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