Friday was my last full day in Minneapolis. In the morning I attended Great Libraries for Dummies presented by Greg Buss of Richmond Library in Canada. The main auditorium was filled for this session; I’m guessing about a thousand people were there.
Buss admitted that he was upset when he first heard the session title, which he did not choose, citing John Berry’s recent editorial in Library Journal which warned against the “dumbing down” of public libraries. But Buss went on to defend his belief that public librarians’ first and highest priority should be “customer convenience,” an approach which Buss said sets standards which most librarians hope to achieve — to provide full access to quality collections, services, and programs in order to empower individuals.
Despite 20% to 30% increases in what was already high circulation statistics at Buss’s own library, I personally remain very skeptical that “merchandising products to customers” necessarily results in quality library service, and I am not convinced that public libraries can “achieve greatness” by looking like big-box or chain bookstores.
Next I attended a talk table called Patrons or Customers? Held in the bowels of the conference center, about twenty people attended this refreshing session. Here are examples of some of the questions discussed:
When you go to a library, do you want to “buy” or do you want to “know”?
Is the term “customer” more appropriate than “patron” in some libraries, such as large urban libraries vs. small rural libraries?
Does “patron” represent the “proud and venerable history” of public libraries? Or is it condescending?
Should we refer to children as “customers”? Should we call them “patrons”?
Is the use of “customer” an attempt by administrators to validate or enforce management techniques?
Do libraries that use the term “customer” provide better service than those that use “patron”?
Can we offer “good customer service” to our “patrons”?
Do the people we serve care what we call them?
Is there a better word than “patron” or “customer”?
While few of these questions were fully answered, the consensus of the group seemed to be that open discussion about whether to use customer, patron, or other terms is worthwhile and deserves further consideration.
After lunch, award-winning author Louise Erdrich read from her novels, letters, and poetry. A phrase from Erdrich’s poem “Advice to Myself” caught my attention: “Pursue the authentic.”
This simple philosophy is reflected in the website for BirchBark Books, Erdrich’s independent bookstore located in Minneapolis. The site says BirchBark staff “believe in the power of good writing,” “answer to no corporate sponsor,” and “value relationships and stories and ideas . . . value what you have to say.”
I very much regret not visiting Erdrich’s bookstore while in Minneapolis. If public libraries have anything to learn from bookstores, an independent bookstore based on a philosophy to “pursue the authentic” would be a great place to start.
Sorry for posting this so late… As soon as I got home from PLA I collapsed with some kind of bug. So come with me back through the mists of time as we return to Friday afternoon in Minneapolis:
After another good lunch at The Newsroom (both Thursday and Friday, it seemed to be the only place without a long wait) with library school friends, I hit the convention center refreshed and recharged. For the 2pm slot, I decided to go check out What’s the Big Idea?
This session was the first major presentation in the U.S. about the paradigm-shattering initiative undertaken by one inner-city borough in London. I’d read about this project about a year ago while taking a course called “Designing the Public Library of the Future” — but I wanted to hear them talk about the process they undertook. Basically, a poor borough in the East End of London saw that their library usage rate was about 20%, compared to the national average of 55%. So they decided to do something pretty radical, which was to shut down all 19 existing libraries and adult education centers and replace them with new joint facilities called Idea Stores, which would draw heavily on retail atmospheres. The driving force behind this transformation was the data they collected from a comprehensive survey. They (or a firm they hired) identified a cross-section of 800 houseshold that mimicked the demographics of the community and was statistically significant. Then they conducted 1 1/2 hour in-home interviews with each household! That’s a pretty costly survey to do, but armed with that data, they were able to get buy-in from the decision-makers and went ahead. The key outcome of the survey was the centrality of the concept of life-long learning to the community, so that the new facilities would not simply co-locate libraries and adult education, but bring them together so that they were totally intermingled spatially and conceptually. An element that was glossed over a bit was how they paid for the impressive new buildings, but that’s a hurdle to any kind of change. I won’t summarize the rest of the presentation — but I recommend checking out their web site and some of the articles about them. It’s a radical departure from the standard model for a public library, but one well worth entertaining. They noted that systems in Denmark, Sweden, and the Netherlands have had them come over to consult on their versions of the same concept.
After this was a session put on by the Columbus Metropolitan Library about their transformation of the reference desk. This is an idea I am 100% behind and always have been — I never got the whole “reference desk as bunker/fortress” mentality, but I see it constantly from people I work with. Personally, when I’m on duty, I’m out on the floor circulating as much as possible. They discussed how they had several branches redesign their reference desks to be less imposing — on the whole, these weren’t that impressive. I sketched up with a better version (based on the service points at Ikea) while listening to the sesssion. One of my big questions with the model is how to handle phone calls. Their solution was adopt a central call bank, so that a lot of patron calls are triaged that way. They also use Vocera devices and headsets, so that calls can be patched through to wherever the librarian is. As a part of all this, they took a very hard look at the “off-desk” work being done, and questioned how much of it is necessary. The guiding question here was whether that work was adding value to the patron experience, and in many cases the answer was “no”. They found that a lot of the off-desk work was being done because the librarians liked to do it, not because it was really that beneficial. This is a rather strong and controversial attitude, but one I tend to embrace — and one I suspect will be gaining more and more traction in the field. For Columbus, the central point is that “you are here for customer service” and anything that detracts from that needs to be eliminated.
So, two sessions full of unconventional thinking and ideas — just what I like!
She is delightful! She talked to people in the audience, joked about what was going on without humiliating anyone, and generally had us all laughing heartily the whole time she was on stage.
Sorry for the bad photo, but all I had with me was my camera.
She really did have my laughing most of the time, but you kinda had to be there. Here are a few things she joked about:
Sorry, this conference is only for “public”, you can’t come in.
Why are we considering getting rid of the Dewey system? It’s always made her feel so safe! She didn’t realize there was all this secret unrest about Dewey.
Don’t you take a unified stand on dog-earing? I hate dog-earing!
When people started leaving early (just a few, really) she said “I’ve been in this business long enough to realize that it’s best if I leave first.”
Librarians helping people find information and truth becomes more and more important as mis-information becomes more popular.
I went to part of a session Saturday morning on building Career Agility. Here are the main points I gleaned:
build within yourself some self-leadership - choose positions that will bolster your strengths to get you to the position you want - be strategic
Adaptability - we must continue to adapt to the world, because the world isn’t going to adapt to us (I think this was more for those folks who keep saying “but the library should be a very quiet, peaceful place”)
Willingness to embrace change - and not just willingness, but the ability to embrace change and run with it!
Re-invent yourself on a regular basis - try new things, venture into new areas.
Build your visibility - write for publications, online book reviews, create a dynamic library-related blog . . . you’re building a “brand” of yourself every day.
Build your portfolio - demonstrate impact and outcome
Make judgement calls - be able to make decisions! (GSD, baby!)
Take Risks - build an ability to judge which risks are worth taking, which ones will help your library move forward
Let go of Perfectionism - I heard this from Micheal Stephens, too - very important in taking risks and trying new things!
Marilyn Mason introduced them. She also told us to watch for newly expanded and redesigned services on Webjunction that we will see in the next few weeks.
Porter began with a quick, entertaining, and relevant look at social sites on the Internet, focusing on applications that libraries are already making.
YouTube - there are already 3650 public library related videos loaded on this popular social video site. Getting the camera and learning to make the videos is the harder part. Loading them to YouTube is easy. Members of the audience concurred.
Amazon’s Wish Lists for Libraries - 380 public libraries are utilizing this service with readers donating fully processed books instead of just buying books for their home library.
Meebo - for monitoring instant messages. You can see multiple accounts on one screen.
Flickr - Posting a picture a day is a way to show the many services of the library. These photos could be sent to clients by RSS.
Del.icio.us - make public your web recommendation lists
Porter talked about how essential having MySpace and FaceBook accounts and having them link to all your libraries other web sites, including Flickr or other social offerings. “Be where the user is” is the goal and way to stay relevant.
Hermann talked about the importance of staff technical training and resources to help the library establish a training program. Princeton Public Library does something that I had not heard of before - combining public and staff technical classes. Much of what the staff need to learn is the same as what the public is learning for Web 2.0, so one set of classes can often cover both public programming and staff training. PPL has 25 established classes covering various computer and Internet topics.
PPL also has Data Bites programs, which are lunch time talks about databases, open to the staff and the public. On the first Tuesday night of the month, it has Technology Talks with invited speakers who cover current computer and web topics.
She then talked about other sources of online training that staff can tap. She recommended WebJunction, OPAL, and Neal Schuman PEN courses. When the library asks a staff member to take these, she said the library should be sure to schedule adequate off-desk time for them.
Hermann also recommended making screencasts or slidecasts for staff or public instruction. Wink and CamStudio are free. Camtasia is a popular fee-based software for creating online instruction.
About library websites, she said that we should always be redesigning them.
The program ended with a virtual presentation of Ning.com by Stephanie Gerdling, which is used for building online social networks. Some technical glitches lessened the impact of this portion of the otherwise helpful program.
PUBLIC LIBRARY ASSOCIATION 12TH NATIONAL CONFERENCE DRAWS
THOUSANDS TO MINNEAPOLIS
MINNEAPOLIS - After five days of workshops, programs and events devoted to enhancing public library service, Paula Poundstone, author and comedian, brought the Public Library Association’s (PLA) 12th National Conference to a close. Nearly 10,000 library staff, supporters, exhibitors, authors and guests descended on the Minneapolis Convention Center 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; often drawing standing room only crowds.
“As library use continues to rise, so does a public library’s need to stay on the forefront of new technologies,” said PLA President Jan Sanders. “From continuing education conference sessions to our first-ever Virtual Conference, librarians from across the country had an opportunity to share ideas and best practices to enhance library service to their users.”
The conference offered a series of preconferences including a well-attended luncheon hosted by author Meg Cabot, best known for “The Princess Diaries” series. More than 600 attendees listened to Cabot discuss the importance libraries held in her childhood, as well as the influence librarians had on her life. Other preconference speakers included author and Librarian Action Figure Model Nancy Pearl in “Book Buzz,” where she lead a lively discussion on some
of the best upcoming books with Virginia Stanley from HarperCollins, Talia Ross from Macmillan, Nora Rawlinson from Hachette, Emily Cook from Milkweed Editions and Marcia Purcell from Random House.
The conference opened with philanthropist and author John Wood, founder and CEO of Room to Read, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping children in the developing world through the power of education. Wood discussed the inspiration for his organization and his grand vision to provide educational access to 10 million children in the developing world through his
inspirational and novel approach to non-profit management. This year, Room to Read will open 1,600 local libraries, a rate on par with that of Starbuck’s. “If the world needs a new latte,” Wood observed, “it damn well needs a new library.”
The conference also hosted the Authors Readers Theatre (A.R.T.), which included 2003 Newbery award winner, Avi, “Crispin: The Cross of Lead”; Pam Munoz Ryan, “When Marian Sang”; 2008 Caldecott award winner Brian Selznick, “The Invention of Hugo Cabret”; and Sarah Weeks, “So B It.” A.R.T. followed the tradition of the readers/actors standing on stage and reading from prepared scripts. The authors participated in two performances, both
receiving standing ovations and cheers from the audience members.
The Best In Mystery Authors Revealed! program gave conference goers a sneak peek into the plots written by today’s premier mystery authors. Participants included T. Jefferson Parker, author, “L.A. Outlaws”; C.J. Box, author, “Blue Heaven”; Linwood Barclay, author, “No Time for Goodbye”; Karen Rose, author, “Scream for Me”; and Laura Lippman, author, “Another
Thing To Fall.”
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.
Children’s Author Luncheon keynote speakers, award-winning author Pat Mora and illustrator Raúl Colón, collaborators on children’s favorites, “Doña Flor” and “Tomás and the Library Lady,” discussed the inspirations behind their work as well as the importance of librarians’ optimistic nature in front of a packed ballroom. Mora stated that she was happy to be addressing “a room
full of people who care about people and families.”
Other conference speakers included: novelist Louise Erdrich; best-selling author Jacqueline Winspear; actor, screenwriter and audiobook narrator Scott Brick; and Books on Tape Executive Producer Dan Musselman.
New to the conference this year was the first-ever PLA Virtual Conference. Those who were not able to attend the conference in Minnesota had an opportunity to join their colleagues via the Web. Nearly 200 online subscribers participated in such activities as live, interactive Webcasts and workshops; online poster sessions; access to handouts and other
presentation materials; and both general and subject-focused discussion boards.
The conference also served as a backdrop for the release of a ground-breaking new study on library service to non-English speakers. “Serving Non-English Speakers: 2007 Analysis of Library Demographics, Services and Programs,” conducted by the American Library Association’s (ALA) Office for Research and Statistics, was released during a press conference at the
Hennepin County Public Library. The study provides information on library services and programs developed for non-English speakers, including effectiveness of services, barriers to library use, most frequently used services, and most successful library programs by language served. Press
conference participants included ALA President Loriene Roy; PLA President Jan Sanders; Hennepin Country Public Library Director Amy Ryan; and Hennepin County Commissioner Mike Opat.
The best-selling items in the PLA were PLA Conference T-shirts, coffee mugs and READ tote bags. National Library Week items were also a big hit. The store sold out of “Strategic Planning for Results,” by Sandra Nelson. “Every Child Ready to Read” merchandise was also popular. Parents, teachers and others can continue to find many of these bestsellers, including celebrity
READ posters online at www.alastore.ala.org.
The conference offered access to 800 exhibiting companies including top book publishers, who showcased the latest in products and services for public libraries and their users.
To learn more about the largest association devoted to public libraries, please visit www.pla.org. To reach PLA, please contact ALA Media Relations Manager Macey Morales at 312-280-4393 or Jennifer Petersen at 312-280-5043.
The PLA 13th National Conference will be held in Portland, Ore. March 23 - 27, 2010.
The Public Information Office of the American Library Association would like to extend a special thanks to the PLA Daily News for supplying content for this release.
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*** CONFERENCE TOTALS ARE AS FOLLOWS:
Minneapolis 2008
Attendees 6,772
Virtual Conference registrants 175
Exhibitors 2,863
Total 9,810
Boston 2006
Attendees 8,459
Exhibitors 2,570
Total 11,029
Seattle 2004
Attendees 6,419
Exhibitors 2,272
Total 8,691
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Contacts:
Macey Morales
PLA Media Relations
708-769-0789
Saturday morning I once more hauled myself out of bed too early and bussed to the convention center. My volunteer shift started at 8am, and my first order of business was to find caffeine. And then the local interest booth. Both were achieved. My volunteer captain was from the Great River Regional Library System, and sadly I have forgotten his name because we went over that before I was fully awake. Oops. If you read this, please remind me what you name is, because I feel like a major jerk right now. [ETA: Thank you, Verne Oleksowicz, for being my fabulous volunteer captain! I am sorry I couldn’t manage to remember your name for more than 5 minutes, but I have used my research skills to track it down.]
However.
The first thing I got to do was drop off Peter Ostroushko CDs to the 8:30 presenters; this was a “thank you for presenting” gift from PLA. There were lots of presenters, so I did a lot of walking. THen it was back to the booth to answer questions. Sadly, there weren’t many questions, but I’m terrible at giving directions, so that was probably a good thing. Mostly I chatted with my captain about our respective library systems, Carnegie libraries, New Orleans, New York, and art. There was another mad dash to deliver CDs to the 10:15 presenters, and then my shift was done. I did stay and help recycle leftover handouts, but that went fairly quickly.
I walked down to Nicollet Mall, caught a bus home, and that was the end of my first PLA experience. I hope I can attend again in the future, because I had a really good time.
Flew in from Indianapolis yesterday, took the Light Rail in from the airport and checked into the Westin (it was so easy.) Since this is my first major conference in the library field, I was surprised to see how easy it was to recognize other library professionals. You know the stereotypes of how we look (think Nancy Pearl inspired action figure) but I think it is in more how we carry ourselves, a sense of competency. (OK- more like we know what we are doing or if we don’t, we don’t mind asking someone).
Finally found free internet access - hotel was 12.95 per day - and am sitting here surrounded by people reading and responding to email. I am so excited to see the presentations and will report more later. I do think the nifty PLA blue tote bags are a tad heavy, I guess they are full of goodies. Next time, I’ll check in early and then edit the contents of the tote before I go the convention. Live and Learn.
As a part time library school student and full time reference worker, I understand the value of evaluating print sources. Sometimes what is written is not what you get. I have been to eight presentations in the past two days. Three of the presenters commented on the title of their presentations (what was printed in the official program) were not necessarily what they had originally proposed nor did it accurately reflect what they covered. While I think you can almost always find “nuggets” of wisdom no matter the topic, I now know to be more critical when determining what sessions to attend.
A tip I learned, to help lighten the load you carry, is to rip out the pages from the official program that apply to that day’s sessions and bring those pages only with you. Leave the rest of the program at the hotel.
It is great to attend this conference with coworkers because it allows you to “divide and conquer”. We can attend different sessions and give mini-reports to each other prior to the next session. It also allows me to immediately share ideas that I think are of value for my library with fellow employees rather than waiting until next Monday.
Today is the last day and I’m noticing many attendees walking with a hitch in their step. The weather has been great for this time of year. Got my picture taken with Mary Tyler Moore (her statue) and appeared on the Channel 4 CBS morning show (in the window) on the way to the convention center. My head is abuzz with all the ideas and practical knowledge I have been exposed to during the presentions.
I think the convention center was a great place - comfortable seats (sat in a variety of them) - plenty of restrooms (Women’s Restroom on the 2nd floor usually had no waiting) - good lighting and sound systems. The only thing I would change (this is out of PLA’s control) is the room numbering. I looked at the diagram in the program but L100 being two floors below 100 goofed me up yesterday afternoon. I know L meant lower level but since I was also looking for L100 F-H, I was concentrating on the room letters and not the letter in front of the room number.
We have done much walking around downtown and it is very clean. A wide variety of eateries and attractions are easily accessed. It has been a pleasure to be in Minneapolis.
