So, anyway, the NELA conference. As I said here, I arrived last night and am rooming with my former co-worker, Linda. I also was lucky to run into some other former co-workers, today, Holly and Dina. Holly, who is attending her first library conference, is the winner of the line of the day for saying, "I feel like I'm home. I am with people who are just like me." This reflects, perfectly, my feelings when I am with my fellow librarians. I also had the pleasure of running into our Kate and Louise. (The three of us converged at a reader's advisory workshop). Louise, in fact, is a member of the conference committee and has worked tirelessly to make this a great conference. I also ran into Steve, our former sub who designed our current web site, as well some fellow Minuteman folk and some of my former cohorts from my days as an active Massachusetts Library Association (MLA) member. After dinner, I had the pleasure of not only socializing with Linda, but also my friend, April, and two woman from a public library in Maine. We discussed ways in which to advocate for our profession.
Today, I attended several workshops, including: Trends, Trends, Trends (Innovations in Technical Services), Reaching out to Foster Teens, Luncheon with YA author Janet Taylor Lisle, Reader's Advisory 101, and Serving Transgender Patrons. I also went to dinner and was serenaded by the sounds of Dewey and the Decibels.
- Trends, Trends, Trends: Innovations in Technical Services, Collections and More
This was very interesting and was one of the few workshops that I have ever attended that was geared toward both academic and public librarians. There was a lot covered in this workshop, but in a nutshell, everything is changing in libraries and therefore everything is changing in cataloging. The content, for instance, is changing. There is still physical content, but yet there is also a lot of electronic content. At one point, librarians tried to keep up with that and catalog the Internet. Realistically, librarians realized over time, that this could not happen. Libraries are using more electronic content. Interestingly, the libraries don't necessarily own this content, but rather distribute it. (with the help of vendors, of course). As libraries move in this direction, it is important that they re-forge their missions and also realize that the traditional catalog rules may be in conflict with what the users need and/or want. The speakers also stressed that librarians need to do less, that it is not necessary to do the work of 20 librarians. They also said that it's important to stress to patrons when budget cuts occur. The speakers said that public libraries, especially, tend to shield patrons from user cuts by using other measures. Sometimes it's okay for users (or members as many prefer to be called) to stand in line, in order to understand the amount of work that librarians are forced to do. They also said that self check out can help in this. The speakers stressed that cataloging rules should not come before user (patron, member) needs. The Darien Library in Darien,CT is a good example of a library whose catalog is taking user wants and needs into account (http://www.darienlibrary.org/catalog). They also discussed Penn Tags (http://tags.library.upenn.edu/).
- Reaching out to Foster Teens
I really enjoyed this workshop as I know that we have foster teens who do use our library and I would like to serve them better. Jessica spoke about her experiences working at the public libraries in Oakland, California and Boston , MA. She stressed outreach and mentioned several organizations, such as the Home for Little Wanderers. (Waltham House is affiliated with them). Some of the outreach activities included sending fliers to foster group homes, waiving fines for patrons in the situation, and offering relevant programs such as job readiness. (Those living in the foster care system, for instance, usually age out at 18 and are forced to become independent. In many cases, they may not have the appropriate skills to do so, and so a job readiness program would be very beneficial). Jessica also suggested cooperating with local school systems and doing displays for National Foster Care Month in May. She also suggested subscribing to Represent magazine which is written especially for youth in the foster care system. Other organizations that she mentioned include: The Casey Family Programs and The National Foster Parents Associations
- NERTCL Luncheon with Janet Taylor Lisle
Reader's Advisory 101
I'm afraid that I was a little late for this, as it conflicted with Janet Taylor Lisle's talk, but luckily I was able to catch the majority of this. One of the hardest, yet most fun part of the job is helping patrons with reader's advisory questions. The reason most of us became librarians is because of our love of reading and the need to share that with others. However, it is sometimes very hard to answer, "Can you recommend a good book to read?" The Raleigh Branch of the Wake County Public Library in North Carolina is very dedicated to books and reading. They run several book genre book clubs, including Classics, African-American, Non-Fiction, 2nd and 3rd Grade, 4th and 5th Grade, Teens, and Science Fiction. All of these are staff run, with the exception of Science Fiction. (Even that has a staff liaison). There is also a book blog which is updated five times a week. Clare emphasized the importance of conducting programs that are book and reader's advisory related. She also suggested being lenient in regards to fines, and to think of library rules as guidelines in order to create a more user friendly environment. She also cited Nancy Pearl (aka, the model for the Librarian Action Figure) who goes to the stacks every day and writes down titles that look interesting. A lively discussion followed in which Clare and the audience members suggested genres for those who read non-fiction such as the travel memoirs, troubled life (what I like to call the Dysfunctional Family Memoir), Politicians, economics, disasters, and true crime. She stressed that those who identify themselves as fiction readers can read non-fiction and vice versa.
- Serving Transgender Patrons
This was on par with the workshop about working with foster teens, in that it was not only very interesting but also very relevant and important. Gunner started the presentation by asking, "What are transgender" and "Why are you seeing many in public libraries?" Gunner gave many statistics about transgender, including that 47% have been fired due to to being transgendered and that others have reported harassment at work. A large percentage are homeless and another percentage live on less than $10,000 a year. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, many criminals view transgendered people (especially women of color) as "disposable". He then discussed the difference between one's sex and gender, and how one know's one's gender identity. He then asked, "Do transgender patrons experience service access differently from non-transgender clients?" For instance, are they judged? Are they disrespected in the incorrect use of pronouns or names? Do staff use homo/transphobic language? It is important to use a patron's preferred name or pronoun, and to provide relevant and inclusive materials/resources. What is library card policy regarding legal names?
One theme that I experienced throughout this day is that public libraries are community centers, whether it's for specific communities, or for providing specific needs or services. Just something to keep in mind!
Thanks for reading about my day at NELA. I'm not sure how coherent this entry was, as it's pretty late at night. I'll be back tomorrow with more updates.
On a very happy note, I see that Texas has beat New York 8-0 in game 3 of the ALCS. This means that the Yankees are losing 2 games to 1 in the series and only need to lose 2 more times in order to avoid the World Series. Lovely!
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