PLA Blog

I am thrilled to be blogging this year’s ALA. My name is Nanette Bulebosh and I direct a small public library in Kiel, Wisconsin (population 3,700). This is my first PLA blogging experience. 

I spent most of Friday at Webjunction’s Rural Libraries Sustainability Forum at the Embassy.  I am one of the lucky 185+ librarians from around the U.S. who won an all-expense paid trip to ALA 2007, compliments of Webjunction and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Not to put too fine a point on it, but there is no way I, or my small library, could afford to pay for this trip without Webjunction’s support. This is true of the four other Wisconsin librarians who joined me at yesterday’s forum. 

I have long been impressed with and inspired by the whole Webjunction concept. Their website is full of resources on a large variety of topics, including fundraising, library advocacy, marketing, and technology. I’ve gone to download curriculum materials when designing computer instruction courses for my patrons. I’ve gone to the discussion boards for advice on solving a particular problem. And sometimes I go to rant about someone or something (stress on the job, tight purse strings on the part of public officials, etc.) with folks who, I know, are in similar situations and will understand my frustrations. 

As was made clear when we all introduced ourselves at the forum, sometimes small-town librarians are working in very isolated situations. We are often the sole voice in our communities advocating for libraries in the wilderness of municipal politics and tightening belts.

You couldn’t listen to all the stories about the creative and resourceful ways librarians are surviving, and even thriving, in these tough budgetary times and not be inspired. They are making a genuine difference in their communities.  I am always so darn proud of my profession when I attend things like this.

I’m attaching some photos from the Webjunction forum, as well as from last evening’s premiere of The Hollywood Librarian. What a treat that was! What an absolutely wonderful film!  Director Ann Seidl spent years raising the funds and building support for this project; she is clearly passionate about this project, which features librarians working in a variety of situations - from prisons to school media centers - and juxtaposing them with the myriad of librarian images, both good and bad, in American film.

For me the most moving segments of the film were the interviews with librarians and patrons in Salinas, California, where a financial crisis temporarily closed down three community libraries.

I’ll have much to to say about this inspirational documentary, but for now I just wanted to share some of the images I’ve been able to gather so far.  

My coworker and I came yesterday and had a great experience so far! Checkin was very smooth at both the hotel, JW Marriott, and also at the conference. I had not received my ticket to the Scholarship Bash in advance and needed to go to the will call desk, and that was no problem at all.

The Hollywood Librarian was great last night. Really enjoyed some of the old movie clips and interviews that were included. I’m proud to be a librarian!

We learned the Metro system yesterday - seems very easy like most systems in other big cities. We’re going to try the bus this morning to get over to the Conference Center and see the scenery from the street level.

Hope this beautiful weather holds! We’re really enjoying our visit so far.

I must say, the wifi at the Washington Convention Center is *fabulous*. It’s free, strong, and available just about anywhere. If you’re here at the conference, look for “ALA2007″ in your list of available wireless networks.

Free wifi is also available at all of the District of Columbia Public Library branches.

The world premiere screening of The Hollywood Librarian: A look at librarians through film, left me with very mixed feelings. The film does an excellent job of using clips from movies like Desk Set, The Music Man, Love Story, Party Girl, and others, to juxtapose the image of librarians in film against the realities of librarianship, including clips from an awesome black-and-white vocational film, as well as interviews with myriad librarians from all corners of librarianship, many of whom were brought on stage after the screening to be recognized. The movie obviously moved the audience and instilled a sense of vindication, with good reason, and I believe that the film does have the potential to give new and different perspective to “civilians” who don’t really understand the library world.

After the screening, writer and director Ann Seidl explained her interesting distribution method for the film. The film has been moved into the finals for an independent film festival (if you know the name of the festival, please comment here and let me know, I can’t find it), so it will get some exposure. But, rather than sell the film to a distributor, Ann would like to grant rides to show the distribution DVD, as well as a package of comprehensive marketing and discussion materials, so that interested public libraries can show screenings themselves.

What she asks in return is that libraries charge money for the screenings, with 1/3 of the fee going to her production company, 1/3 of the fee covering distribution costs, and 1/3 of the fee going to the library showing the movie. Her idea is to use the library, which, according to the movie, provides more points of service than McDonald’s, to get the word out about the movie and its message. Sign ups for this distribution program begin tomorrow at Booth #4207 in the Exhibit Hall, where you can ask questions and give your feedback about the film.

For those who missed the film, you can watch the recently-released trailer:

Kristen, children’s librarian, here. This is my first time writing for the PLA Blog. I’ll be attending a number of sessions and events over the next four days and look forward to sharing them with you. Traveling, for me, always starts out with a shoe crisis, especially when I’m headed to a conference. I covered all my bases by over packing; confident I was prepared for everything. (I even remembered to pay the bill I had to before I left.) Of course, nothing ever is perfect so about halfway here I realized I’d forgotten a belt. And then I hit horrendous traffic in the middle of D.C. And then I missed my turn and spent about 45 more minutes driving around, trying to find my hotel. (One of the best things about my hotel: I didn’t even have to make an extra trip to the conference center to pick up my book and badge because there’s a handy desk just downstairs.)

Now, here I sit in wonderful air conditioning, digesting my thoughts on the documentary The Hollywood Librarian. Interviews with librarians were interwoven with film clips to celebrate the profession. The film made me laugh, nearly cry and get angry. The best bits were, perhaps, the brief highlights of different specialties of librarianship, sending up cheers from the audience. It is the audience that made the movie special. There’s nothing else like being in a crowd of librarians, the inspiration and camaraderie more than make up for all the hassles of travel.

Hi everyone! I’m Anne Robert, a children’s/teen librarian with the Jacksonville (FL) Public Library system. This is my 5th time writing for the PLA Blog, and I’ll try to cover as much as I can! I arrived in DC this afternoon and took in the sights. I went to the Library of Congress Open House, and the building is fantastic! We toured the Main Reading Room and went downstairs to the stacks. LoC is closed Sunday, but open the other days of the week… I recommend everyone go and check it out!

Tonight I attended the NMRT Meet & Greet. I am the Leadership Director with NMRT, and it’s a great roundtable for all new librarians (besides PLA, of course!). The 3M/NMRT Social is Sunday night, and I invite any librarians (or library school students) to come and see what NMRT is all about!

Hi. I am Rick Roche, and I will be blogging for the PLA Blog for the next few days. I will be attending various programs of interest to staff from public libraries and reporting on for you. I will also be writing some on my own blog ricklibrarian and posting some photos on my Flickr site. I hope you enjoy the pieces. I will not tell you everything that was said, as some talented bloggers are able to do on the spot. I will instead reflect on the main points and highlight some important details. When possible I will link you to sources for further study.

As we start this conference in our nation’s capitol, it is natural to think back to last year in New Orleans. The setting of that gathering was emotion charged, as the people of the Crescent City welcomed us. Librarians made a big statement by being the first group to return for a conference in the storm-damaged city. This year we are in the most media rich city in the world. Let’s make ourselves and our issues known. In a small way, I hope these pieces add to the effort.

One of the more useful presentations at today’s Rural Library Sustainability Forum was a talk by conference junkie John D. “Danny” Hales, who shared his handy tips for making the most of this year’s ALA.

Hales, director of Suwannee River Regional Library in northern Florida - and a member of the WebJunction advisory committee - was speaking to the fortunate 180+ rural and small-town librarians (from 34 states) who are attending the conference as guests of WebJunction. But his advice is equally useful to any of the other 25,000 others - newbies and conference veterans alike - converging on the Capital city this weekend. Here are a few of Hales’ tips, some tongue-in-cheek:

• Tip the maid. You’ve got the funds to spare if you’re here on WebJunction’s dime, Hales said. But it’s also, simply, the right thing to do.
• As you go through the program planning out your weekend, always pick two workshops scheduled in the same time frame. That way you’ll have somewhere else to go in case the program you’re in is boring.
• Speaking of which, don’t hesitate to leave a session if it stinks. No one will care. Just get up and go somewhere else.
• Check the cog notes online or at conference headquarters for updates. There may be last-minute scheduling changes or cancellations.
• About the 223-page ALA Program Guide: Don’t think you have to cart it with you all over DC. Tear out the maps and bus schedules and leave the rest of the guide in your hotel room. Travel light (or try to).
• Get to all your sessions early and introduce yourself to the speaker. Offer to help pass out handouts or something. The speaker will be grateful, and you might learn something interesting and unusual.
• Drink lots of water. Carry a bottle of water with you all day to keep yourself hydrated and energized in this hot DC weather. It wouldn’t hurt to bring along a few snacks too.
• Recon, recon, recon … plan your trips in advance, from hotel to hotel or from even from room to room. You’ll save time, and you’ll reduce frustrations.
• Always know where the bathrooms are.
• Take your business cards along with you everywhere. Pass them out to folks you meet and use them at the Exhibition Hall to win prizes.
• About the Exhibition Hall: You KNOW you’re going to collect a lot of freebies (isn’t that part of why you came?) Go ahead and hoard away. There’s a post office right at the conference center; the folks there will gladly help you mail all your goodies home. You don’t have to stuff it all in your suitcase if you don’t want to.
• The free shuttle service between conference events is good. It’s even better Saturday afternoon and all-day Sunday (the drivers will have figured out the route by then).
• Schedule yourself some down time. Go to your hotel room, lie down on the floor and put your feet on the bed. Or use one of the Pilate balls in the Exhibition Hall booths. You need to be good to your body this weekend.
• Remember the 5, 2, 1 rule: Get 5 hours of sleep, treat yourself to 2 good meals each day, and take at least 1 shower.
• Go visit a DC site or do something else away from the conference at least part of the time. Make a point of getting away from your fellow librarians to get a different perspective.
• Get to know the PLA staff. Ask for help. Ask for advice. “They really can get you the good stuff.” 
• Don’t be intimidated by the eggheads and the prima donnas. At ALA, all librarians are equal, whether you’re from one of the big hotshot libraries or from some small burg in the middle of nowhere.
• Talk to people, introduce yourself to unfamiliar faces, and network as much as you can.  Join committees and be useful. Don’t waste your time with the slackers. Identify who the real go-getters are and align yourself with them. Think of ALA as a family, Hales said. “It’s sort of a dysfunctional family, but a family just the same. And just like your own family at home, they know that you’re good. But they also know when you’re not, and when you don’t produce.”

…one by one. After many flight delays (apparently, this was a common occurrence yesterday), I finally got to my hotel at midnight last night. After a day which included a 7:30a breakfast meeting, registration, and crashing the Library Journal Movers & Shakers luncheon, I’m *finally* making my first post. On the docket for this evening is the world premiere of “The Hollywood Librarian: A Look at Librarians Through Film,” and pre-party before that. I’m still ironing out the rest of my conference schedule, but I promise whatever I cover, it’ll be interesting!

Keep an eye on the blog over the next week or so for more conference blogging from our awesome crew.

Hi all! I’m Mary Beth Sancomb-Moran, Community Information Librarian for SELCO - Southeastern Libraries Cooperating, the regional library consortium in Rochester, Minnesota. I’m also the author of the Impromptu Librarian blog, and am pleased to be blogging both there and for PLA here at the conference in Washington.

I’m here today with the WebJunction folks and librarians from 34 states, talking about Rural Library Sustainability. It’s an amazing group of people, with interesting stories and a wonderful level of excitement.

One of the announcements this morning was the launch of the WebJunction Rural Library Sustainability Workshop online, so if you weren’t able to attend one of the workshops, you can get all the terrific learning online, at your own pace.

ALA-President Elect Loriene Roy stopped in to say hi this morning, and we’re proud to say she hails from my new home state of Minnesota!