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30
Think PLA 2010
Filed Under Conferences, Libraries, Professional Development | Leave a Comment
It’s not too early to start thinking about getting involved with the PLA 2010 Conference in Portland, Oregon! The website for the next PLA National Conference is now up and people can submit program proposals online.
The Public Library Association (PLA) is now planning the 2010 PLA National Conference, which will be held in Portland, Oregon, March 23-27, 2010. The most important part of that planning is assembling the slate of preconferences and the 100+ concurrent program sessions that will be presented during the conference. The deadline for submitting all proposals is November 30, 2008.
I’m fortunate enough to be on the program planning sub-committee for this conference so I’m really looking forward to all the preparation that goes into a conference this big. I’ve been to two PLA conferences so far (Boston and Minneapolis) and both were great learning experiences. I think the focus on public libraries really helps and there always seems to be multiple sessions I’m interested in attending at any given time slot. Hopefully that’s the case with Portland as well! So, start sending those proposals!
Sep
29
MPOW is a recipient of the 2008 National Medal for Museum and Library Service! You can read more about it on the Library’s website and on the IMLS website. Here’s an excerpt from the IMLS press release:
“I’m proud, but not surprised, that the Skokie Public Library was one of only ten institutions in the nation to receive the 2008 National Medal from the Institute of Museum and Library Services,” said U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL). “The Skokie Library is constantly redefining and expanding its role and has become an indispensible part of our community—providing access to information, resources and services that have helped change the lives of local residents. I congratulate the visionary leadership of Carolyn Anthony and her staff. They have created a local treasure and a model for the country. I can’t imagine a more deserving library than the Skokie Library.”
I have to say that it feels good that Skokie PL is being recognized. I’ve only been here for a little over a year now and I’ve really been impressed with how the library serves its community. Really, though, I think there are many public libraries out there that serve their communities day in an day out to make a difference in people’s lives and they should be recognized, too! So stop on by your local library today and take advantage of what they have to offer. And while you’re at it, express your appreciation to your local public librarian!
Aug
22
Major in Religion! Become a Librarian!
Filed Under Libraries | Leave a Comment
More often than not, people give me a surprised look when I tell them that I’m a librarian. I think there are a couple of explanations for this. First, as a male librarian, or guybrarian if you’d like, I’m definitely in the minority and it’s safe to say I don’t fit into most people’s idea of librarians. Second, there aren’t many Asian Americans that go into librarianship, so that makes me part of even a smaller minority. To be honest, if you asked me back in my college years what I wanted to do with my life, I would have never even thought of being a librarian as a possibility, even though I worked as a student worker in a couple of academic libraries.
The reality is that libraries just don’t come to mind when most people are thinking of choosing a career. Amy Kearns at Library Garden recently wrote about how she went from majoring in philosophy to becoming a librarian. I had a similar path and from what I can tell, a lot of people come by librarianship in a roundabout way. I wonder if that’ll ever change.
Jul
24
Game on at SPL!
Filed Under Gaming, Libraries, Photos, Sports | Leave a Comment
My library is gaming in more ways than one. Recently we had our first Scrabble Open Play event and more than 16 people showed up for some fierce word battles. We provided the deluxe scrabble sets and awarded copies of the Official Scrabble Dictionary to some of the top scorers. And just a few days ago, we held our first Senior Wii Club event and about 18 people came out. Everyone was really into it and some in particular were definitely not afraid to show a little emotion. We had one gentleman make an eagle in Wii Sports Golf and he got a quite the reaction when that happened. We’re planning on making both these events a regular monthly thing and we’re also starting gaming programs for youth. And…my hope is to someday put on a Madden Football tournament. Maybe the week of the Superbowl?!
Check out some pics (courtesy of Ruth) from these two events:
Jul
3
Too Good to Be True?
Filed Under Instruction, Libraries, Technology | Leave a Comment
Just learned about these free software cheatsheets and initially thought that it was too good to be true. Then I started downloading them and from what I can tell, they’re great and there’s no catch to using them. You don’t even need to register with Customguide.com.
Topics include Mac OS X, Microsoft Office, CS3, Firefox, and IE. I think these will be great for our computer labs and our computer classes. Gotta laminate them first, of course!
via LibrarianInBlack
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