PLA Blog

ALA 2007: Swap’n'Shop, Special Collections, Hot Outreach Tech

This week, we’ll be highlighting various ALA events that might be of interest to our readers, whether you happen to be attending ALA, or just keeping up with the conference here on the PLA Blog.

Swap & Shop: Celebrate PR!
Sponsored by LAMA
Sunday, June 24
11 am - 1:30 pm
Washington Convention Center Special Events Area
Library professionals will have the opportunity to fill their free tote bag full of the very best ideas in library public relations (annual reports, newsletters, reading promotions, and more). More than 850 library professionals attended Swap & Shop in 2006.

Ignite Your Library’s Public Relations and Outreach Using Hot Technologies
Sponsored by LAMA PRMS
Monday, June 25
10:30 am - 12 pm
Washington Convention Center, 146C
Looking for fresh marketing ideas for your library? Trying to lure those illusive teens to your branch? Want to get undergraduates to think beyond Google and check out your collections? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then this program is for you! “Ignite Your Library’s Public Relations and Outreach Using Hot Technologies” will feature Helene Blowers
(Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County), Steven Bell (Temple University) and Michael Stephens (Dominican University GSLIS) talking about strategies for using current technology to promote libraries. After their presentations, participants will break up into group discussions led by the speakers.

Leverage Technology to Enhance Fundraising
Sponsored by LAMA FRFDS
Monday, June 25th
10:30 am - 12 pm
Room 202A, Washington DC Conference Center
FUNDRAISING, a dirty word these days with so much at stake and so little funding to go around, is still the key to raising the library’s profile in our communities, while supporting sustainable services. Does technology offer any solutions to make this difficult job easier? Attend this session to find out.

Just a quick break from the excellent Boot Camp reports for a bit of news, announced to me via NPR’s Morning Edition (read the blurb for the story and listen to the broadcast here).

The National Book Foundation announced the 2006 National Book Awards last night at a ceremony in New York City Last night. You can read more about each author and their work by clicking on their names below.

• Young People’s Literature:
  The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume One: The Pox Party by M.T. Anderson
• Poetry:
  Splay Anthem by Nathaniel Mackey
• Nonfiction:
  The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl by Timothy Egan
• Fiction:
  The Echo Maker by Richard Powers

Two other awards were received last night: Adrienne Rich received the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, and Robert Silvers and Barbara Epstein received The Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community.

Also in attendance at the award ceremony were the recipients of the National Book Foundation’s new program “5 under 35,” which highlights new young authors. Keep an eye on these up and coming writers!

Transcripts of speeches and more content from the gala evening will be posted to the National Book Foundation’s site in the coming days.

Did you know that the director of the National Book Foundation has a blog? Read more about what’s going on at the National Book Foundation by visiting the Director’s Blog.