read The Case of the Left-Handed Lady if you are a Sherlock Holmes fan, as the female detective Enola Holmes is Sherlock Holmes’ sister. My Great Books for Teens discussion group was “Moments from the Past” and included Harlem Summer by Walter Dean Myers, Laika by Nick Abadzis (not owned by MCPL), Tamar by Mal Peet and Wildly Romantic by Catherine Andronik (not owned by MCPL). Laika, was a fascinating graphic novel about the first dog to go up in the Russian Sputnik II. Harlem Summer, my favorite, is the coming of age story about a boy during the Harlem Renaissance.
This training will increase my knowledge of books and how an author views literature and its uses. The lists of Great Books will be helpful when choosing books to booktalk to the schools. The book discussions clarifies various issues in each book and exposes me to different viewpoints
Baltimore County wanted to have their own notable books modeled after ALA, but changed the title to Great Books, because their focus was good fun books that kids want to read, not necessarily need to read for an assignment.
The three committees, Great Picture Books, Great Books for Kids and Great Books for Teens each reviewed over 100 books and then selected their favorites:
Great Picture Books:
Some Dog by Mary Casanova
The Perfect Nest by Catherine Friend
The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County by Janice Harrington
Living Color by Steve Jenkins
How to he a Baby: By Me, the Big Sister by Sally Lloyd-Jones
Today at the Bluebird Café: A Branchful of Birds by Deborah Ruddell
I’m the Biggest Thing in the Ocean by Kevin Sherry
Nothing But Trouble: The Story of Althea Gibson by Sue Stauffacher
My Friend is Sad//Today I Will Fly! by Mo Willems
Every Friday by Dan Yaccarino
Great Books for Kids:
No Talking by Andrew Clements
Glint by Ann Coburn
How to Steal a Dog by Barbara O’Connor
The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt
The Invention of Hugo Cabret: A Novel in Words and Pictures by Brian Selznick
Someone Named Eva by Joan Wolf
An Inconvenient Truth: The Crisis of Global Warming by Al Gore
Great Books for Teens:
Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You by Peter Cameron
Before I Die by Jenny Downham
I Love You, Beth Cooper by Larry Doyle
Un Lun Dun by China Mieville
Freak Show by James St. James
The Arrival by Shaun Tan
A Lifetime of Secrets by Frank Warren
Guest Author
Bruce Coville, author of I Was a Sixth Grade Alien and Magic Shop series, entertained the audience relating his background, how he became a writer and his philosophy about reading and children. Mr. Coville was born and has lived most of his life in Syracuse, New York. Always a reader, he especially remembers his father reading him Tom Swift.
He became a writer because of a teacher in sixth grade who asked the students to write a story and then read it. Mr. Coville explained that “the right story at the right time” opens up doors to a kid’s heart. A story also helps bring ideas to life and is a way to encourage courage in children. Reading is a gender issue, as children see reading as a female activity and culturally it is not o.k. for kids to be their best. Stories help children to heal so they can help heal the world. Our job is to open doors and stories help children reopen doors.
Book Discussion Groups:
Each participant enrolled in 3 different discussion groups. My Picture Book group was “On the Road Again” and we discussed Stick by Steve Breen, Lightship by Brian Floca, Casey Back at Bat by Dan Gutman (not owned my MCPL), Wind Flyers by Angela Johnson, and Bow-Wow Bugs a Bug by Mark Newgarden (not owned by MCPL). I would encourage you to read Stick, a humorous and delightful journey of a frog, Lightship, a fascinating look at a lightship before light houses were built, and Wind Flyers which recounts the story of a young boy, his love of flying and joining the Tuskegee airman. My Great Books for Kids discussion group was “Little Intrigues” and we discussed The Case of the Left-Handed Lady by Nancy Springer, The Secret of the Priest’s Grotto: A Holocaust Survival Story by Peter Taylor, The Theft and the Miracle by Rebecca Wade (not owned by MCPL) and Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos by R.L. LaFevers. Read The Case of the Left-Handed Lady if you are a Sherlock Holmes fan, as the female detective Enola Holmes is Sherlock Holmes’ sister. My Great Books for Teens discussion group was “Moments from the Past” and included Harlem Summer by Walter Dean Myers, Laika by Nick Abadzis (not owned by MCPL), Tamar by Mal Peet and Wildly Romantic by Catherine Andronik (not owned by MCPL). Laika, was a fascinating graphic novel about the first dog to go up in the Russian Sputnik II. Harlem Summer, my favorite, is the coming of age story about a boy during the Harlem Renaissance.
This training will increase my knowledge of books and how an author views literature and its uses. The lists of Great Books will be helpful when choosing books to booktalk to the schools. The book discussions clarifies various issues in each book and exposes me to different viewpoints
Great Books Celebration
Great Books 2008 included an author talk by Bruce Coville, and three book discussions (picture book, juvenile fiction, and young adult books). At the first book discussion session this list of “Universal Book Discussion Questions” was distributed. I have shared this with several of my colleagues and they have found it very helpful, so I decided I would post it on the blog in hopes that it may be useful to others. It has given me some good ideas for leading a book discussion.
Universal Book Discussion Questions
What did you enjoy about the story?
What was your favorite aspect of the story and why?
What have you read or seen that is similar
Did you find this story a quick read? Why or why not?
What are your concerns about this book?
How did you feel about the main character? What is memorable about him/her?
Who was your favorite character? What did you appreciate most about him/her?
What did you think of the style of the author?
What made the story credible to you? What made the characters credible?
What are the flaws of the story?
What didn’t you like about the story?
Who would you recommend this title to?
Mary Jane Heinbuch
Olney Library
Universal Book Discussion Questions
What did you enjoy about the story?
What was your favorite aspect of the story and why?
What have you read or seen that is similar
Did you find this story a quick read? Why or why not?
What are your concerns about this book?
How did you feel about the main character? What is memorable about him/her?
Who was your favorite character? What did you appreciate most about him/her?
What did you think of the style of the author?
What made the story credible to you? What made the characters credible?
What are the flaws of the story?
What didn’t you like about the story?
Who would you recommend this title to?
Mary Jane Heinbuch
Olney Library
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Great Books Celebration
The Great Books Celebration is an excellent opportunity to share books with other children and young adult librarians from all over the state of Maryland. 2008 was the 25th annual conference sponsored by Baltimore County with committee members from a number of other counties.
The morning started with each age group committee-great picture books, great books for kids, and great books for teens-presenting a slide show of their choices for the best books of 2007 in their category. Then 2 sessions of book discussions were followed by a delicious buffet lunch. Bruce Colville delighted us with a funny and engaging speech about himself, writing, and the world of today’s authors. The day ended with a third book discussion session.
Each participant chose the 3 book discussions sessions they wanted to attend. There were 7 different sets of books for each age group to choose from. For pictures books I chose the Home Sweet Home section and Library Mouse by Kirk and Perfect Nest by Friend were my favorites. Actually I liked all 5 of these choices. I chose Opposites Attract for my kid’s session. My favorites of the 4 books read were Owen and Mzee: the Language of Friendship by Hatkoff and A Friendship for Today by McKissack. Secrets and Lies was the teen topic I chose. Of the 4 choices I only liked Leaving Paradise by Elkeles. I can see where A Lifetime of Secrets by Warren would appeal to some readers but it was not my cup of tea. Harmless by Reinhardt and Sara’s Face by Burgess were fairly universally not liked by my discussion group.
Opportunities to expand my reader’s advisory skills are appreciated. Discussing the books with other librarians made me aware of things in the stories that I missed. It was fun to share different ways we could use these books in our work. After a good discussion of what teens like and dislike, I feel I have a better understanding of what teens are looking for in their reading.
Meredith Smith Olney Library
The morning started with each age group committee-great picture books, great books for kids, and great books for teens-presenting a slide show of their choices for the best books of 2007 in their category. Then 2 sessions of book discussions were followed by a delicious buffet lunch. Bruce Colville delighted us with a funny and engaging speech about himself, writing, and the world of today’s authors. The day ended with a third book discussion session.
Each participant chose the 3 book discussions sessions they wanted to attend. There were 7 different sets of books for each age group to choose from. For pictures books I chose the Home Sweet Home section and Library Mouse by Kirk and Perfect Nest by Friend were my favorites. Actually I liked all 5 of these choices. I chose Opposites Attract for my kid’s session. My favorites of the 4 books read were Owen and Mzee: the Language of Friendship by Hatkoff and A Friendship for Today by McKissack. Secrets and Lies was the teen topic I chose. Of the 4 choices I only liked Leaving Paradise by Elkeles. I can see where A Lifetime of Secrets by Warren would appeal to some readers but it was not my cup of tea. Harmless by Reinhardt and Sara’s Face by Burgess were fairly universally not liked by my discussion group.
Opportunities to expand my reader’s advisory skills are appreciated. Discussing the books with other librarians made me aware of things in the stories that I missed. It was fun to share different ways we could use these books in our work. After a good discussion of what teens like and dislike, I feel I have a better understanding of what teens are looking for in their reading.
Meredith Smith Olney Library
Notes from PLA
Notes from PLA - Joe Ann Stenstrom
The bookends of the 2008 PLA Conference were the opening General Session featuring John Wood and the Closing Session featuring Paula Poundstone. Mr. Wood, founder and CEO of Room to Read, gave an inspirational talk on bringing education and reading to children in developing countries. He left a corporate career after learning of the lack of books and schools for the children of Nepal. Founded in 2000 the organizaiton has opened 440 schoos with libraries; 250 more are scheduled for 2008. By working with the local population who donated hours of labor, they have reduced the cost and given the people pride and ownership in the projects. Their goal is 20,000 libraries for 10 million children by 2020.
The last session brought to a satisfying close a week of examining closely the various aspects of public librarianship. Ms. Poundstone brought light-hearted humor to a look at our profession, poking good-natured fun at all our "sacred cow" - DDC and why we became librarians, etc., sending us on our way, proud to be public librarians.
In between the bookends, my focus was on teen service, readers' advisory and reference.
Teen concerns:
Teen programs dealt with volunteers, space, YA service and teens themselves. In recruiting teen volunteers, the need to know characteristics of teens was emphasized - (ie, long term can mean a couple of weeks to them; though multi-taskers, they often cannot accomplish more than one task at a time; they need clear and explicit explanations since they often do not understand expectations. The need to be flexible and play to their individual strengths was also emphasized. We were reminded that teen volunteers should be viewed as co-servers and must be given appropriate, meaningful work and training, giving them a sense of ownership in the job. Benefits to the teens include job skill training, learning to meet expectations and maintain time schedules, interpersonal relationships, learning respectful behavior. A well-planned program can provide opportunities for career ladders and social development. One teen leadership program grew into a successful internship program in partnership with Simmons College with a work/study which has led to career training and opportunities for participants.
Teens gave recruiting tips including word of mouth, personal contact, outreach to places teens are located. In addition, they gave tips for retaining volulnteers -- forgetting stereotypes, celebrating success, showing respect and giving meaningful activities. It was noted that librarians are not merely supervisors to teens, but mentors and role models.
In serving teens, we were encouraged to differentiate between disruptive and dangerous behavior, disruptive being normal and annoying and dangerous being abnormal, harmful to themselves and others and illegal. Disruptive behavior was described as being the result of ignorance (no one told them how to act in the library); developmental issues (attention seeking, competitive, opinionated and needing socialization); lack of sleep which makes them cranky, lacking in energy and prone to poor judgement; brain development - the teen brain is still "under construction" leading to poor impulse control, short term memory, risk taking, lack of moral control, excitability and, thus, loudness. Boundaries are needed with clearly stated consequences. Suggestions for combating behavior problems were: move around the library, build personal relationships, give teens space of their own, have lots of programs with meaningful participation and positive ways to expend energy. The admonition was given to remember that the behavior is nto personal and encouragement to learn to RAP - Remember what it was like to be a teen, Accept them for who they are and Project (they are our future and job security).
Teen service includes space. Three scenarios presented varying means of constructing space for teens. One made a study of teen bedrooms where everything is on display, personal, and always changing which could influence how we use space and display materials. The speakers advocating asking teens to help with displays using whimsy and playfulness with vibrant colors and strong forms. Moveable furniture was suggested with varying seating options to accomoodate the still growing bodies. While making space comfortable and inviting, definable parameters are still needed.
Readers' Advisory:
Tools for RA were discussed in several workshps highlighting ideas for different kinds of displays using connections between parts of the collection, not forgetting the older titles, "readers' maps", read-a-likes. To keep current on new materials, though not particularly new nor novel, the following ideas were presented: use of websites and blogs, library award announcements, and, of course, reviews. Beyond these obvious means, librarians were encouraged to really know their collections, making connections between old and new. In one workshop devoted to memoirs, a variety of subject areas were discussed from childhood and travel to sense of place, food and profession. Two intriguing ideas for display were "Lost in the 800's" and "Explore the 600's" for disease memoirs. How to access was deemed more important than how to catalogue since some fit multiple categories.
Genre studies for staff were conducted at individual libraries, for entire systems and in cooperation between three systems. These were as simple as a staff reading and discussing books from particular genres on a scheduled basis to entire systems conducting workshops with certification credits over periods of three to five years.
A lighthearted look at librarians in literature was presented by Michael Gannon, PG Co. Along with the look at "Superheroes to Serial Killers", a number of titles to use for RA were introduced.
Two luncheons and one workshop highlighted particular parts of RA. Luncheon speaker Pat Mora, children's author of TOMAS AND THE LIBRARY LADY and DONA FLORA, discussed her work in terms of the optimism of spending our energy on the next generation. She spoke of the comfort of language, noting that 1 in 5 children in the US speaks a language other than English at home. She admonished us to acknowledge this with bilingual offerings. Raul Colon, illustrator for DONA FLORA, also spoke to this topic.
Luncheon speaker Nancy Pearl explained her path to becoming book reviewer for NPR and the books in which she has compiled suggestions from recommendations of children and teens, not from adults listing what children should read. She advocated validating what children read and being genuinely interested in order to raise kids who love to read. She thinks lists are artificial but serve the purpose of giving a reason to come to the library. Her comic recounting of the "perils of a life of reading" included never knowing the correct pronunciation of words and confusing the memory of events in one's life with those about which one has read. This was a delightful presentation that would send anyone to the book shelf and to NPR to hear her "Pearls of Wisdom" on reading.
Minnesota teen authors discussed writing for adults but being read by teens and vice versa with adults perhaps wanting to read the works before their teens. They spoke of the YA category as being artificially created and the nature of the teen market being gone before the book is out. All said that rather than writing for an age group, they strive to tell a good story. Some spoke of writing with a partner taking various forms, and said that absolute trust is essential whether alternating chapters and characters or any other pattern. One author spoke of sex in teen Science Fiction being not as acceptable as in realistic fiction. A Science Fiction and Fantasy author noted that these genres tend to have a socio-political meaning. A graphic novel writer said that to write these, the author must understand the comic book. Several titles in various genres for teens were discussed.
Reference:
The H. W. Wilson Co. presented new features of the website which include "1 click" searching giving more precise results from the more than 1,000 items entered each year. The following data bases were visually presented:
Art Image Gallery with 150,000 downloadables from art galleries and museums, including fine art, photos, architectural drawings, modern art, historical posters and political cartoons
Biography Reference Bank giving citations
Biography Reference Bank Select with full text only; 50 most recent citations on 236,000 individuals; includes chapter from Facts about Presidents and speeches of the presidents
Children's Catalog - graphic novels added to the core collection; can search by grade level and sub-genre; starred reviews and "best" lists; updated almost daily
Current Issues Reference Shelf Plus - useful for debate topics and explanations of issues
Current Issues in Health with full text and icons for searching
Nonbook materials added to the core collection - 2,000+ - audio, periodical, electronic, video, sound recordings
Readers Guide Retrospective 1890-1982
Readers Guide Full Text
Sears List of Subject Headings, 19th ed., on the web this year and can link; now in Spanish
In "What Does It Take to Be Good at Reference in the Age of Google?", the argument was presented that librarians can do what Google cannot yet do - namely, save the patron time and money. Google is not good at gathering nor selecting and evaluating information, yet. Google can search for the specific, orient the search, give breadth and it is free. Often patrons think that is "good enough". In conducting a good reference interview and knowing when to use Google and when not, we can help patrons find information more quickly and efficiently. We fit in by being reference librarians, conducting a good interview (done only half the time, according to the presenter), knowing the tricks of using Google and special features of the web, articulating our strength, letting people know what we can do and then building the tools to help people find information, such as pathfinders, easily understood names for services and tools, making it easy to find links. We need to position ourselves as time savers and be available where the patrons are, both physically and virtually and focus on what we can uniquely do in terms of quality, depth, instruction, tool building, literary knowledge, using all resources at hand. Instead of lamenting the constant use of the computer, we were admonished to be glad people are coming to the library for this service when it could just as easily be placed in any other public location like the Post Office, for instance. We were reminded to remember that ours is a profession first among equals, "keepers of the human record" and to make the library central to information needs for the lives of our communities.
The bookends of the 2008 PLA Conference were the opening General Session featuring John Wood and the Closing Session featuring Paula Poundstone. Mr. Wood, founder and CEO of Room to Read, gave an inspirational talk on bringing education and reading to children in developing countries. He left a corporate career after learning of the lack of books and schools for the children of Nepal. Founded in 2000 the organizaiton has opened 440 schoos with libraries; 250 more are scheduled for 2008. By working with the local population who donated hours of labor, they have reduced the cost and given the people pride and ownership in the projects. Their goal is 20,000 libraries for 10 million children by 2020.
The last session brought to a satisfying close a week of examining closely the various aspects of public librarianship. Ms. Poundstone brought light-hearted humor to a look at our profession, poking good-natured fun at all our "sacred cow" - DDC and why we became librarians, etc., sending us on our way, proud to be public librarians.
In between the bookends, my focus was on teen service, readers' advisory and reference.
Teen concerns:
Teen programs dealt with volunteers, space, YA service and teens themselves. In recruiting teen volunteers, the need to know characteristics of teens was emphasized - (ie, long term can mean a couple of weeks to them; though multi-taskers, they often cannot accomplish more than one task at a time; they need clear and explicit explanations since they often do not understand expectations. The need to be flexible and play to their individual strengths was also emphasized. We were reminded that teen volunteers should be viewed as co-servers and must be given appropriate, meaningful work and training, giving them a sense of ownership in the job. Benefits to the teens include job skill training, learning to meet expectations and maintain time schedules, interpersonal relationships, learning respectful behavior. A well-planned program can provide opportunities for career ladders and social development. One teen leadership program grew into a successful internship program in partnership with Simmons College with a work/study which has led to career training and opportunities for participants.
Teens gave recruiting tips including word of mouth, personal contact, outreach to places teens are located. In addition, they gave tips for retaining volulnteers -- forgetting stereotypes, celebrating success, showing respect and giving meaningful activities. It was noted that librarians are not merely supervisors to teens, but mentors and role models.
In serving teens, we were encouraged to differentiate between disruptive and dangerous behavior, disruptive being normal and annoying and dangerous being abnormal, harmful to themselves and others and illegal. Disruptive behavior was described as being the result of ignorance (no one told them how to act in the library); developmental issues (attention seeking, competitive, opinionated and needing socialization); lack of sleep which makes them cranky, lacking in energy and prone to poor judgement; brain development - the teen brain is still "under construction" leading to poor impulse control, short term memory, risk taking, lack of moral control, excitability and, thus, loudness. Boundaries are needed with clearly stated consequences. Suggestions for combating behavior problems were: move around the library, build personal relationships, give teens space of their own, have lots of programs with meaningful participation and positive ways to expend energy. The admonition was given to remember that the behavior is nto personal and encouragement to learn to RAP - Remember what it was like to be a teen, Accept them for who they are and Project (they are our future and job security).
Teen service includes space. Three scenarios presented varying means of constructing space for teens. One made a study of teen bedrooms where everything is on display, personal, and always changing which could influence how we use space and display materials. The speakers advocating asking teens to help with displays using whimsy and playfulness with vibrant colors and strong forms. Moveable furniture was suggested with varying seating options to accomoodate the still growing bodies. While making space comfortable and inviting, definable parameters are still needed.
Readers' Advisory:
Tools for RA were discussed in several workshps highlighting ideas for different kinds of displays using connections between parts of the collection, not forgetting the older titles, "readers' maps", read-a-likes. To keep current on new materials, though not particularly new nor novel, the following ideas were presented: use of websites and blogs, library award announcements, and, of course, reviews. Beyond these obvious means, librarians were encouraged to really know their collections, making connections between old and new. In one workshop devoted to memoirs, a variety of subject areas were discussed from childhood and travel to sense of place, food and profession. Two intriguing ideas for display were "Lost in the 800's" and "Explore the 600's" for disease memoirs. How to access was deemed more important than how to catalogue since some fit multiple categories.
Genre studies for staff were conducted at individual libraries, for entire systems and in cooperation between three systems. These were as simple as a staff reading and discussing books from particular genres on a scheduled basis to entire systems conducting workshops with certification credits over periods of three to five years.
A lighthearted look at librarians in literature was presented by Michael Gannon, PG Co. Along with the look at "Superheroes to Serial Killers", a number of titles to use for RA were introduced.
Two luncheons and one workshop highlighted particular parts of RA. Luncheon speaker Pat Mora, children's author of TOMAS AND THE LIBRARY LADY and DONA FLORA, discussed her work in terms of the optimism of spending our energy on the next generation. She spoke of the comfort of language, noting that 1 in 5 children in the US speaks a language other than English at home. She admonished us to acknowledge this with bilingual offerings. Raul Colon, illustrator for DONA FLORA, also spoke to this topic.
Luncheon speaker Nancy Pearl explained her path to becoming book reviewer for NPR and the books in which she has compiled suggestions from recommendations of children and teens, not from adults listing what children should read. She advocated validating what children read and being genuinely interested in order to raise kids who love to read. She thinks lists are artificial but serve the purpose of giving a reason to come to the library. Her comic recounting of the "perils of a life of reading" included never knowing the correct pronunciation of words and confusing the memory of events in one's life with those about which one has read. This was a delightful presentation that would send anyone to the book shelf and to NPR to hear her "Pearls of Wisdom" on reading.
Minnesota teen authors discussed writing for adults but being read by teens and vice versa with adults perhaps wanting to read the works before their teens. They spoke of the YA category as being artificially created and the nature of the teen market being gone before the book is out. All said that rather than writing for an age group, they strive to tell a good story. Some spoke of writing with a partner taking various forms, and said that absolute trust is essential whether alternating chapters and characters or any other pattern. One author spoke of sex in teen Science Fiction being not as acceptable as in realistic fiction. A Science Fiction and Fantasy author noted that these genres tend to have a socio-political meaning. A graphic novel writer said that to write these, the author must understand the comic book. Several titles in various genres for teens were discussed.
Reference:
The H. W. Wilson Co. presented new features of the website which include "1 click" searching giving more precise results from the more than 1,000 items entered each year. The following data bases were visually presented:
Art Image Gallery with 150,000 downloadables from art galleries and museums, including fine art, photos, architectural drawings, modern art, historical posters and political cartoons
Biography Reference Bank giving citations
Biography Reference Bank Select with full text only; 50 most recent citations on 236,000 individuals; includes chapter from Facts about Presidents and speeches of the presidents
Children's Catalog - graphic novels added to the core collection; can search by grade level and sub-genre; starred reviews and "best" lists; updated almost daily
Current Issues Reference Shelf Plus - useful for debate topics and explanations of issues
Current Issues in Health with full text and icons for searching
Nonbook materials added to the core collection - 2,000+ - audio, periodical, electronic, video, sound recordings
Readers Guide Retrospective 1890-1982
Readers Guide Full Text
Sears List of Subject Headings, 19th ed., on the web this year and can link; now in Spanish
In "What Does It Take to Be Good at Reference in the Age of Google?", the argument was presented that librarians can do what Google cannot yet do - namely, save the patron time and money. Google is not good at gathering nor selecting and evaluating information, yet. Google can search for the specific, orient the search, give breadth and it is free. Often patrons think that is "good enough". In conducting a good reference interview and knowing when to use Google and when not, we can help patrons find information more quickly and efficiently. We fit in by being reference librarians, conducting a good interview (done only half the time, according to the presenter), knowing the tricks of using Google and special features of the web, articulating our strength, letting people know what we can do and then building the tools to help people find information, such as pathfinders, easily understood names for services and tools, making it easy to find links. We need to position ourselves as time savers and be available where the patrons are, both physically and virtually and focus on what we can uniquely do in terms of quality, depth, instruction, tool building, literary knowledge, using all resources at hand. Instead of lamenting the constant use of the computer, we were admonished to be glad people are coming to the library for this service when it could just as easily be placed in any other public location like the Post Office, for instance. We were reminded to remember that ours is a profession first among equals, "keepers of the human record" and to make the library central to information needs for the lives of our communities.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Great Books Celebration 2008, April 2nd
From Leslie Jarvis:
I attended the second day of the Great Books Celebration at the Sheppard Pratt Conference Center in Baltimore. The day began with a presentation of favorite titles from the three committees, Great Picture Books, Great Books for Kids, and Great Books for Teens. This was very informative, as a number of the highlighted books are not owned in the Montgomery County Library system.
Great Picture Book Committee Favorites:
Some Dog! by Mary Casanova.
After a new puppy is brought into the home, George, an old beloved family pet, finds his fear of losing his place in his owner's hearts, was all for naught. Ages 4 - 8. This title is not currently owned by MCPL.
The Perfect Nest by Catherine Friend.
You may recall this title from our Notable Books meeting. A cat advertises the perfect nest in order to make a perfect omelet, but too many farm birds move in. Ages 3 - 6
The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County by Janice Harrington.
A tale of a young southern girl who has fun chasing her favorite chicken until she learns a secret. Ages 4 - 8
I'm the Biggest Thing in the Ocean by Kevin Sherry.
A lovable giant squid boasts to everyone about his tremendous size until being swallowed by a whale puts his stature into perspective. Ages 3 -7
Nothing But Trouble: The Story of Althea Gibson by Sue Stauffacher.
"Althea Gibson was the tallest, wildest tomboy in the history of Harlem," begins this picture book biography. She transforms herself to become the first African-American tennis player, male or female, to win at Wimbledon. Ages 6 - 9
My Friend is Sad and Today I Will Fly! by Mo Willems.
Elephant Gerald and nameless Pig are true pals in these very funny easy reader stories about emotions and friendship. Ages 4 - 9
Every Friday by Dan Yaccarino.
In this heartwarming story, we join a father and son on their weekly walk to a local diner for breakfast. Yaccarino's simple but sweet story and illustrations are sure to inspire many families to start their own meaningful tradition. Ages 3 - 7. This book is on order for MCPL.
Great Books for Kids Committee Favorites:
Someone Named Eva by Joan Wolf.
It's 1942. The Germans seek blond, blue-eyed children to be retrained as perfect Germans in their Lebensborn program. Melida is taken from her home in Lidich, Czechoslovakia, becomes Eva, and is adopted by an important German family who live near the Ravensbruck concentration camp. Ages 10 -14 This title is not currently owned by MCPL.
Great Books for Teens Committee Favorites:
Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You by Peter Cameron.
In a first-person narrative, 18-year-old Manhattanite James Sveck tells his story. While mature and urbane, James still deals with teenage concerns like loneliness and the difficulty of making emotional connections. Ages 16 and up
Before I Die by Jenny Downham.
After prolonged suffering, 16 year-old Tessa finally refuses chemotherapy in a bid to die on her own terms. With only a few months to live, she makes a list of all the things she would like to experience before her body fails her. Ages 14 and up
I Love You, Beth Cooper by Larry Doyle.
A geeky valedictorian and his awkward sidekick have the adventure of their lives when a declaration of unrequited love kicks off a night of chases, rescues, escapes, and teenage tomfoolery. Ages 16 and up. This title is not currently owned by MCPL.
Un Lun Dun by China Mieville.
Two 12 year-old girls find themselves in an unusual situation, revealing UnLondon, the mirror image of the city where they live. Fantastical and mundane characters are encountered in their journey to save both places. Ages 12 and up
Freak Show by James St. James.
Meet Billy Bloom, absolutely fabulous teen drag queen in training and new transplant to Florida. Billy's personality targets him for escalating verbal and physical abuse at the hands of sadistic cheerleaders and thuggish football players, but he refuses to give in, mobilizing a troop of outcasts in his controversial bid for the homecoming queen crown. Ages 16 and up
The latest book from the PostSecret project is roughly chronological through life, with submissions from secret keepers from about age 8 to 80. Ages 12 and up
I attended the second day of the Great Books Celebration at the Sheppard Pratt Conference Center in Baltimore. The day began with a presentation of favorite titles from the three committees, Great Picture Books, Great Books for Kids, and Great Books for Teens. This was very informative, as a number of the highlighted books are not owned in the Montgomery County Library system.
Great Picture Book Committee Favorites:
Some Dog! by Mary Casanova.
After a new puppy is brought into the home, George, an old beloved family pet, finds his fear of losing his place in his owner's hearts, was all for naught. Ages 4 - 8. This title is not currently owned by MCPL.
The Perfect Nest by Catherine Friend.
You may recall this title from our Notable Books meeting. A cat advertises the perfect nest in order to make a perfect omelet, but too many farm birds move in. Ages 3 - 6
The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County by Janice Harrington.
A tale of a young southern girl who has fun chasing her favorite chicken until she learns a secret. Ages 4 - 8
I'm the Biggest Thing in the Ocean by Kevin Sherry.
A lovable giant squid boasts to everyone about his tremendous size until being swallowed by a whale puts his stature into perspective. Ages 3 -7
Nothing But Trouble: The Story of Althea Gibson by Sue Stauffacher.
"Althea Gibson was the tallest, wildest tomboy in the history of Harlem," begins this picture book biography. She transforms herself to become the first African-American tennis player, male or female, to win at Wimbledon. Ages 6 - 9
My Friend is Sad and Today I Will Fly! by Mo Willems.
Elephant Gerald and nameless Pig are true pals in these very funny easy reader stories about emotions and friendship. Ages 4 - 9
Every Friday by Dan Yaccarino.
In this heartwarming story, we join a father and son on their weekly walk to a local diner for breakfast. Yaccarino's simple but sweet story and illustrations are sure to inspire many families to start their own meaningful tradition. Ages 3 - 7. This book is on order for MCPL.
Great Books for Kids Committee Favorites:
No Talking by Andrew Clements.
The noisy fifth-grade boys of Laketon Elementary School challenge the equally loud fifth-grade girls to a "no talking" contest. Ages 8 - 12
Glint by Ann Coburn.
Ellie and her brother Daniel spent many summer days creating a world of dragons and socrcery, and an impetuous heroine named Argent. Now Danny has disappeared and Ellie must attempt her own quest to save him, as Argent struggles with returning a dragon hatchling to her mother. The stories are told in alternating chapters. Ages 9 - 12. This book is not currently owned by MCPL.
An Inconvenient Truth: The Crisis of Global Warming by Al Gore.
Adapted from the adult book, Gore presents kids with information related to global warming. With the evidence paired against vivid, powerful pictures, this book acts as a call to action for all children, urging them to make changes for the planet. Ages 9 - 12
How to Steal a Dog by Barbara O'Connor.
Living in the family car in their small North Carolina town after their father leaves them virtually penniless, Georgina persuades her younger brother to help her in an elaborate scheme to get money by stealing a dog and then claiming the reward that the owners are bound to offer. Ages 8 - 12
The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt.
This is a book I read for my discussion breakout session. See below for my group's reaction to it!
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick.
The Caldecott winner for 2008--you all know about this one already!
Someone Named Eva by Joan Wolf.
It's 1942. The Germans seek blond, blue-eyed children to be retrained as perfect Germans in their Lebensborn program. Melida is taken from her home in Lidich, Czechoslovakia, becomes Eva, and is adopted by an important German family who live near the Ravensbruck concentration camp. Ages 10 -14 This title is not currently owned by MCPL.
Great Books for Teens Committee Favorites:
Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You by Peter Cameron.
In a first-person narrative, 18-year-old Manhattanite James Sveck tells his story. While mature and urbane, James still deals with teenage concerns like loneliness and the difficulty of making emotional connections. Ages 16 and up
Before I Die by Jenny Downham.
After prolonged suffering, 16 year-old Tessa finally refuses chemotherapy in a bid to die on her own terms. With only a few months to live, she makes a list of all the things she would like to experience before her body fails her. Ages 14 and up
I Love You, Beth Cooper by Larry Doyle.
A geeky valedictorian and his awkward sidekick have the adventure of their lives when a declaration of unrequited love kicks off a night of chases, rescues, escapes, and teenage tomfoolery. Ages 16 and up. This title is not currently owned by MCPL.
Un Lun Dun by China Mieville.
Two 12 year-old girls find themselves in an unusual situation, revealing UnLondon, the mirror image of the city where they live. Fantastical and mundane characters are encountered in their journey to save both places. Ages 12 and up
Freak Show by James St. James.
Meet Billy Bloom, absolutely fabulous teen drag queen in training and new transplant to Florida. Billy's personality targets him for escalating verbal and physical abuse at the hands of sadistic cheerleaders and thuggish football players, but he refuses to give in, mobilizing a troop of outcasts in his controversial bid for the homecoming queen crown. Ages 16 and up
The Arrival by Shaun Tan.
This wordless graphic novel depicts a man leaving his homeland for a new country. Beautiful, intricate illustrations allow readers to experience a universal immigrant's tale, filled with confusion and wonder. Ages 12 and up. This book is not owned by MCPL at this time.
The latest book from the PostSecret project is roughly chronological through life, with submissions from secret keepers from about age 8 to 80. Ages 12 and up
After the introductory presentation, we split into our discussion groups. I chose "Nature's Way" for my picture book group, and we discussed A Seed is Sleepy by Dianna Aston, Up, Down, and Around by Katherine Ayres, Ain't Nobody a Stranger to Me by Ann Grifalconi, Living Color by Steve Jenkins, and Leaves by David Ezra Stein. All the titles were well received, and we discussed how best to use them in the classroom as complements to curricula, since most of the participants were media specialists. Up, Down, and Around is not owned by MCPL, and would be a good addition to the collection for its fun, cartoony story about vegetables that grow up, down, and around in a family garden. An excellent spring story program title! We own other titles by Steve Jenkins, such as Life Size, but do not currently have his wonderful Living Color. This book has huge double-page spreads of a variety of different animals, all arranged by color. So, a page of pink animals, another of blue animals, green animals and so on. This would be a great browsing title, and can be used on a number of different levels, from preschoolers on up to third or fourth grade.
My second discussion group was "War Torn," books with a war theme or setting for grades 3 to 6. Hitler's Canary is the coming of age story of a boy living in Denmark during the Nazi occupation. This title reminded the group of Number the Stars and might be a good choice for children who enjoyed that title or wanted more information about the Danish resistance. On the Wings of Heroes by Richard Peck is a quieter tale set on the home front in central Illinois. This story doesn't have as much action, but is an evocative portrait of what it was like to grow up at that time in America. Some of the discussion group participants suggested that this would be a great jumping-off point for an intergenerational book club; a chance for grandparents to share with their grandchildren their stories from World War II. The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt was one that some people had trouble with because the main character was not very believeable. Holling Hoodhood is in 7th grade, forced to read Shakespeare by his English teacher who doesn't know what else to do with him when all of his classmates clear out on Wednesday afternoons to attend either Catechism or Hebrew school. He really connects with the stories and even memorizes some of the passages from the plays. Our group thought maybe a high schooler might be able to do this, but not a seventh grader. Holling is a fun, charming character, though, and everyone enjoyed the book all the same. Our last title was The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain by Peter Sis. This was a great favorite of the group and people praised the artwork, the writing, the way the book cleverly conveys the oppression that Sis lived through as a child and young man in Communist Prague. All felt this was a very valuable title that can open the eyes of a child to a world that is almost beyond a modern-day American's comprehension.
The third discussion group I attended was "An Element of Danger," books for the young adult reader. We found the most mixed reactions for these titles--none were universally liked by all the discussion group members. Epoch, by Timothy Carter, is a satirical fantasy story about the end of the world. Demons are on their way to scourge the Earth in 48 hours, and Vincent has to get his family and friends off the planet. There are pixies, fairies, and other fantastic creatures in this story, as well as some jibes at fundamentalist sects. Some discussion participants worried about how the fundamentalist aspects of the book would be viewed by their patrons. Some weren't even sure the book was supposed to be funny. I enjoyed it, and would recommend it to kids who like Artemis Fowl, Terry Pratchett and even the Percy Jackson titles. Another sci-fi fantasy story, Being by Kevin Brooks, has a terrific premise: a boy goes into the hospital for an endoscopy to check for ulcers, and the doctors discover strange, alien tubes, wires, and technology in his gut. Is he human? Is he cyborg? Just what is he? The boy runs away from the hospital and a bloody, desperate quest to stay free from his unknown captors begins. Unfortunately, the book is slow, repetitive, very violent, and frankly, quite boring. No one in the group enjoyed it, although one participant said she enjoyed other books that Brooks has written. Boot Camp by Todd Strasser is violent and chilling, but a compelling read about a 15 year old sent off to a behavioral rehabilitation camp for troubled teens. Garrett isn't a bad kid, but his parents did not approve of his girlfriend, a former teacher, so they shipped him off. Can he survive the physical, mental, and emotional abuse he receives at Camp Harmony? This would be excellent for a teen discussion group, ages 13 and up. The last book we talked about is Right Behind You by Gail Giles. At the age of 9, Kip's mother is dead of cancer and he's full of anger at his father who made the family move out to the middle of nowhere in Alaska before his mother got sick. A neighbor boy shows up and torments Kip, and in a fit of rage, Kip sets the boy on fire. This is the shocking beginning of the fascinating story of Kip's journey from a facility for violent juvenile offenders to a new life and a new name in Indiana. Kip struggles to comes to terms with his past and to make peace with himself. Again, another good novel for older readers that makes them think about such themes as forgiveness and redemption.
Bruce Coville's presentation was in the early afternoon. He was delightful; telling stories and jokes and giving some background on how he came to be a writer. I was impressed at how philosophical most of his talk was, touching on topics ranging from the dearth of male role models in teaching and library professions to the characteristics of the best examples of books that kids want to read (those books have a balance of what he referred to as male and female storytelling energy. Male energy has lots of action, things happen, the plot moves ahead. Female energy deals with character development and interaction. He said the Harry Potter series is an excellent example of books that combine those two energies well). I left the talk with renewed energy and enthusiasm for my chosen profession. It is always good to be reminded of how important our work is to all the children, teachers, and caregivers we interact with every day.
Overall, this conference was an excellent chance for me to read broadly and sample books that the county does not own at the moment. I found interacting with my peers from other library systems very stimulating and it is always useful to hear other's opinions on how books can be used in the classroom and beyond. All the new titles I was exposed to will be very helpful back at the branch for reader's advisory.
Notes from PLA '08
Lisa does PLA '08
I arrived on Wednesday Mar 26; unfortunately too late to hear John Wood talk about his foundation Room to Read. But I did make the New Member reception where I met librarians from all over the country, including a very nice woman from NYC who was born in Nepal where he had built libraries.
Presentation Sessions
3/27—Where’s a YA Librarian When You Need One? Teen Reader’s Advisory for the Library—In a light tone, 2 presenters discussed when to approach teens and when not to, the type of questions we should ask, how to actually talk to them. We were even given a little cheat sheet with questions on them and a space to list Sure Bets. There were
questions about how to talk to teens when a parent is there, or when the teen isn’t there and the parent is; when kids get out of line; if you’re concerned about their safety with the type of books they ask for; assignment issues; sensitive materials. All in all it was a very productive session with a little comedy thrown in.
This is very useful when talking to teens.
Three Successful Library Partnerships Serving Adult English Language Learners—three partnerships with Minneapolis Public Libraries—we heard from a rep from Minneapolis Public Schools, the Literacy Council and a Minneapolis Library staff person. Although these were actual classes (not conversation clubs) we did learn some pertinent information such as the recruitment of volunteers, how they get their funding, and how locating their classrooms in the library are beneficial to them.
Sexy Senior Programming @ Your Library—how to have interesting, intergenerational programming not only at your library but also in a senior facility, i.e. bring your story time to them. They love to listen to stories and watch the children be involved. Children can read to seniors. They have set up internet classes specifically for seniors. They have family gaming events where an older adult is required. And there is something which is called The Laughter Club which is designed to improve health and reduce stress while producing sounds of laughter combined with motion. We participated in this exercise and we all felt better and more energized after the session. This is a useful programming tool.
3/28—Murder Most Sweet: Mystery Book Groups as Readers’ Advisory Tools—this was a Talk Table which is more informal than a Presentation. We discussed how a library in Massachusetts set up a mystery book group where participants each read a different title in a subgenre, i.e. romantic mysteries and then discuss them. She essentially teaches them to book talk. They do not tell them which sub-genre they’re going to be discussing until 1 month before the next book discussion. We discussed advertising a new book discussion as well.
We also found out that there was one like this but in the Science Fiction genre. I also brought up my No Pressure Book Discussion where everyone just brings any book they like and discuss it. Other book discussions were brought up:
Book Club in a Bag: Each bag contains at least 10 copies of a title, discussion questions, discussion leader tips and a book sign-up sheet to help the leader keep track of the books. Everything you need to help you run your own book discussion group! It does cost $ though.
There is also another type of book club called “Slackers Book Club” where the participants meet online and “blog” or chat back and forth about the chosen book.
So there were lots of ideas about how to start a book club and what types of book clubs to start.
The Best in Mystery Authors Revealed!—Linwood Barclay, CJ Box, Laura Lippman, T. Jefferson Parker and Karen Rose all spoke about their craft in a light and engaging manner. I found some new mystery writers to recommend to customers as well as old friends to reread.
What’s the Big Idea? The Idea Store and the Future of Public Libraries—Britain’s answer to libraries, community centers, and adult learning centers set in a lower income area of London with a low literacy rate and large immigrant population. They have opened three Idea Stores so far, all completely “branded” which includes staff wearing uniforms. The key ideas are:
Location—must be located near a place where people go (grocery store etc.)
Hours—open 71 hours, 7 days a week
Lots of activities—family sleepovers, poetry workshops, book hunts, songs, classes
Liberal policies—food allowed
Looks like a retail store with seamless services at all branches
As a result customer attendance tripled from former library. I cannot say that MCPL will become an Idea Store but they certainly have some interesting thoughts to bring home. For more info see www.ideastore.co.uk Part of going to a conference involves finding out what other library systems are doing. This is where we get new ideas.
Off Your Seat and On Your Feet! Proactive Reference Customer Service—we’ve all talked about this for years. Now Columbus Public has gotten rid of the Reference Desk and staff finds the customer instead of vice versa. Biggest problem in setting this up was the staff buy-in. Here’s how they did it:
http://www.placonference.org/handouts/1013_177Korenowsky_Christopher__116074_Mar05_2008_Time_104804AM.pdf
And here’s one more pro: there are no more desk schedules because every morning, staff meets and crafts their day with each other. And there is a lot of centralized programming so no one is reinventing the wheel. Another new idea!
3/29—The Memoir: R.A’s Dream or Nightmare—definition of autobiography as linear, verifiable, subject is prominent, an exterior account. Memoirs are like poetry, there are textures, intensity, perceptions, interpretation, and subtle layers. It is subjective, with family involving legacy, secrets, community.
The scenes are set like novels and paced like fiction. Memoirs are the hottest type of Non Fiction. It’s a pain for libraries because they are shelved everywhere: cookery, sports, science etc. The role of the librarian is to keep looking for these and put them out on display or keep lists of them (Reader’s Café lists?)
The appeal is setting, time, times of life (illness, childhood, life-changing experience), character and obsession with something i.e. Grand Obsession: a Piano Odyssey by Knize
Several types of memoirs were discussed. This is the kind of RA that is always useful since memoirs are so popular.
Special Luncheons and Dinners
Arthur and Pauline Frommer—surprisingly candid comments and valuable travel information—where to find information that you can trust and where not to—these are all helpful when recommending guidebooks to customers
Audio Publishers Association—Author Jacqueline Winspear, narrator and actor Scott Brick and Books on Tape producer, Dan Musselman all spoke about their craft, which was fascinating. I am always looking for a new author and a new narrator for audio books (I am addicted to them).
Louise Erdrich—it was a special treat to listen to her since she spoke about her early life and how it influenced her writing. As she read the letters that her father wrote to her, we all wondered if she was going to publish them. I think we gave her something to think about. As an RA librarian, this was so useful to be able to speak about an author that I feel I know now.
All in all this was a wonderful learning and networking experience. I met librarians from all over and although many of us had the same problems, we all try to handle them a little differently. It is so important to get a new perspective on what we do everyday.
I arrived on Wednesday Mar 26; unfortunately too late to hear John Wood talk about his foundation Room to Read. But I did make the New Member reception where I met librarians from all over the country, including a very nice woman from NYC who was born in Nepal where he had built libraries.
Presentation Sessions
3/27—Where’s a YA Librarian When You Need One? Teen Reader’s Advisory for the Library—In a light tone, 2 presenters discussed when to approach teens and when not to, the type of questions we should ask, how to actually talk to them. We were even given a little cheat sheet with questions on them and a space to list Sure Bets. There were
questions about how to talk to teens when a parent is there, or when the teen isn’t there and the parent is; when kids get out of line; if you’re concerned about their safety with the type of books they ask for; assignment issues; sensitive materials. All in all it was a very productive session with a little comedy thrown in.
This is very useful when talking to teens.
Three Successful Library Partnerships Serving Adult English Language Learners—three partnerships with Minneapolis Public Libraries—we heard from a rep from Minneapolis Public Schools, the Literacy Council and a Minneapolis Library staff person. Although these were actual classes (not conversation clubs) we did learn some pertinent information such as the recruitment of volunteers, how they get their funding, and how locating their classrooms in the library are beneficial to them.
Sexy Senior Programming @ Your Library—how to have interesting, intergenerational programming not only at your library but also in a senior facility, i.e. bring your story time to them. They love to listen to stories and watch the children be involved. Children can read to seniors. They have set up internet classes specifically for seniors. They have family gaming events where an older adult is required. And there is something which is called The Laughter Club which is designed to improve health and reduce stress while producing sounds of laughter combined with motion. We participated in this exercise and we all felt better and more energized after the session. This is a useful programming tool.
3/28—Murder Most Sweet: Mystery Book Groups as Readers’ Advisory Tools—this was a Talk Table which is more informal than a Presentation. We discussed how a library in Massachusetts set up a mystery book group where participants each read a different title in a subgenre, i.e. romantic mysteries and then discuss them. She essentially teaches them to book talk. They do not tell them which sub-genre they’re going to be discussing until 1 month before the next book discussion. We discussed advertising a new book discussion as well.
We also found out that there was one like this but in the Science Fiction genre. I also brought up my No Pressure Book Discussion where everyone just brings any book they like and discuss it. Other book discussions were brought up:
Book Club in a Bag: Each bag contains at least 10 copies of a title, discussion questions, discussion leader tips and a book sign-up sheet to help the leader keep track of the books. Everything you need to help you run your own book discussion group! It does cost $ though.
There is also another type of book club called “Slackers Book Club” where the participants meet online and “blog” or chat back and forth about the chosen book.
So there were lots of ideas about how to start a book club and what types of book clubs to start.
The Best in Mystery Authors Revealed!—Linwood Barclay, CJ Box, Laura Lippman, T. Jefferson Parker and Karen Rose all spoke about their craft in a light and engaging manner. I found some new mystery writers to recommend to customers as well as old friends to reread.
What’s the Big Idea? The Idea Store and the Future of Public Libraries—Britain’s answer to libraries, community centers, and adult learning centers set in a lower income area of London with a low literacy rate and large immigrant population. They have opened three Idea Stores so far, all completely “branded” which includes staff wearing uniforms. The key ideas are:
Location—must be located near a place where people go (grocery store etc.)
Hours—open 71 hours, 7 days a week
Lots of activities—family sleepovers, poetry workshops, book hunts, songs, classes
Liberal policies—food allowed
Looks like a retail store with seamless services at all branches
As a result customer attendance tripled from former library. I cannot say that MCPL will become an Idea Store but they certainly have some interesting thoughts to bring home. For more info see www.ideastore.co.uk Part of going to a conference involves finding out what other library systems are doing. This is where we get new ideas.
Off Your Seat and On Your Feet! Proactive Reference Customer Service—we’ve all talked about this for years. Now Columbus Public has gotten rid of the Reference Desk and staff finds the customer instead of vice versa. Biggest problem in setting this up was the staff buy-in. Here’s how they did it:
http://www.placonference.org/handouts/1013_177Korenowsky_Christopher__116074_Mar05_2008_Time_104804AM.pdf
And here’s one more pro: there are no more desk schedules because every morning, staff meets and crafts their day with each other. And there is a lot of centralized programming so no one is reinventing the wheel. Another new idea!
3/29—The Memoir: R.A’s Dream or Nightmare—definition of autobiography as linear, verifiable, subject is prominent, an exterior account. Memoirs are like poetry, there are textures, intensity, perceptions, interpretation, and subtle layers. It is subjective, with family involving legacy, secrets, community.
The scenes are set like novels and paced like fiction. Memoirs are the hottest type of Non Fiction. It’s a pain for libraries because they are shelved everywhere: cookery, sports, science etc. The role of the librarian is to keep looking for these and put them out on display or keep lists of them (Reader’s Café lists?)
The appeal is setting, time, times of life (illness, childhood, life-changing experience), character and obsession with something i.e. Grand Obsession: a Piano Odyssey by Knize
Several types of memoirs were discussed. This is the kind of RA that is always useful since memoirs are so popular.
Special Luncheons and Dinners
Arthur and Pauline Frommer—surprisingly candid comments and valuable travel information—where to find information that you can trust and where not to—these are all helpful when recommending guidebooks to customers
Audio Publishers Association—Author Jacqueline Winspear, narrator and actor Scott Brick and Books on Tape producer, Dan Musselman all spoke about their craft, which was fascinating. I am always looking for a new author and a new narrator for audio books (I am addicted to them).
Louise Erdrich—it was a special treat to listen to her since she spoke about her early life and how it influenced her writing. As she read the letters that her father wrote to her, we all wondered if she was going to publish them. I think we gave her something to think about. As an RA librarian, this was so useful to be able to speak about an author that I feel I know now.
All in all this was a wonderful learning and networking experience. I met librarians from all over and although many of us had the same problems, we all try to handle them a little differently. It is so important to get a new perspective on what we do everyday.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Public Library Association 12th National Conference, Minneapolis. March 26- 29. 2008.
I always enjoy PLA because I find it so energizing being with library peers from all over the country. I benefit from their ideas and experiences and vice versa.
This year in Minneapolis was no different, and the inspiring opening session with John Wood set the tone. Wood, an ex-Microsoft executive, now full-time with his project, “Room to Read,” is attempting to provide libraries and educational access to millions of illiterate children worldwide, and is currently opening libraries at a rate exceeding Starbucks. His recommendations to us for success included having a strong entrepreneurial local team, engaging the community, investing heavily in human capital, acknowledging the importance of monitoring and evaluation, focusing intensely on results, keeping overhead to a minimum, and dreaming big dreams.
I caught Nancy Pearl and representatives from HarperCollins, Holtzbrinck, Random House and Hachette in “Book Buzz” talking about upcoming fiction. I attended a Gale luncheon featuring their new product “Books and Authors” which takes the Literature Resource Center and “What Do I Read Next?” a step further, taking advantage of many of the Web 2.0 technologies with the possibility of personalizing an extremely user-friendly site. Since Gale made all of their databases available during National Library Week it will give me a chance to look at it a little more carefully.
“Sexy Senior Programming” provided ideas for our ever-growing underserved population of senior citizens which are living longer, are more physically active, educated, and have better incomes than seniors in the past. Intergenerational programs, engaging seniors in the new technologies and having a laughter club as a type of fitness program were among the suggestions. The speakers, from Bethel Park Public Library in Bethel Park, PA, obviously have a lot of fun on their jobs, and their blog: http://bethelparkcheckitout.blogspot.com/ subtitled “ Bethel Park Public Library - in your neighborhood AND on your TV!” directs viewers to their active site on Youtube and Google Video.
The program on the Idea Store was one of the more provocative programs, however. The Idea Store is a U.K. concept that combines the best of traditional library and information services with quality lifelong learning opportunities in comfortable and friendly IKEA-like surroundings where branding plays an important role. In most cases these “idea stores” involved partnerships of the former library with the local schools or community colleges, an art gallery, or other for-profit organizations, and, a retailer’s eye. It made me more aware of the potential in using this kind of marketing strategy to reach different groups currently not using libraries.
Pam Roberts/ Aspen Hill
This year in Minneapolis was no different, and the inspiring opening session with John Wood set the tone. Wood, an ex-Microsoft executive, now full-time with his project, “Room to Read,” is attempting to provide libraries and educational access to millions of illiterate children worldwide, and is currently opening libraries at a rate exceeding Starbucks. His recommendations to us for success included having a strong entrepreneurial local team, engaging the community, investing heavily in human capital, acknowledging the importance of monitoring and evaluation, focusing intensely on results, keeping overhead to a minimum, and dreaming big dreams.
I caught Nancy Pearl and representatives from HarperCollins, Holtzbrinck, Random House and Hachette in “Book Buzz” talking about upcoming fiction. I attended a Gale luncheon featuring their new product “Books and Authors” which takes the Literature Resource Center and “What Do I Read Next?” a step further, taking advantage of many of the Web 2.0 technologies with the possibility of personalizing an extremely user-friendly site. Since Gale made all of their databases available during National Library Week it will give me a chance to look at it a little more carefully.
“Sexy Senior Programming” provided ideas for our ever-growing underserved population of senior citizens which are living longer, are more physically active, educated, and have better incomes than seniors in the past. Intergenerational programs, engaging seniors in the new technologies and having a laughter club as a type of fitness program were among the suggestions. The speakers, from Bethel Park Public Library in Bethel Park, PA, obviously have a lot of fun on their jobs, and their blog: http://bethelparkcheckitout.blogspot.com/ subtitled “ Bethel Park Public Library - in your neighborhood AND on your TV!” directs viewers to their active site on Youtube and Google Video.
The program on the Idea Store was one of the more provocative programs, however. The Idea Store is a U.K. concept that combines the best of traditional library and information services with quality lifelong learning opportunities in comfortable and friendly IKEA-like surroundings where branding plays an important role. In most cases these “idea stores” involved partnerships of the former library with the local schools or community colleges, an art gallery, or other for-profit organizations, and, a retailer’s eye. It made me more aware of the potential in using this kind of marketing strategy to reach different groups currently not using libraries.
Pam Roberts/ Aspen Hill
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
PLA 2008
Public Library Association Conference
March 26-29, 2008
Minneapolis, MN
The Public Library Association Conference was an excellent opportunity to find out what people in other parts of the country are doing to manage change and innovate with new and improved service.
The opening session keynote speaker on Wednesday March 26 was John Wood founder of Room to Read. Room to Read is a non-profit dedicated to building village and school libraries in the developing world. Mr. Wood outlined the steps of how to build a successful program. He gave both managers and non-managers food for thought. After the opening session several us went to the PLA reception for new conference attendees. It was a relaxed party that gave us an opportunity to meet colleagues from other parts of the country. There really were a lot of Midwestern attendees. I met one librarian from a small town in northeast Iowa, she really did do it all at her town library.
Thursday March 27, was the first full day of conference meetings and lectures. The most useful and interesting lectures were on providing library service to the Latino community and Weeding. Both lectures provided practical information that I can put into place immediately. The weeding workshop was mostly review, but gave guidelines that all libraries can use MUSTIE (Misleading, Ugly, Superseded, Trivial, Irrelevant and May be obtained Elsewhere). The lecture on providing services to the Latino community was a case study of a federally funded grant in Athens, GA. Some of the most interesting things this community found were using arts are bridge between communities and reaching into the community through partnerships with other service providers were keys to the success of their program.
Friday March 28 found the Montgomery County librarians going off in various directions to discover new and exciting changes in libraries. Stress Management aka Time Management was the topic in Everyone’s Getting Crabbier. I thought the 2006 MCPL staff day presentation “Make Room for Joy” was more practical and fun. Our neighbors in Howard County, Brian Auger and Amy De Groff presented a lecture on innovation entitled “Dangerous Ideas” Challenges to the status quo”. “What if we stopped cataloging, required library staff to have expertise in using technology, Cooperated fully with the FBI, embraced mistakes allowed the freedom to become risk takers, didn’t make decisions based on fear/scarcity but based on abundance and ubiquity ect.? It was thought provoking and we formed groups to discuss topics with out seating neighbors. Customer Service was the topic of Great Libraries for Dummies. This was an informative session on what 10 things all libraries should be doing to improve customer service that included ideas on empowering the customer, merchandising with impact and power, and becoming an integral part of the community.
Finally, the PLA closing session on Saturday provided entertainment by Paula Poundstone. Her take on libraries and librarians was quite funny.
Dianne Whitaker
Twinbrook Library
March 26-29, 2008
Minneapolis, MN
The Public Library Association Conference was an excellent opportunity to find out what people in other parts of the country are doing to manage change and innovate with new and improved service.
The opening session keynote speaker on Wednesday March 26 was John Wood founder of Room to Read. Room to Read is a non-profit dedicated to building village and school libraries in the developing world. Mr. Wood outlined the steps of how to build a successful program. He gave both managers and non-managers food for thought. After the opening session several us went to the PLA reception for new conference attendees. It was a relaxed party that gave us an opportunity to meet colleagues from other parts of the country. There really were a lot of Midwestern attendees. I met one librarian from a small town in northeast Iowa, she really did do it all at her town library.
Thursday March 27, was the first full day of conference meetings and lectures. The most useful and interesting lectures were on providing library service to the Latino community and Weeding. Both lectures provided practical information that I can put into place immediately. The weeding workshop was mostly review, but gave guidelines that all libraries can use MUSTIE (Misleading, Ugly, Superseded, Trivial, Irrelevant and May be obtained Elsewhere). The lecture on providing services to the Latino community was a case study of a federally funded grant in Athens, GA. Some of the most interesting things this community found were using arts are bridge between communities and reaching into the community through partnerships with other service providers were keys to the success of their program.
Friday March 28 found the Montgomery County librarians going off in various directions to discover new and exciting changes in libraries. Stress Management aka Time Management was the topic in Everyone’s Getting Crabbier. I thought the 2006 MCPL staff day presentation “Make Room for Joy” was more practical and fun. Our neighbors in Howard County, Brian Auger and Amy De Groff presented a lecture on innovation entitled “Dangerous Ideas” Challenges to the status quo”. “What if we stopped cataloging, required library staff to have expertise in using technology, Cooperated fully with the FBI, embraced mistakes allowed the freedom to become risk takers, didn’t make decisions based on fear/scarcity but based on abundance and ubiquity ect.? It was thought provoking and we formed groups to discuss topics with out seating neighbors. Customer Service was the topic of Great Libraries for Dummies. This was an informative session on what 10 things all libraries should be doing to improve customer service that included ideas on empowering the customer, merchandising with impact and power, and becoming an integral part of the community.
Finally, the PLA closing session on Saturday provided entertainment by Paula Poundstone. Her take on libraries and librarians was quite funny.
Dianne Whitaker
Twinbrook Library
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
PLA 2008 (Programs Attended by Ann Geht)
Where Readers Go, Books Follow: The Future of Audio Materials in Public Libraries
Tuesday, March 25, 2008This program focused on Readers Advisory services for adult audio books and was targeted at library staff interested in developing audio book collections and promoting those collections within their libraries and on their library websites. Topics covered included reviewing audio books, the special appeal of audio books, emerging trends in audio technology, and famous narrators. Presenters included Joyce Saricks, Mary K. Chelton, Judy Napier, Sue Ellen Beauregard, and narrator Scott Brick, a big favorite with the librarians.
I took three important ideas away from this session: first, that audio book appeal and quality is heavily influenced by the style and voice of the narrator. Many audio book fans will follow a favorite narrator from genre to genre simply because they enjoy his/her style of narration. Therefore, when conducting audio book readers advisory, it is important to ask the listener which books they've listened to before and enjoyed, and ask if they would like something by the same narrator. Second, that length of an audio book is often key in determining which audio book would best suit a reader. Often these materials will be used in car trips, possibly for the whole family, so it's good to have some family-friendly selections of various lengths in the back of your head to use as recommendations. Third, that it's a great idea to include audio books in library displays. Sometimes are customers will be likely to listen to a book than to read it due to time constraints, and placing featured items from our audio book collection on a book display area may remind customers that audio books are another option that libraries offer.
I took several useful handouts away from this session, and would be glad to photocopy any of them and interoffice mail them to anyone who expresses interest. Just e-mail me at Ann.Geht@montgomerycountymd.gov. They are: "Tips for the Listeners' Advisory Interview," "Sounds Good to Me: Listening to Audiobooks with a Critical Ear," "Listen to a Book in 15 Minutes," "The Booklist Criteria for Evaluating Spoken Word Audio Materials," and the "Odyssey Award Criteria." (The Odyssey Award recognizes excellence by a producer or director for accomplishment and/or innovation in the production of an audio program.)
Grants for Libraries
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
This program, offered by library consultant Stephanie Gerding, author of Grants for Libraries: A How-To-Do-It Manual, focused on where grant money for libraries can come from and how to plan for the grant writing process.
Ms. Gerding outlined the following steps when preparing to request money for a library: 1. Making the commitment and understanding the process. 2. Planning for success. 3. Discovering and designing the grant program. 4. Organizing the grant team. 5. Understanding the sources and resources. 6. Researching and selecting the right grant. 7. Creating and submitting the winning proposal. 8. Getting funded and implementing the project. 9. Reviewing and continuing the process.
Ms. Gerding emphasized the necessity of thoughtful planning before beginning the writing process and the usefulness of working in teams to complete grant proposals. She encouraged libraries to consider using volunteers and Friends of the Library groups to write grant proposals. It was also suggested that each library should have on hand a "wish list" for funding so that if a large donor ever comes their way, they are prepared to tell that donor what they would be eager to use the donation for.
Handouts included a very useful "Funding Resources for Libraries" sheet. Let me know if you'd like a copy.
In This Age of the Internet, Who Uses the Public Library, Who Doesn't, and Why?
Thursday, March 27, 2008
This was a somewhat dry presentation that showed a correlation between an increase in home internet access and a decrease in public library use. Overall, the presenters concluded, we're still relevant. Phew.
Sexy Senior Programming @ Your Library
Thursday, March 27, 2008
This lively workshop was presented by Mary Mullen and Ingrid Kalchthaleri of Bethel Park Public Library (PA). They presented some possible descriptors of senior library customers (decreased mobility, limited income, far from extended family, and working to keep up with rapid technology changes) and then asked us to consider putting on some very fun sounding programs. An intergenerational "Family Battle of the Books" that includes grandparents was a big hit in Pennsylvania, as well as any sort of library sponsored kid/teen volunteering at local senior centers. "Movies for Your Mind" was a popular program, featuring documentaries and adult education videos. Outreach efforts could include baby story times at senior centers. Tech classes were popular with seniors, and a video blooging class was well attended. Family game nights with a Wii were highly praised. Lastly, a "Laughter Club" was presented as an idea. Participants do laughter exercises that lower blood pressure and increase quality of life.
Reinventing the Library for the 21st Century
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Dangerous Ideas: What if Libraries...?
Friday, March 28, 2008
These presentations were similar in that both asked "What if libraries...?" (did something that would cause many librarians to balk). Karen Hyman presented the "Reinventing" talk, and "Dangerous Ideas" was presented by Deirdre Routt, Stacey Aldrich, Brian Auger, Amy de Groff, and Rivkah Sass. Ideas discussed included, "What if we stopped cataloging and only tagged?" "What if librarians would promote and participate in the development of Wikipedia?" "What if we fully cooperated with law enforcement officers when they are investigating our patrons?" (Not a popular one.) "What if we made decisions that are not based on scarcity?" The point of these presentations was to confront the discomfort with out-of-the box thinking within our profession and move beyond it to finding solutions. Visit the Dangerous Ideas and give feedback at http://whatiflibs.wetpaint.com/?t=anon
Everyone is Getting Crabbier
Friday, March 28, 2008
This program focused on the increasing level of stress in library work and how to alleviate this workplace stress. It was presented by Sandra Nelson, a library consultant.
Nelson attributed the majority of workplace stress to a climate of change (perpetual within the library system). She pointed out that in times of change, staff often feel paranoid, fearful, angry, stressed, and a lack of control. Staff members will tend to cling to comfortable routines, resist changes, and romanticize the past. In times of change, the workplace grapevine is much more active, there are more conflicts between staff members, and productivity drops.
To take yourself out of the melee, Nelson suggests prioritizing by choosing to focus on only those tasks which account for the bulk of the benefits to the library. Planning ahead is essential, since no one truly does better work under pressure. De-cluttering the work area and remembering that everything is not worth doing well is important. Lastly, managing the clock by working with your body's natural rhythm and taking regular breaks can reduce workplace stress.
I took three important ideas away from this session: first, that audio book appeal and quality is heavily influenced by the style and voice of the narrator. Many audio book fans will follow a favorite narrator from genre to genre simply because they enjoy his/her style of narration. Therefore, when conducting audio book readers advisory, it is important to ask the listener which books they've listened to before and enjoyed, and ask if they would like something by the same narrator. Second, that length of an audio book is often key in determining which audio book would best suit a reader. Often these materials will be used in car trips, possibly for the whole family, so it's good to have some family-friendly selections of various lengths in the back of your head to use as recommendations. Third, that it's a great idea to include audio books in library displays. Sometimes are customers will be likely to listen to a book than to read it due to time constraints, and placing featured items from our audio book collection on a book display area may remind customers that audio books are another option that libraries offer.
I took several useful handouts away from this session, and would be glad to photocopy any of them and interoffice mail them to anyone who expresses interest. Just e-mail me at Ann.Geht@montgomerycountymd.gov. They are: "Tips for the Listeners' Advisory Interview," "Sounds Good to Me: Listening to Audiobooks with a Critical Ear," "Listen to a Book in 15 Minutes," "The Booklist Criteria for Evaluating Spoken Word Audio Materials," and the "Odyssey Award Criteria." (The Odyssey Award recognizes excellence by a producer or director for accomplishment and/or innovation in the production of an audio program.)
Grants for Libraries
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
This program, offered by library consultant Stephanie Gerding, author of Grants for Libraries: A How-To-Do-It Manual, focused on where grant money for libraries can come from and how to plan for the grant writing process.
Ms. Gerding outlined the following steps when preparing to request money for a library: 1. Making the commitment and understanding the process. 2. Planning for success. 3. Discovering and designing the grant program. 4. Organizing the grant team. 5. Understanding the sources and resources. 6. Researching and selecting the right grant. 7. Creating and submitting the winning proposal. 8. Getting funded and implementing the project. 9. Reviewing and continuing the process.
Ms. Gerding emphasized the necessity of thoughtful planning before beginning the writing process and the usefulness of working in teams to complete grant proposals. She encouraged libraries to consider using volunteers and Friends of the Library groups to write grant proposals. It was also suggested that each library should have on hand a "wish list" for funding so that if a large donor ever comes their way, they are prepared to tell that donor what they would be eager to use the donation for.
Handouts included a very useful "Funding Resources for Libraries" sheet. Let me know if you'd like a copy.
In This Age of the Internet, Who Uses the Public Library, Who Doesn't, and Why?
Thursday, March 27, 2008
This was a somewhat dry presentation that showed a correlation between an increase in home internet access and a decrease in public library use. Overall, the presenters concluded, we're still relevant. Phew.
Sexy Senior Programming @ Your Library
Thursday, March 27, 2008
This lively workshop was presented by Mary Mullen and Ingrid Kalchthaleri of Bethel Park Public Library (PA). They presented some possible descriptors of senior library customers (decreased mobility, limited income, far from extended family, and working to keep up with rapid technology changes) and then asked us to consider putting on some very fun sounding programs. An intergenerational "Family Battle of the Books" that includes grandparents was a big hit in Pennsylvania, as well as any sort of library sponsored kid/teen volunteering at local senior centers. "Movies for Your Mind" was a popular program, featuring documentaries and adult education videos. Outreach efforts could include baby story times at senior centers. Tech classes were popular with seniors, and a video blooging class was well attended. Family game nights with a Wii were highly praised. Lastly, a "Laughter Club" was presented as an idea. Participants do laughter exercises that lower blood pressure and increase quality of life.
Reinventing the Library for the 21st Century
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Dangerous Ideas: What if Libraries...?
Friday, March 28, 2008
These presentations were similar in that both asked "What if libraries...?" (did something that would cause many librarians to balk). Karen Hyman presented the "Reinventing" talk, and "Dangerous Ideas" was presented by Deirdre Routt, Stacey Aldrich, Brian Auger, Amy de Groff, and Rivkah Sass. Ideas discussed included, "What if we stopped cataloging and only tagged?" "What if librarians would promote and participate in the development of Wikipedia?" "What if we fully cooperated with law enforcement officers when they are investigating our patrons?" (Not a popular one.) "What if we made decisions that are not based on scarcity?" The point of these presentations was to confront the discomfort with out-of-the box thinking within our profession and move beyond it to finding solutions. Visit the Dangerous Ideas and give feedback at http://whatiflibs.wetpaint.com/?t=anon
Everyone is Getting Crabbier
Friday, March 28, 2008
This program focused on the increasing level of stress in library work and how to alleviate this workplace stress. It was presented by Sandra Nelson, a library consultant.
Nelson attributed the majority of workplace stress to a climate of change (perpetual within the library system). She pointed out that in times of change, staff often feel paranoid, fearful, angry, stressed, and a lack of control. Staff members will tend to cling to comfortable routines, resist changes, and romanticize the past. In times of change, the workplace grapevine is much more active, there are more conflicts between staff members, and productivity drops.
To take yourself out of the melee, Nelson suggests prioritizing by choosing to focus on only those tasks which account for the bulk of the benefits to the library. Planning ahead is essential, since no one truly does better work under pressure. De-cluttering the work area and remembering that everything is not worth doing well is important. Lastly, managing the clock by working with your body's natural rhythm and taking regular breaks can reduce workplace stress.
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