PLA Blog

An announcement from our friends over at the Library Administration and Management Association
(LAMA):

LAMA MAES is sponsoring the pre-conference workshop “Living the Balanced Scorecard” Friday, June 27, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm during the ALA Annual 2008 conference in Anaheim. The workshop will feature Joe Matthews, Director of Mathews and Associates and author of the soon to be released Scorecard for Results (Libraries Unlimited, May 2008, $45 retail cost).

The Balanced Scorecard (BSC) is an organizational tool enabling library management to develop a method for focusing on customers, understanding their needs and demands for library services, and demonstrating accountability for using public funds. The BSC provides library management with supporting data needed to implement data driven decisions.

Attendees will receive as part of their registration a copy of Scorecard for Results at no extra charge. Using case studies as examples, presenters will guide workshop attendees through how to develop strategy, performance measures, targets and initiatives, and then how to integrate these results and communicate them effectively. Other presenters are Susanna Pathak of the Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA and Kathryn Robinson of the Orange County Public Library System in Orlando, FL.

We invite you to register and learn more about how to practice the Balanced Scorecard technique, a valuable tool for your library’s assessment needs!

Please click this link to go directly to the list of Anaheim preconferences and look for the listing for LAMA and then “Living the Balanced Scorecard.”

From the preconference luncheon featuring YA author Meg Cabot:

On libraries: “I spent so much time in the library as a kid. The library had air conditioning, vending machines, spacious bathrooms, and books. I thought it was heaven. I could read whatever I wanted! I spent so much time escaping into the world of fiction.”

On writing: “If you have a dream, you should at least try to pursue it. Live the dream! Why not? It’s fiction.”

On librarians: “Thank you all so much. I’m glad I didn’t become a veterinarian. If I had, I wouldn’t be standing here talking to you; I’d be somewhere with my finger up a dog’s butt.”

I thought I’d try something different for my first preconference session, so I attended Romance Readers Advisory 101. I sat in the back row with the other three guys.

Romance fiction is often ridiculed as over simplistic, formulaic, and anti-feminist. However, over 64 million Americans read romance novels last year, and romance accounts for about 25% of all library circulation.

Characteristics of the romance genre include a focus on the development of a romantic relationship between two main characters, satisfactory resolution of the relationship or a “happily-ever-after” ending, and readers’ emotional connections to stories and/or characters.

Some sub-genres of romance: Contemporary, Historical, Paranormal, Suspense, Gothic, Regencies, Inspirational, NASCAR, and Chick Lit.

Chick Lit, described as “not my mother’s romance” or “looking for Mr. Right Now,” also includes Brit Lit, Lad Lit, Bride Lit, Mommy Lit, Ethnic Lit, Hen Lit, etc.

How to work with patrons to increase romance circulation:

1. Never assume what books patrons might enjoy based on age or appearance
2. “Suggest” books or authors rather than “recommend”
3. Contact a nearby Romance Writers of America Chapter and invite local authors to speak at your library
4. Develop a “genre certification program” for your readers advisory staff
5. Create book lists, book displays, bookmarks
6. Collect, catalog, and shelve all genre fiction equally

Romance author Elizabeth Boyle summed it up nicely: “We need romance novels. Dreaming big makes you a better person. If we all believed in happy endings, the world would be a better place.”

PLA has extended the application deadline for the 3M Leadership Institute to November 16. Applications may be submitted through an online form available at www.pla.org. PLA will notify applicants of their acceptance by the end of November.

Presented by PLA and 3M, a PLA partner, the Leadership Institute is a daylong preconference focused on developing leaders and encouraging change within the library profession. Participants will learn how to set a strategy for change, how to handle various challenges and what innovations will best implement, drive and define change. The preconference will be held on Tuesday, March 25, preceding PLA 2008, PLA’s 12th National Conference in Minneapolis.

Registration is limited for this free event. Submit your application today to have the best chance of being selected for this special opportunity from PLA.

PLA and 3M, a PLA Partner, will be offering a special daylong preconference focused on developing leaders and creating transformational change agents within the library profession. Participants will learn how to set a change strategy, how to handle various challenges, and what innovations can be most productive in implementing, driving and defining change. The preconference will be held on Tuesday, March 25, preceding PLA 2008, PLA’s 12^th National Conference in Minneapolis.

Costs to attend the Leadership Institute are covered by 3M, including registration fees for the day, conference supplies, transportation from the Minneapolis Convention Center to 3M’s “Innovation Center,” lunch, snacks, and an evening reception. PLA 2008 registration costs and travel expenses, such as airfare and hotel rooms, will not be covered by 3M and are the responsibility of the participant.

A limited number of participants will be selected to attend the Leadership Institute. Applicants must be PLA members registered for the 2008 National Conference, and have at least five years of experience at a supervisory and decision-making level within their organization. Participants must submit a 250-words-or-less essay on a substantial change to be made, their role as change agent, and the effect that this change would produce for their library. An online application form is available at www.pla.org.

The deadline for applications is November 1, 2007. Candidates will be selected by PLA leadership and are not the responsibility of the sponsors 3M. Applicants will be notified by the end of November. For more information on PLA 2008, visit www.placonference.org.

Hi! My name is Steve Butzel, and I am head of the reference department and the library webmaster at the Nashua Public Library in Nashua, NH. I am also the coordinator of our library’s reference desk blog. This is my first time attending ALA Midwinter, and all I can say is that I have been completely overwhelmed. Actually, I am glad to say that after floundering for the past few days I am beginning to feel like a competent conference attendee after all.

I’ve been attending a mixture of different events, some PLA-related and others not. When attending a non-PLA event, I am consistently greeted with great enthusiasm when the librarians discover that I work at a public library and am interested in getting involved. Perhaps some of us public librarians should think about expanding our reach beyond PLA groups. Just a thought from a newbie.

Some of the meetings I’ve been to include the “Podcast U” pre-conference, the newly formed LITA technology for public libraries interest group and the Library Instruction Round Table (LIRT) meeting today on the topic of working with millenials. By the way, I joined some of the LIRT officers yesterday for lunch and had a great time. I highly recommend taking advantage of such structured/pre-planned opportunities to meet new colleagues. It takes a lot of the discomfort out of meeting new people.

More thoughts later…

[Upon original posting, I mistakenly filed this under the ALA Midwinter 2007 category, when the even is actually happening at ALA Annual 2007.  Many thanks to Chuck for pointing out the discrepancy!]
Received from Charles Malone, Government Information Librarian at Western Illinois University via email today:

On behalf of GODORT and its International Documents Task Force I would like to invite PLA members to a preconference on International documents to be held Thursday, June 21, 2007 at the World Bank in Washington, D.C. as part of ALA’s Annual Conference. Registration is available through ALA by registering for the 2007 Annual Conference at: http://www.ala.org/ala/eventsandconferencesb/annual/2007a/home.htm

As the International Government Organizations disseminate more of their information on the Web for free, we all have an opportunity to incorporate international government information into our library work.

The tentative schedule [included with the original email, here only linked to] is available at: http://www.ala.org/ala/godort/godortcommittees/godortprogram/preconf2007.htm

Thank you,
Chuck

Thank you, Chuck, for inviting us!

If you are a public librarian attending this preconference, and are interested in writing about it on the PLA Blog, drop us a line and let us know.