PLA Blog

The Public Programs Office is offering 5 sessions by talented and interesting presenters at the upcoming 2008 ALA Annual Meeting, with a focus on arts and humanities programs in libraries (see the PPO Upcoming Events page for session descriptions):

• Traveling Exhibits for Libraries: New Opportunities
  Speakers: Denise Smith and Frank Summers, Space Science Telescope Institute, Baltimore, MD; Susan Brandehoff, Program Director, ALA Public Programs Office.
• We the People Picturing America: Presenting Programs in Your School or Public Library
  Speakers: Thomas Phelps, Director, Division of Public Programs, National Endowment for the Humanities; Lainie Castle, Project Director, ALA Public Programs Office; Nancy Davenport, Acting Director of Library Services, District of Columbia Public Library; Mary L. Chute, Deputy Director for Libraries, Institute of Museum and Library Services; Kathie Burns, Library Media Technician, Arnold O. Beckman High School, Irvine, CA; Dornel Marie Cerro, Head Librarian, Sequoyah Educational Center, Pasadena, CA
• Soul of a People: Voices from the Writers’ Project
  Speakers: Andrea Kalin, President and Executive Producer, Spark Media, Washington, DC; David Bradley, Author and Associate Professor, University of Oregon; Susan Brandehoff, Program Director, ALA Public Programs Office.
• PRIME TIME FAMILY READING: Bilingual Programs Expand Nationally
  Speakers:Thomas Phelps, Director, Division of Public Programs, National Endowment for the Humanities; Lainie Castle, Project Director, ALA Public Programs Office; Faye Flanagan, Director, PRIME TIME FAMILY READING TIME, Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities; Pat Lawson-North, Executive Director, Vision Literacy, Santa Clara County Library, California; Anne Masters, Director, Pioneer Library System, Oklahoma.
• Let’s Talk About It: Love & Forgiveness (speakers not posted)

The PPO is also presenting an impressive line up of authors for the LIVE! @ your library Reading Stage.

If your division, roundtable, or committee doing something interesting at ALA? Want us to post your upcoming ALA session, social, or other event on the PLA Blog? Send us email with the session/event details.

I wasn’t planning on spending all my computer time at the convention center at the wireless location, and have found that the internet connectivity at the hotel (Doubletree Suites) is less than satisfactory.  I’m sitting in the lobby writing. Had to ask another laptop user which network she was using.  I love my little Apple and it generally connects without my even noticing.  Not here.My name is Melissa Malcolm. I have never blogged before but want to try it at the library so hope that this experience will help with that.    I’m a new library director in Gloucester, VA, which is on the “Middle Peninsula”.  It’s rural and beautiful and I love it.  I’m a bit discombobulated, though.  I woke up at 3 am yesterday for a very early flight.  Left my cell phone somewhere so got another one.  (We survived without cell phones at conferences years ago–could I do it again?  Didn’t even want to try.)  I’m walking around with a broken foot–don’t ask!–and have been  dozing since the walk to the public library yesterday.  Lying on my bed, but also through a program this afternoon. I wonder if anyone noticed?Last night I attended the FOLUSA author reception, which has become one of my favorite events at ALA and PLA conferences.   I have an autographed copy of a memoir (can’t remember the title–it’s up in the room) by a young Hmong woman.  Her brief talk was moving and enlightening.  Remember Garrison Keillor talking about the Hmong and Vietnamese young people in his library in St Paul?  The future of our country, I think he called them.My favorite program today was Susan Hill Pieper’s on library web pages.  I’ve heard her before and enjoy her common sense, her enthusiasm and her self-deprecating sense of humor.  I’ve seen web pages that are pretty and have little real content.  I prefer those that may not be the most sophisticated but that help library patrons find what they need to know.  Susan’s at Paulding County, Ohio is one of those.  The suggestion that I’m going to follow is to work on building a historical postcard collection.  Scan those cards and get them on the web.  Your genealogists and history buffs will love them.I’m enjoying my visits with the exhibitors too.  As my new library has an unfamiliar (to me) automation system and utilizes different methods of ordering materials, I’ve taken the time to look at the new (to me) products and procedures, and talk to former vendors and jobbers about setting up new accounts.  Not too soon, though.  I’ve seen a few pursed lips at suggestions I’ve made for changes in procedure and I don’t want to find out what they mean, exactly.Let’s hope that I have a better grip on this whole process tomorrow and can post without a struggle.    

Deborah Schneider, Public Programming Coordinator with the King County Library System, is looking for your feedback on author events:

I will be meeting with a large agency in NY City in October, talking about author events in libraries. They are very interested in knowing how they can help place their authors with libraries across the US.

I would appreciate any suggestions you could send to me, things that have worked for you and things you wish the publishers and agents would do to make booking authors easier for you and your staff.

Send any comments to: dschneid at kcls dot org

You can email Deborah and/or post your comments here.

Is the fantasy genre a mystery to you? Wondering how to keep kids, especially boys, interested in reading now that the Harry Potter series is over, with no ideas on what to recommend? Love the Hogwart’s party concept, and looking for fresh ideas? A Practical Guide to Fantasy is the webinar is for you.

The webinar’s speaker, Nina Hess, is a Senior Editor at Mirrorstone, an imprint of the very famous and popular gaming company, Wizards of the Coast (publishers of Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, and much more). She edits fantasy fiction for children and teens. She is also the author of A Practical Guide to Monsters, which follows the company’s New York Times bestseller, A Practical Guide to Dragons. Needless to say, she is quite the expert.

I was invited to attend a preview of the webinar, and it’s an excellent Fantasy 101 crash course. Nina talks about:

• her experiences working at Mirrorstone (where she works in a “fantasy world”),
• why fantasy is so popular with kids, especially boys, and keeps them reading,
• the different flavors of fantasy plus a little on fantasy vs. science fiction,
• how fantasy and gaming can go hand-in-hand, and how tabletop role-play can lead to more kids in the library *and* more reading,
• program ideas that incorporate fantasy and fantasy reading

This webinar is a great place to start if you’re lost in fantasy, or just need a push in the right direction. Nina also talks about the many resources offered by her company (many of them free!) to help your library begin its journey into fantasy.

The program is coming up soon, so now is the time to register!

Event details:
A Practical Guide to Fantasy
Friday, September 28, 2007
11 a.m. - 12 p.m. Eastern Time [10 a.m. CT / 9 a.m. MT / 8 a.m. PT]
To Register: Send your name and contact information to . You may either email or call in your credit card information at 914-241-2117.
Cost: $50 per person
Group discounts:
10-49: $45/person
50-99: $40/person
100+: $35/person

What you’ll need: This is a Web-based seminar. Registered participants will receive participation instructions, log-on information and a toll-free number to dial in by telephone for the audio portion of the seminar upon payment of the registration fee.

Many thanks to the Public Programs Office (PPO) listserv for sharing these wonderful funding opportunities!

Dollar General Youth Literacy Grants
“Provide funding to schools, public libraries and nonprofit organizations to help with the implementation or expansion of literacy programs for students who are below grade level or experiencing difficulty reading.” Application deadlines: October 5, 2007; February 5, 2008. NOTE: Dollar General also lists literacy grants for adults and families, with application periods beginning in January 2008.

Prime Time Family Reading Time
Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities (LEH), ALA Public Programs Office, & National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)
“Based on illustrated children’s books, PRIME TIME is designed to help low-income, low-literate families bond around the act of reading and talking about books. It models and encourages family reading and discussion of humanities topics, and aids parents and children in selecting books and becoming active public library users.” Application Deadline: November 1, 2007.

Light the Way: Outreach to the Underserved Grant
Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) & Candlewick Press
“This one-time grant of $5000 will be presented in honor of Newbery Medalist and Geisel Honoree Kate DiCamillo to a library conducting exemplary outreach to underserved populations… Special population children may include those who have learning or physical differences, those who are speaking English as a second language, those who are in a non-traditional school environment, those who are in non-traditional family settings (such as teen parents, foster children, children in the juvenile justice system, and children in gay and lesbian families), and those tho need accommodation service to meet their needs.” Application deadline: December 3, 2007.

On Sunday, June 24, I attended the program “Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails: Every BOY Ready to Read @ Your Library,” presented by Dr. Leonard Sax, M.D., Ph.D. He explained the gender differences between boys and girls and how we could use this in our storytimes. A few highlights from his Powerpoint presentation:

•Gender gap
-Between 1980-2004, gender gap of leisure-time reading
-1 in 10 boys now reads for fun
-Gender gap has become a chasm (“…a marker of gender identity: girls read, boys don’t.” –Bauerlein & Stotsky 2005, Bauerlein 2007)

•Sex differences in brain development (Harriet Hanlon, et al. 1999)
-studied 224 girls, 284 boys, ages 2 months to 16 years
-fine motor skills and language : girls develop faster
-gross motor skills, spatial memory, visual targeting : boys develop faster

•Learning styles
-Boys listen better when they are standing (rather than sitting – “their brains shut off”)
-Most young girls learn better when sitting
-Does not mean there is a difference in rank (or abilities)
-Boys are taught to sit still in school like the girls (so then school = girly … why they hate it)
-Best temperature to learn: 60 degrees boys, 75 degrees girls (children and young adults for normal size) – 6 degrees of separation

•Extraneous noise (Colin, Elliot and assoc.)
-Bother girls and women at sound levels 10 to 40x lower than boys/,men
-Girls are aware of what’s going on around them
-90-92% of boys not bothered by noise

•Storytime
-Offer Noisy Time Story Time (and Quiet Time Story Time)
-Noisy:
-Turn the thermostat down
-Seats are optional (bean bag chairs?) – boys love to crouch
-Rule: No hitting, can’t disturb others
-Choose stories boys enjoy (Watch out for “demand characteristics” – what’s the right choice?)
-Allow buzzing/tapping/clicking

For more information, visit Dr. Sax’s website: www.boysadrift.com (same title as his new book, being published in August 2007)

I attended the Programming Not Just for Boomers: Programming and Services program on Saturday, June 23. The program was aimed at adult programs for patrons 70+ years old.

A few highlights:
•Take an “old” idea and put a new spin on it, such as…
oBasic computer training (introduction to internet)
oHow to buy tickets online
oHow to email kids and grandkids (and set up an email account)
oTrain seniors in new technology (blogs, etc.)
oHow to use digital photography
oGaming – Wii festival and tournaments
oSocial networking (Seniornet or Eons) (http://www.seniornet.org / http://www.eons.com/)

•Other ideas:
oFilm and book discussions
oMovement: basic exercise, dance
o2nd careers, resumes for 70+ group
oFinancial security, recently retired
oFilm program, e.g. A Miss Marple film theme
oConsumer health
oLocal history
oGenealogy- create a genealogy club, teach online resources
oNostalgia programming
oOld basics: creating writing (could also use with blogs), poetry (open house program @ library)
oBiggest draw: music!
oGrandparents raising grandkids
oPrograms on coping with loss
oOther ideas: http://www.libraryolderadults.blogspot.com/

•Programs should be:
oEngaging, interactive
oAllow people to share, discuss, reminisce (they like what’s familiar)
oGet people involved, use their mental capabilities (helps keep them young)
oServe refreshments (this works with people of all ages!)

•Programming needs a gender balance (not just for women)

•Marketing
otraditional (print, papers)
oreceipt printers
oflyers, calendars, newsletters in library
ochurch bulletins
othis is the last generation that is print-oriented

Sunday was a very busy day full of programs.

Nancy Pearl
First I arrive bright and early to see Nancy Pearl speak. It was fascinating to hear how each of her books came into being, especially her lastest book, Book Crush. She gave some suggestions of books for children and teens such as :
Sunshine by Robin McKinley
Alex Rider Series by Anthony Horowitz
The Paperboy by Pete Dexter
Millicent Min, Girl Genius by Lisa Lee
Each Little Bird that Sings by Deborah Wiles
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken
The Great Good Thing by Rod Townley
Ragweed by Avi
The Teacher’s Funeral by Richard Peck
Thirsty by MT Anderson
Feed by MT Anderson
Looking for Normal by Betty Monthei
Voyage of the Dawn Treader by CS Lewis

Off the Chain: Reader’s Advisory for Exploding Genres
I really enjoyed this program. I won’t go into too many details because one of my fellow bloggers have done a great job detailing the program. I know that RUSA/PLA CODES will be having the handouts from their program on their websites. I found the program very interesting and has given me more authors and books to add to my list of books to read. I liked the many ways of finding out about new literature online, such as lit blogs and email lists as well as MySpace.

English Only: Censorship and its Impact on Latino Children and Young Adults in Schools and Public Libraries
I came into this program about half way through but I am glad I did. This program was given by AFL REFORMA. I missed the presentation part, but I did come in just as they started the discussion groups for different types of libraries. The public library discussion group was led by Rose Trevino. This gave people from different library systems a chance to ask questions and talk about how their library systems have their foreign languages materials placed in the collection and any programming that they have in foreign languages. Suggestions were also given on how to start a collection or to grow your current collection.

Future Friends: Marketing Reference and User Services to Generation X
This program was given by RUSA RSS. The handouts for this program will also be posted on RUSA’s blog. First the presenters went into defining Generation X and the facts about this generation. They then presented what this particular generation are looking for when it comes to services and potential segments of this generation. After defining Generation X, the presentation then went into how this would pertain to advertising to this generation and the different stages to planning advertising.
The next part of this program had St. Charles Library system in Illinois talk about their programs that they have for 20- and 30-somethings’ as well how they market those programs. They also gave examples of different programs, such as a cooking for 1 or 2 program, white elephant exchange, creating a safe online presence, a course on wine, and an history crawl of the town. Then they followed with some of the challenges that they have had with marketing as well as what they have learned.
Following this presentation was another presentation on the Young Friends of the Kansas City Public Library a.k.a BooksEnds. They went over what the group was and also how they marketed to their Generation X population.

Final Thoughts on ALA Annual Conference 2007
Unfortunately this was my last day at the conference. After attending different programs on Sunday, I took the time to go to the Library School Reunion Event at the Rennaissance Mayflower Hotel. It was great being able to see some fellow alumni from University of South Florida along with some of the professors that I had taken classes from. It was a good way to end my last day at the conference. I have had a blast at this year’s Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. I am looking forward to the next time I can attend an Annual Conference. I have found out a lot of useful information to take back to my library. I also have had a great time blogging about my experiences and the different programs that I have attended. So it’s been fun and I hope all those staying through Tuesday ave a great rest of conference. This is Catherine Moffatt signing off.

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.

I received this via the Massachusetts Library Association listserv, and thought I’d share:

WGBH/Boston, a leading producer of quality children’s programming and award-winning resources for educators, is pleased to offer librarians a FREE Peep and the Big Wide World Event Kit. The kit has resources for organizing 3 different hands-on science events for preschoolers.

This free kit is available as part of the educational outreach linked to the WGBH-produced, EmmyR Award-winning series, Peep and the Big Wide World. The goal of the series and its outreach is to nurture young children’s interest in science play and discovery.

The kit includes informative Leader’s Guides that outline how to set-up and run the 3 separate events, which focus on the themes of Shadows, Structures, and Ramps. Related reproducible materials for families attending the events are also provided.

To get your free kit, contact by September 30th (one Event Kit is available per library branch while supplies last). You can also download components of the kit and other resources from the site.

For details on the television program, visit the PEEP and the Big Wide World site.