PLA Blog

How very exciting! It turns out that Sophie Brookover and Liz Burns, two of the intrepid librarians who blog over at Pop Goes the Library, are working on a book titled Pop Goes the Library: Using Pop Culture to Connect With Your Whole Community, to be published sometime in 2008.

And they need *your* feedback! Here’s why (via a quote from their post about the book):

So while we feverishly research, write, and revise the manuscript, we have a request of all of you, dear Readers & Friends of Pop: we have this survey, you see, and it would help us out tremendously if you’d be willing to answer our questions. It’s one thing for us to write about what we think makes a great marriage between pop culture & libraries; it’s quite another, more powerful thing to quote our experienced colleagues on this topic.

Please take a few minutes to help by filling out their survey. Understanding the fit of popular culture in the library is one of the many keys to staying relevant with our patron communities, so this is a very worthy cause for your time. Thanks!

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.

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:

The Women’s National Book Association (WNBA) is pleased to announce the launch of National Reading Group Month (NRGM) in October 2007 to mark the 90th anniversary of the association’s founding. “Part of WNBA’s mission is to promote reading and the value of books, so we are proud to organize the first-ever National Reading Group Month. Reading groups inspire, transform and educate. They foster community and instill an appreciation for the written word,” says Laurie Beckelman, president of the Women’s National Book Association. “The mission of National Reading Group Month is four-fold:

To bring about public awareness of the joy of shared reading.

To provide a time for existing groups to celebrate their accomplishments and make plans for the future.

To encourage libraries, bookstores, and various organizations to host special events for reading groups.

To provide opportunities for individuals to get involved in an existing reading group or start one of their own.

Further information is available at http://wnba-books.org.

The Women’s National Book Association, which is about to celebrate its 90th anniversary, was established before women in America even had the right to vote. It is a broad-based non-profit organization with members across the country, three distinguished national awards, and a history of lively events in its eight chapter cities and elsewhere. As a national organization of women and men who work with and value books, WNBA exists to promote reading and to support the role of women in the community of the book. WNBA is non-governmental organization (NGO) affiliated with the United Nations/Department of Public Information, and a NGO partner with the U.S. Fund for UNICEF and supports the Fund’s education alliance for women and girls in Afghanistan.

The past few posts have been all about feedback. Your thoughts, beliefs, actions, plans, and ideas on how librarianship works are important, so definitely give a few minutes to participate!

I read this bit of “what do you do?” on the WebJunction Publib listserv (May 4, Vol 26, Issue 4). The contact for responses is listed below, but feel free to comment on this post and let us know what you do, so that other librarians can benefit from your experiences. We can also use the comments you leave here for building out part of the policies section of the Public Library Wiki project here at PLA.

ALA’s Office for Information Technology Policy is collecting information on the trend described below. If you would like to share your library’s experience with this issue, please send an email to Carrie Lowe (), Information Policy Specialist at OITP.

Question: If your library suspends checkout privileges when patrons receive a certain overdue fine threshold, does it also restrict access to computers and/or internet access? Does your library restrict access to anything else when a patron reaches this threshold? If you have a policy about this issue, what does it say?

Brendan Gallagher, a participant in Leslie Berger’s Emerging Leaders Initiative, posted to the Mentors, Masters, Leaders blog today about the survey that’s been making the rounds through various digital venues:

I’m one of the ALA Emerging Leaders this year, and I’m part of a work team that is looking at options for “rebranding the library profession in the digital world.” We’ve decided to survey as broad a spectrum of library professionals as possible in order to see what we think of ourselves.

This survey is part of Project KK. You can read more about the project and other projects on the ALA Emerging Leaders wiki. I’ve seen the survey mentioned on Twitter, in emails, in IM chats, and on blogs, and I’m hoping that ALA will actually post a link to it from the ALA home page, which would make a lot of sense and increase the outreach of such an important request for feedback.

Click here to take the survey, and definitely come back and tell us what you think about the idea of rebranding librarianship, what it will mean to public libraries, and about the survey itself.

Let’s say you had the Sophie’s Choice of reference books: in all the world, you could only keep your top 5 favorite print resources. What would they be?

This question is inspired by a message I read in the April 25 (Vol 25, Issue 26) digest of the WebJunction Publib listserv:

Hello,
I am a library student with a question for reference librarians. My reference class is evaluating different resources, and I am wondering what your “Top 5″ are - which general reference books you consider invaluable and are most used by your reference staff. Also, are there any that your library purchases regularly but which are very rarely used?
Thank you so much in advance for your responses!

The message is from Kathy (Brown) Gregory, a library school student in her second semester at Southern Connecticut State University who works at Hartford Public Library. The original assignment, for her Reference Materials and Service class, is really quite interesting and nifty: subscribe to a library listserv, post a question, and record your responses. It’s an excellent opportunity for students to realize that listservs are a resource for reaching out to the library community, and an interesting way to examine how responsive and active some lists actually are.

There were several responses from the listserv, published in the very same digest, that also proved interesting. Favorite print resources included: almanacs, ValueLine, Morningstar, town histories/reports/stuff, state laws, atlases and maps (especially local), dictionaries, guides to grants, and self-help law, to name a few.

Two things happened: 1) I wanted to help Kathy obtain more data, and 2) I got really, really curious. In a day and age of electronic resources, what print resources are considered “favorite children,” near and dear to the hearts of public librarians who can’t live without them?

We want to know! Tell us what your fave 5 print resources are by replying to this post. We’ll send the information on to Kathy, who can use it in her report.

Zeke Killbride, a librarian at the Finkelstein Memorial Library in Spring Valley, NY, wrote to us about a digital collection recently posted to the library’s site:

I’m writing to suggest a library link for your blog. I’m a librarian at the Finkelstein Memorial Library in Rockland County, New York, north of New York City. One of our patrons and her mother donated her late father’s drawings to our library and we have made them available online.

[Link to the collection]

It’s an interesting story. David Friedman was a Holocaust survivor. Friedman documented his agony and torment during the Holocaust through a powerful series, “Because…They Were Jews!” While he was working on this series he found comfort by visiting local libraries and sketching the people he saw. Timeframe: 1962-72.

Friedman’s words: “I needed to forget about the concentration camps and the horror that was there. So it was a pleasure to go to the library.” There’s a poignant human interest story here; showing libraries as a place of relaxation and sanctuary.

I would argue that this is more than a lovely human interest story. This is an example of librarians telling a story, something that Karen Hyman so often speaks about, a low-tech option for offering digital photos (fast-loading HTML, thumbnails for quick viewing, an HTML slideshow that simply refreshes the page and doesn’t require a special plug-in), and definitely taking content from the community and presenting it to the rest of the community in a new and interesting way. It’s providing context for content and communing with patrons. That’s Library 2.0 if I’ve ever seen it.

I love it when the PPO thinks so far in advance. If you’re heading to ALA, here are some programs you should consider hitting (via the PPO listserv):

The Public Programs Office will present several Annual Conference programs for library programmers at all levels and in all types of libraries including:

LIVE! @ your library Reading Stage
Saturday, Sunday and Monday from 12:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Take a break from a day of meetings and programs and visit the LIVE! @ your library Reading Stage to enjoy readings from new and favorite authors and poets, learn how to develop author programs for your library, and find new recommendations for your patrons. This year, in honor of YALSA’s 50th anniversary, Monday’s stage will feature YA authors Cecil Castellucci; 2006 Michael L. Printz Award Winner, John Green; Barry Lyga; 2004 Michael L. Printz Honor Book Winner, Carolyn Mackler; Catherine Murdock; and Patrick Jones.

Break on Through to the Other Side: Cultural Programming for New Librarians (co-sponsored by NMRT)
Saturday 6/23/07, 10:30 am - Noon
Congratulations! You’ve earned your MLS and you’ve been hired. Whether you work in a public, academic or school library, you need to know how to develop cultural programming for your library’s community. Leading a book discussion is just the tip of the iceberg. The ALA Public Programs Office offers resources, funding, training and the framework needed for you to conduct high-quality cultural programs. Empower your professional career with a review of best practices and a model program demonstration.

Partnerships Produce Successful Cultural Programs
Sunday 6/24/07, 10:30 a.m. - Noon

Working with partners outside the library is an essential element of successful cultural programs in the library. Find out how the ALA Public Program Office’s collaboration with the National Library of Medicine has produced traveling exhibitions popular in all types of libraries. Public and academic librarians will also talk about successful partnerships that have led to unique cultural programs with maximum community impact.

PRIME TIME FAMILY READING TIME®: A Model Outreach Program
Sunday 6/24/07, 10:30 a.m. - Noon
How can your library reach the under-served, or never served, families in your community? Attend this session to hear library, literacy and humanities representatives discuss their successes with PRIME TIME in reaching this audience to create new library users. Learn about bilingual initiatives, evaluative outcomes, funding opportunities and strategies to bring this award-winning family literacy program to your community.

Engaging the Community with Documentary Film Screenings in Your Library
Sunday 6/24/07, 1:30 - 3:30 p.m.
Experience a model for working with Public Television’s P.O.V. program through their Community Engagement Program. Attendees will learn how to select and secure P.O.V. films, develop program content to support the films, and lead a facilitated post-screening discussion. Librarians who have run successful programs screening these films in their communities will share their experiences. As part of the model, a P.O.V. film will be shown.

We the People Bookshelf Project
Monday 6/25/07, 10:30 a.m. - Noon
Representatives from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and experienced “We the People” project directors talk about the “We the People Bookshelf” grant, the books, themes and application process. During the past four years of this initiative, 6,000 Bookshelf collections have been awarded to school and public libraries nationwide.

Let’s Talk About It: 25 Years of Reading and Discussion Programs
Monday 6/25/07, 1:30 - 3:30 p.m.
The 25 year old Let’s Talk About It (LTAI) reading & discussion model has been engaging people through provocative theme based, scholar-led discussions of excellent literature. Learn about new themes, funding opportunities and resources as LTAI project directors, participants and scholars discuss the evolution of the program model, favorite themes and books and ideas for the future. Program followed by a LTAI 25th anniversary celebration.

I had the distinct pleasure of hearing Mary Baykan, director of Maryland’s Washington County Free Library, executive director of the Western Maryland Public Libraries, and Library Journal’s Librarian of the Year for 2007, present the keynote session for the symposium, which Mary graciously gave us permission to record and podcast for your listening pleasure.

After an entertaining introduction by PLA president and California State Librarian Susan Hildreth, she spoke about how she found out she was librarian of the year, her experiences as the originator of the feat of advocacy now known as the Maryland Poll which measured the importance of libraries to Maryland residents, fun with legislative lobbying, about how librarians choose “to fight the bull” everyday, and so much more. She was entertaining, engaging, and very, very funny, definitely worth a listen!

While there are some interesting tidbits about upcoming PLA developments in the opening remarks, if you want to skip straight to the keynote, Mary is introduced around 10mins29secs.

The Urban Libraries Council report that Mary mentions towards the end of her remarks, Making Cities Stronger: Public Library Contributions to Local Economic Development, is available for free online (.pdf, requires Adobe Acrobat to view).

Many thanks to Susan Hildreth for the awesome PLA Blog plug at the very end, and for the recognition of the work of our peeps and volunteers as well as our contribution to what she calls “PLA 2.0.”

 

 PLA Blog: Mary Baykan, 2007 Spring Symposium keynote [48:09m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (236)