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.