MARYLAND LIBRARY ASSOCIATION: 2008 Annual Conference - May 14 - 16: Ocean City, Maryland

On May 15 – 16, 2008, I (Angelique Simmons) attended the 2008 Maryland Library Association’s Annual Conference. This year’s program theme was “RENAISSANCE 2.0 – Imagine ~ Create ~ Transform.”

THURSDAY, MAY 15, 2008
Opening General Session: Dr. Pier Forni. “Life is a Relational Experience: Civility, Ethics, and Quality of Life.”
This year’s opening general session began with a presentation by the award – winning professor at Johns Hopkins University Dr. Pier Forni. In 1997, Dr. Forni co-founded the Johns Hopkins Civility Project. This project is based on his book, “Choosing Civility: The Twenty-Five Rules of Considerate Conduct.” Dr. Forni's main objective/goal is to enhance the quality of life and emphasize the importance of civility. He opened his presentation with the viewing of three short videos. These videos were humorous but also taught an important lesson of civility, manners, and politeness. Dr. Forni’s speech was very enlightening and reminded us about the importance of kindness. One of the many examples he used that stood out in my mind was: strong + kind = power. You can be a very powerful and strong person, but if you lack that little thing called “kindness,” this can be the one trait that will bring about your ruin.

Identity Theft: Officer Dennis Cornwell, Trainer Coordinator with the Department of Public Safety/Campus Police, Loyola College of Maryland.
Identity theft can happen to anyone. I was just shocked and amazed at the many scams people have in order to steal your identity. Did you know that filling out drawings at kiosk’s in the mall is a way criminals gain access to your life? My undergraduate degree is Criminal Justice, but I had not realized that this was another clever way criminals steal your life. Officer Cornwall also mentioned how criminals will just steal your mail out of your mailbox without your knowledge. He suggested getting a locked mailbox. When he mentioned this, I wondered how a mailman would gain access to your mailbox then. Do not carry around un-necessary forms of identification. Many people keep all their main id’s in their wallets or purses at all times. So when someone steals your purse/wallet, then they have access to all your information. Put only what you need at the time in your possession. Also keep a list of all your credit card numbers and phone numbers in case they do get stolen you can readily have access to the numbers and call in to report the cards missing. Officer Cornwell’s presentation was very informative.

Using I-Pods To Get Students and Staff to Tune Into Reading: - Lisa McKenney, Public Service Coordinator, Allegany County Library System; Mike Fiscus, Media Specialist, Northeast Elementary; John Taube, Director, Allegany County Library System.
During the 2006-2007 school-year, Allegany County Library System and Northeast Elementary School collaborated on the program, “Tune Into Reading.” Their main goals for this project was to support intermediate readers, stay current with reading tools and reach digital natives. Ten backpacks were created using ten authors. Each backpack contained three books written by the author. Children could listen to the story being read on the I Pod, and follow along with the book. The students at Northeast Elementary School produced video book summaries, author studies, and their own book reviews. All of this information was then uploaded onto the I Pod’s. The I Pods then circulate from the library in the backpack which contains the print and audio version of the book.
The presenters also had eight laptops set-up at the front of the room. Eight people in the session (I was one of the eight!) learned how to create their own pod cast and video cast. The pod casts and video casts created, were added to the conference wiki. This session was amazing. You could see how innovative and creative we as librarians have become in order to keep up with the ever-changing technology of this world.


At Work in Your PJ’s?: Glennor Shirley, Coordinator, CE Librarian; Joe Thompson, Project Coordinator, Maryland AskUsNow!; Barbara Lipsky, Telecommuter for CE Libraries.
This session sparked my interest because as a mother of a 5-year-old boy, I too at times feel guilty about not being able to do all the things my mother did for me as a child. My mother did not go back to work till I was fifteen years old. I love my job as a children’s librarian and wish there was a way I could as they say; “have the best of both worlds.” I learned how to get started as a telecommuter. Some of the ways to get started are: research telecommuting, write a proposal, and meet with your supervisor and review your proposal. In your proposal be prepared to answer the following: how many hours you will work from home, how will you keep communication, what work you plan on doing at home, how you will record your time, and your willingness to come into the office for meetings, staff development functions, and various other activities.
Your working environment, if you do telecommute at home should be similar to what you would have if you were at work. Your workspace needs to be free of potential hazards such as, loose and exposed wires, torn carpeting or uneven floor surfaces. Your chair should be standard with good back support. Make sure all wires are secured properly to avoid falls and accidents. Also, have adequate lightening for reading and performing your work. One of the most important work environment needs is, make sure your work area is FREE from ALL distractions.
Finally, the pros and cons of telecommuting were mentioned. Some of the pros were: fewer distractions at home (no chatty co-workers), no need to travel in poor weather, reduced dependence on auto, train or bus, and the ability to take care of other tasks at home while working. Some of the cons mentioned were: more distractions at home, inability to separate work from the rest of your life, less opportunity to engage with co-workers, accountability must be addressed, and a strong degree of trust must exist between you and your supervisor.
Overall this session was very informative to me. Maybe one day I will have the opportunity to telecommute, (still carry on the job I love) and have time to make all the PTA meetings, soccer games, and other activities of raising a very active little boy! :)


2nd Annual Pub Quiz: Michael Gannon, Sponsored by the Washington County Free Library and The Western Maryland Regional Library.
I was debating if I was going to attend this pub quiz, but other librarians I had met for the first time earlier that day convinced me it would be fun. I was glad I went! As you know, we as librarians know everything! It was fun trying to answer questions, guess characters from books, name music tunes, and answer questions related to the history of libraries in Maryland. Did you know that the first bookmobile in the United States was introduced in Washington County, Maryland in 1905! Our group won a prize for having the least amount of points! :)

FRIDAY, MAY 16, 2008
One Maryland, One Book: Andrea Lewis, Maryland Center for the Book at the Maryland Humanities Council; Scotti Oliver, Talbot County Free Library.
The purpose of the One Maryland, One Book is to develop and support programs that promote most importantly reading, books, libraries, Maryland writers, and the state’s literacy heritage. The book that will be used for 2008 is: “A Hope in the Unseen: An American Odyssey from the Inner City to the Ivy League” By Ron Suskind. Red folders were given out at the beginning of the session. If your folder contained a blue dot on the inside, at the end of the session you would obtain a free copy of the book. Unfortunately my folder did not contain a blue dot. :( One of our fellow MCPL Librarians, Joseph Eagen (Olney Branch Manager) received a free copy, along with many others.
The kickoff for this event will be held at the annual Baltimore Book Festival. Discussions will be held at various libraries and schools throughout the year. I find it very enlightening that there will be many people in Maryland reading the same book. Many high schools are making it mandatory for their students to read this book. This book appeals to a wide range of readers from varying socio-economic levels and backgrounds. We can participate by promoting the book in our library and carrying on book discussions of the book. Lisa Navidi (Librarian II– Rockville) mentioned during the session that her book group will be discussing the book in August.

Hidden Patrons: Susan Paznekas, Division of Library Development and Services (Moderator); Susan Waxter, Baltimore County Public Library; Fritzi Newton, Howard County Library; Raineyl Coiro, Eastern Shore Regional Library; and Kathleen O’Connell, Washington County Free Library.
I found this session to be very, very informative. Four librarians from four different library systems presented information on how their libraries have reached their “hidden patrons.” Before you can reach your hidden patrons, you first need to find out who are your hidden patrons. Each library conducted similar, but varying methods of how they found out whom was in their areas and how they would serve their needs. The part completed by Raineyl Corio, from the Eastern Shore Regional Library was very interesting. They have a large population of Spanish speakers in their area. At first the library just ordered Spanish titles they “assumed” were popular among the Spanish speakers, but they noticed these titles were not circulating. They then began to develop the need to assess their “hidden patrons.” They found out that many of their patrons were Spanish speakers who could not even read in their native language. After their assessment and surveys, they then began outreach and developed plans of how to get their hidden patrons in the library.
As we all know, a lot of people in our areas come from different countries all over the world. Libraries in their native countries do not offer all the free services as public libraries in America do. It is one of our main focuses and initiatives to inform them of all the many things the library has to offer. I had an outreach visit to an ESOL PTA group, and they were just amazed at the many services we here in MCPL can offer them. It just made me feel so good inside that we can offer them these services. I even saw a few of the parents at the library that following week. How we can find our hidden patrons was an excellent session, and just shows us our important libraries really are!

Closing General Session: Joseph Janes. “Where We Go From Here.”
Joseph Janes is Associate Professor at the Information School of the University of Washington. He is the Founding Director of the Internet Public Library among many other successes and accomplishments. Joseph Janes also writes a column for the American Libraries magazine. If you have not read his column, please do so. His columns are very enlightening to read.
He was a great closing speaker. He was very upbeat and kept my attention. By this time I was very tired after two very intense days of programs. One of the examples he mentioned that I found very humorous was when he said, you can be in meeting where they are introducing new ways of doing things, and you will have that one worker who has been at their job for 25 years or so, slouched down in the chair, because they do not want to know about changes, they just don’t want to hear it. We can become so used to how we “always” did things, or set in our ways of doing certain tasks, that we shut off any idea or thought of changing. We should embrace new ideas, new innovation. We should not be afraid of change. Another example he used was how a new graduate of library science collaborated with a “seasoned” librarian. The seasoned librarian knew all of the information and research about the subject and the new librarian knew how to work the technology for creating the video casts. Joseph Janes mentioned seven words: learn, play, succeed, fail, share, lead and innovate. Those seven words are something we should all take a moment to think about.


This was my very first conference attendance as a librarian. I was so excited and enthused about going to MLA. I was able to meet a lot of librarians from other Maryland libraries. The interaction and exposure to all the things MLA had to offer will stay with me forever. It is so refreshing and encouraging when you are able to get together with people who share your same joy and enthusiasm about your profession.


If you were not able to attend MLA, you can join the Virtual Conference following the link below:
http://home.learningtimes.net/mla