PLA Blog

The last session I went to on Thursday was “Dewey or Don’t We,” which was a presentation by the fine folks at Maricopa County Library about their experience testing out a “deweyless” organizing system at a new branch. This became a very controversial topic in public library circles, so most of you probably have read stories in print or online about it. I was more interested in the practicalities of it all, since I think the concept makes a lot of sense. The presentation was pretty basic, the key takeaways for me were the need to get vendor cooperation and support (in their case from Polaris and Brodart), the use of the BISAC subject headings, and the critical importance of signage. There are one or two other presentations on this topic elsewhere at the conference, and I suspect that heralds a groundswell of support for the concept within the field.

The Friday morning sessions weren’t super-compelling. I went to “How to Work Positively in a Unionized Environment” because my system is unionized, and I’ve heard many many comments about how that is one of the big obstacles to change. However, the presentation was a little disorganized (there were seven people talking!) and the talking points were pretty general and obvious. (Respect, Trust, Understanding, Openness, Courage, etc.) There was also some roleplay to illustrate the difference between “traditional” positional bargaining and “interest-based bargaining” which is supposed to lead to win-win results. Of course, every single alternative negotiation methodology makes the same claim, so I’d take that with a grain of salt. Ultimately, I didn’t take much away from the session.

The other session I went to was “Optimizing Space For Results,” which interested me because the branch I work out is a big open building where the distribution of furniture, shelving, “zones”, etc. hasn’t been that well thought out. I was hoping to learn some specifics about how to reimagine or redesign the space, but the presentation was a little more general than that, along with a lot of visual examples of how various libraries have tackled certain challenges. It was all fine, but I had a hard time identifying any real takeaways.

Heading to lunch now.

I have been in Minneapolis since Monday, and I am burned out. Highlights from today, in as few words as possible:

I ran into Mark Arend from Oshkosh, Wisconsin. I worked with Mark and the Fox Valley Library Council a few years ago. Mark is a good guy and great librarian. I’m glad I saw him again.

Thanks very much to Joseph Janes (happily, I am not the only person at PLA without a cell phone) for his presentation on how to be good at reference in the age of Google. I appreciate being reminded that librarians are “made for better things,” from finding and organizing high-quality and in-depth information, to teaching research skills and playing vital roles in local communities. But I was most impressed by Janes’ advice to “be unique and do the reference work you are best at and want to do.” In a previous session, YA author Meg Cabot said she encourages aspiring authors to “write the books that you want to write.” Hearing similar advice about reference work is a revelation for me.

On a different note, administrators at Maricopa County District Library are obviously insane. Dropping the Dewey Decimal System, outsourcing materials selection and processing, eliminating reference collections, referring to library books as “products” and “merchandise,” and then claiming that 94% of “customers” and 100% of staff are satisfied with such changes is instituional weirdness on a grandiose scale. All libraries are local, they say, and this approach might not be right for “customers” at other locations. I’m thankful for that, I say!

Serendipity is an underappreciated aspect of information retrieval. Before and after the session Weeders Attract More Readers, Minnesotan Bob Dylan was playing on the auditorium sound system. I enjoyed this so much I asked one of the sound technicians for the name of the album, and later in the evening I actually bought a copy of Dylan’s Blood On The Tracks CD at a downtown store. I am listening to it now as I blog, while drinking Fat Tire (not Flat Tire) beer as recommended by roommate, Gray Dale.

I found gifts for my kids Rebecca and Owen downtown, too. Of course, this made me miss them both terribly. I’ll be home soon guys! And I love you, Maggie.