Learning 2018 - Conference Review

In November I attended the Learning 2018 conference in Orlando.  This was the 28th year of this conference, which brings learning and development professionals together from around the world.  This year there were 1873 attendees from 27 different countries were represented, who are responsible for learning and development for over 30 million employees worldwide.

The theme of the conference this year was "Learning Changes."  Learners are changing, technology is changing, as are expectations and the economy.  The other main theme of the conference this year was the need for diversity, what it really means, and that cultivating diversity isn't just culturally positive, but can bring about economic improvements as well.  Other themes running through the conference included leadership development and designing effective onboarding for new staff. 

One idea that regularly was mentioned was the idea of fear and how it prevents us from achievement.  Keynote speaker Leslie Odom Jr. said that he recognized that all the things he wants in life are "on the other side of my fear," and session leader Deepak Sethi suggested that the way to overcome fear is to do more of the thing that you fear.  I even experienced a tiny bit of fear myself when trying to drive a bulldozer in the construction simulation machine, where the danger isn't real but is noticable and can affect performance.

I also learned some interesting but random things, like the fact that there are conferences for people who design and run haunted houses, that walking in a small group in a natural setting is the best stress reliever, and that  Plants vs. Zombies is a good learning game because you have to plan ahead and adapt.  I also learned that when NASCAR pit crews change tires they leave the lug nuts on the ground and they are routinely hit by these and other debris as the car returns to the track, and that in Fortune 1000 companies there are more CEOs named David than there are women, and only 3 are African-American.

Lisa R. Kenyon
Staff Development and Training

Conference review - Association of Bookmobile and Outreach Services

 I recently attended the 2018 Association of Bookmobile & Outreach Services Conference in Raleigh, NC. This annual convention was all I expected & more.

Full of characters dedicated to outreach over the nation's expanse, this event was a spectacular peer into the face of service. Each library's presentation was explanatively descriptive of details in interests involving both the institutions & communities alike. This year I'd gained details on the future of mobile tech, advancements in clean energy, shared stories of like causes, & realization of the constitution of innovative techniques in the field.

 If you wish to expand your view on the facet of Mobile Services, do soon attend, Administration, Business Office (Finance), Neighborhood Services, Innovations, & those interested in Outreach, alike.

The next affair is slated to be in Omaha, NE, 2019. Utilize the Vine for information on proper protocol to follow in order to receive your permission.

Hosea Gittens
Bookmobile, Mobile Services

MLA/DLA 2019 call for program proposals - Technical Services Division

The Technical Services Division of the Marlyand Library Association is inviting submissions for programs to be presented at the Annual MLA/DLA Conference (Cambridge, MD, May 1-3, 2019)

Part of the MLA-TSD’s mission to is “provide quality opportunities for updating skills and knowledge in acquisitions, automation, cataloging, preservation and all other areas of technical processing.”

This is an excellent opportunity for anyone to present on new programs, cooperative ventures, innovative techniques, problems solved – if you are proud of the work you have done, consider letting the rest of us know about it!

You can submit program ideas using this survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KDG6BS7

Preliminary conference program approval forms are due to MLA by Oct. 12, so please get your submissions to us by Sept. 17 so we have time to review them, make selections and get all of the details worked out. If you have any questions, please get in touch!

Cheers,

David Brennan, MLS Head, Technical Services & E-Resources Librarian 131 Hoover Library McDaniel College 2 College Hill Westminster, MD 21157-4390

Kids are Customers, Too 2018

Registration is now OPEN for Kids are Customers, Too! 

If you wish to attend, your paperwork must be received by SD&T by September 14.

Kids are Customers, Too 2018

Start Date: 10/18/2018 8:30 AM EDT 
End Date: 10/18/2018 4:00 PM EDT

Venue Name: BCPL - Owings Mills Branch

Location:

10302 Grand Central Avenue
Owings Mills, MD  United States  21117

Event Website: https://www.bcpl.info/locations/owings-mills/

Organization Name: Maryland Library Association

Contact:

Christine Freeman
Email: Christine.Freeman@montgomerycountymd.gov
Phone: 301-820-1244

Sponsor: Children's Services Division

The “Kids Are Customers, Too” conference is an opportunity for staff working with children in public libraries and school media centers throughout the state to meet new people, renew contacts, and learn the latest information affecting the diverse field in which they work. Join us at the Owings Mills Branch of the Baltimore County Public Library on October 18th from 8:30am-4:00pm as we feature a day’s worth of presenters sharing fresh ideas and practical tips that can be applied directly to day-to-day programming and services.

Mid-winter ALA due date

Completed applications for funding for ALA mid-winter attendance are due by Friday, October 12.

Downloading SD&T Forms for submission

If you click on a document link on the Forms page and your document opens as "View Only," there are several ways to open the document in a form that you can edit.

On the File drop down menu are two easy options.  The first is "make a copy," whereby you can save a copy to your drive. 

You can also "Download as" and save the document in Word or Excel.

Either way, you can save the document/form to your computer, and complete the forms before printing them for submission.

If you have any problems, please contact SD&T.

Working with Patrons from Poverty

Today we held another successful session of the "Understanding and Working With Patrons from Poverty" program.  For those of you who could not attend, or those who might be interested in more information on this topic, here is a link to a curated list of books on this subject:

https://www.bestmswprograms.com/50-best-books-on-poverty/

Many of the books on this list are in our collection, although some are only available as ebooks.

Other books on this topic include Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance, and Evicted:  Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond, which are both in our collection.

MLA 2018 - ALA Advocacy Bootcamp

I attended ALA Advocacy Bootcamp training at the MLA/DLA Joint Conference. In it, we learned the power of storytelling. There is no more effective tool in communicating the value of libraries to members of your community or to those of the political class. 

Remember – the library story is not about the books, or the computers, or the programs. Who cares? It’s about the hero journey. What keeps you in the seat at the movie theater, not counting the exorbitant ticket cost?  The answer: wanting to know what happens next. To who? The hero, that’s who. For our purposes, our hero is the library user. 

Here’s the story structure. Use it.

1)      Give me a real person.

Ex: Caiden was 3 years old.

2)      Give me the problem

Ex: He stuttered. 

3)      Give me a library intervention.

Ex: The library offered a “Read to Dogs” program.

4)      Give me a happy ending (no Greek tragedies here, people).

Ex: Caiden doesn’t stutter anymore.

5)      Give me one fact.

Ex: Hundreds of libraries offer this program.

6)      Give me a phrase that pays.

Libraries transform lives.

Other phrases-that-pay are Libraries transform communities, Librarians are passionate advocates for lifelong learning, and Libraries are a smart investment.

If you had your choice, people who actually use the library are the best advocates. Look to your Friends group or regulars who love your library and have a story to tell. The process: “Find the advocate. Give them the speech. Let them practice it with you. Book it five times in your community.”

 If you have to tell the story yourself, you now have the structure. Go tell some stories.

Morgan Stanton
Edmondson Avenue Branch

MLA 2018 - Creating and Managing a Human Library

My favorite workshop this year at MLA/DLA 2018 was the one on Human Libraries  “Creating and Managing a Human Library”   sponsored by ACRL-MD and aims to help libraries develop a design or plan for a human library of their own.

One of the hand-outs was A Baltimore Sun article which stated “ ‘Living books’ that can be ‘checked out’ by area residents with a goal of dispelling stereotypes is the basis for a worldwide initiative that will make its debut in Howard County on March 11.”  It was a very practical, informative session with colleagues presenting programs they offered and tips for offering a Human Library program.

Laksamee Putnam of Towson University and Ali Jessing of Howard County Public Library, along with other colleagues shared their experiences starting and offering this program twice each.

Alan Simpson of Howard County was the one who initiated the program there, which was the first public library in Maryland to offer it.  Robert Wetheral, State Dates and eBook Coordinator for the State of Delaware talked about how to get buy-in to start a program.

One of the most valuable pieces of information was a Human Library Toolkit with specifics that could be adapted or used as-is for other libraries. This saves “re-inventing the wheel” in several areas of planning and implementation.  It includes the categories:

 Book Recruitment Resources

 Event Management Resources

 Supplemental Resources

Examples are offered for Recruiting/Marketing, to interviewing and training Human Books, to event preparation lists and  google forms, sample letters to invitees and participants, outlines, and more.

Human Library Toolkit:

www.bit.ly/HumanLibraryToolkit

Human Library would be a good program to offer at multiple branches at Enoch Pratt and have multi-branch marketing.  We’ve done programs at multiple branches and marketed them as a series or wider program, such as Art at the Pratt (including Peabody musicians), films (at several branches) yoga etc.

In the Enoch Pratt Strategic Plan the vision of the library is “The catalyst empowering people and communities.”   Borrowing a Human Book goes along way toward fulfilling this vision.

Jeanne Lauber
Business, Science, & Technology

MLA 2018 - Table Top Gaming in Your Library

For Jacob Hutton, Harford County Public Library, tabletop gaming is a fun and educational way of getting people from various backgrounds to play together. There are tabletop games for every style and every age. The three major categories that work best in the library are: trading cards,t role playing, and board games.

I focused my attention on board games which are numerous and diverse. On the one hand, there are many advantages in bringing board games into the library. The many genres make it fairly easy to find a few that will appeal to our specific users. In addition, they are a relatively low-cost investment. Once you purchase the game, you do not need to buy anything else. More importantly, players are all starting with a similar amount of resources and potential.

On the other hand, even the best board games become stale after playing them for a while. There are lots of potential pieces that can get lost, and they only allow a limited number of participants.

When choosing a game, Jacob’s advice is to keep in mind your target audience (children, teens, or adults, beginners, intermediate or advanced players), and the number of participants. If your audience is made of children and families, it is best to choose simpler games with familiar themes that will last no more than 15-20 minutes.

I noted a few of the presenter’s advice in order to run a successful program:

During the selection phase, ask your customers what kind of games they like, try the games yourself, learn the rules, and go to local stores to get recommendations. Often, they will give out games they cannot sell anymore.

During the program, have one adult in charge for each board game.

Be one of the players. It builds a bond between the players and you.

Try only one type of game at a time (i.e., only trading card games, or only board games), but have both a beginner board game and an intermediate in order to adjust to your audience’s skills.

Have a clear beginning and end time of the gaming session.

For game recommendations, reviews, and additional information, explore the following sites, all recommended by Jacob Hutton:

Exhaustive listing of children’s board games with descriptions and reviews: https://boardgamegeek.com/childrensgames/browse/boardgame

Role playing games, specifically written for young children: http://www.playgroundadventures.net/

Dragon Talk- Official Dungeons & Dragons Podcast by Wizards of the Coast:
http://dnd.wizards.com/dragon-talk/podcast-hub

http://games.ala.org/international-games-week/

Sylvie Merlier-Rowen
Children's Department. CEN

ALSC conference funding deadline

Any staff member who is requesting funding to attend the ALSC conference in September must submit signed and completed paperwork to SD&T by June 8.  

If you have questions about completing your paperwork, please contact us.

MLA 2018 - More from the Embedded Librarianship workshop

At the MLA Conference, I also attended the “Embedded Librarianship” session, and I wanted to add to Heather’s excellent summary the “Tips for Success” that the presenters gave us.

Have a vision and make sure that vision is shared with other staff, partners, and management.

Make sure you know your system’s policies. For example, do you need a written agreement to enter the partnership or not?

Ask feedback from your partners, and the people you are reaching.

See if volunteers would be allowed to do what the librarians do.

Make sure the relationship does not rely only on one staff member. Have several points of contacts for your partner.

Have ongoing training and meetings to evaluate the strengths of your program and opportunities for growth.

Don’t over commit. Work out the details such as: How many times will you go to the partner’s site, at what time and which days, for how long?

What will your signage and publicity look like.

Look for grant opportunities and long-term budgeting.

Keep track of how many people you talk to, how many books you read and/or give away.

Have hotspots that will allow you to sign up people for a library card.

Expect that some partnerships will evolve or deteriorate, that your staffing level may change, or that you will lose your funding. Always have plans A, B and C to face whatever issue arises.

Sylvie Merlier-Rowen

Children’s Department

MLA 2018 - Got a Minute? Strategies for Time Management and Organizational Skills

I want to share some takeaways from a time management workshop I attended at the 2018 Maryland Library Association conference. The workshop was called “Got a Minute? Strategies for Time Management and Organizational Skills” and was presented by Dr. Marie L. Radford, Professor at Rutgers University.

I am going to focus on Professor Radford’s presentation of the five worst mistakes people make when managing (or not managing well) their time. Marie Radford offered advice on how to correct or avoid these mistakes. People are

1.      Spending time on concerns that are NOT a top priority.

She evoked the Pareto Principle, also called the 80/20 rule, where our amount of work can be divided as roughly 80% trivial, and 20% vital. So, before beginning work, ask yourself what is in your 20%, and what is in your 80%.

2.      Not paying attention to “when?”.

Timing is everything. Know the time of day you are the most productive, and work on what is most important or urgent at that time. Do not check your email during that time.

Also, to fight the distraction that email can be, work on your top priority for 15 to 20 minutes before checking your email.

3.      Saying “YES” too frequently when asked to do an additional task, or to take on another responsibility.

Advice on how to say “NO”:

·         Base your decision on your priorities.

·         Ask for some time to think about it.

·         If your answer is no, say “NO”.

·         You do not have to give a reason.

·         Stick to your decision.

When you cannot say No, you can usually negotiate and ask for what you would need in order to be able to take on an additional task, or to make a tight deadline.

4.      Underestimating time tasks actually take

·         Add 50 % to the amount of time you think it will take to accomplish the task.

·         Beat procrastination by breaking tasks into baby steps with target dates that you actually enter in your calendar. You can also work with a collaborator.

·         Beat perfectionism by asking yourself: “What is ‘least’ I can do at this time?”

5.      Not asking for help, and lack of delegation

·         Ask yourself: “Am I the only person who can do this?”

·         Ask for help, do not demand.

Professor Radford also made suggestions related to paper clutter control, and the insight she offered is more meaningful to me than any method to de-clutter: “Clutter only builds up where you allow it”.

Sylvie Merlier-Rowen

Children's Department, CEN

MLA 2018 - Fake News in a Fact-Averse World.

The 2018 MLA conference hosted a variety of presentations that provided valuable information and practical applications for public librarians. 

One session that was a highlight for me was Fake News in a Fact-Averse World.  This thought provoking class, presented by Andrea Rice from Queen Anne’s County Library argued that librarians are on the front lines in terms of informing their patrons about what she called “media literacy.”  She mentioned a startling statistic that in one poll 64% of the respondents were confused as to what constitutes accurate news.

Ms. Rice also discussed how the ability to fact check can also be seen as a generational phenomenon – with Gen Xers better equipped to verify information sources than Millennials and Baby Boomers. 

She provided a number of resources for information professionals to assist in helping to verify sources.  Some of her preferred tools included:  Allsides, Media Matters, Fact Check, Open Secrets, Politifact, & The Sunlight Foundation.  Ms. Rice also proposed a technique called “triangulation,” or the use of two additional sources to help in verifying a piece of information.

Ms. Rice also discussed the concept known as “click bait,” where sensational stories are fabricated simply because they attract a lot of attention and therefore are popular with advertisers.

She pointed out that the term “fake news” is frequently used by people as a tactic to dismiss something that they are inclined not to agree with in the first place.  “Confirmation Bias” is the notion that we tend to stick to our pre conceived beliefs when it comes to trusting a news source.  This is why Ms. Rice embraces what she calls “media literacy” as a more methodological approach for information professionals (and the public) to help determine the validity of news items – and tell the difference between fact and fabrication.

Greg Fromme
Herring Run Branch

MLA 2018 - Embedded Librarianship, Eradicating Achievement Gaps

I attended the Maryland/ Delaware Library Association’s Annual Conference on May 2 through May 4 at the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake in Cambridge, Maryland. One session that I attended was called “Embedded Librarianship, Eradicating Achievement Gaps” which produced ideas for non-traditional outreach locations within a community. Librarians from three different library systems presented about how they partnered with locations such as local barbershops, movie theaters, social services offices and correctional centers to promote reading and library services at those locations.

At the various locations, the partnerships worked in different ways. The librarians read to children and left books and flyers at barbershops and WIC locations. Some of the barbershop owners became really involved in the program and would offer free haircuts for children that read a book and created a book report.  In the jail, they worked with an inmate to teach him the importance of early literacy for his child, so that he could utilize the skills when he is released.  After working with him multiple times, the librarians recorded a video of him reading a story and played it at the library for his child. At the movie theater, the librarians performed a storytime and projected the pages of the books on the screen. They provided popcorn for participants and a craft after.

The librarians discussed what went well and what challenges they faced while creating these partnerships. It was extremely beneficial to have the barbers be supportive of the program. They realized that at that location they needed to expand the material to include teenagers. One challenge with that partnership was staff availability because most of the children come to the barbershop in the evenings and weekends, which is when most libraries are not fully staffed. There were many challenges when working with the jail, because of safety and privacy issues as well as a high turnover of inmates, which meant finding a participant was difficult. In the end, the library only worked with one inmate, but were hoping to work with more.

The session was beneficial because it gave me some ideas of new ways to reach the families of the Brooklyn community who may not use the library. The librarians spoke about how bringing the library to outside locations, many families realized how many resources that the library provides that they would want to use. Library staff can create partnerships with different businesses and services throughout their community to introduce members to the resources that a library provides.

Heather Yost

Brooklyn Branch

MLA 2018 - The Librarian’s Guide to Homelessness/ Aggressing and Regressing

After attending both the preconference on ways to better interact with individuals who are homeless and the training presented on aggressing and regressing, I found that a number of ideas and concepts overlapped in the two workshops/trainings. A number of key concepts were introduced that highlight the concept of empathy and that we need to be more mindful of our customers’ and staff’s needs.

The most impactful description of what happens is that many of these micro aggressions result in certain emotional responses in individuals because they experience them on a regular basis. You are not the only one who is expressing a prejudice to that individual. It is very likely that they experience it all the time. The summation of all the “stings” may result in customers and/or staff members having a negative response. The homeless population is an example of such a specific demographic that is constantly receiving prejudicial treatment from others, which is why at times we, as public service employees, may experience negative emotional responses. However, this, too, happens even when those who are perpetrating the micro aggressive behavior do not intentionally seek to incite those feelings in the offended party.

The Aggressing and Regressing training was informative and could easily be something that is covered in training for Enoch Pratt Free Library staff members. This class would be excellent to showcase how some of our actions may result in some of our issues we undergo as library staff members serving the public. Overall, the trainings were useful, and I encourage everyone to attend to allow for some better understanding on both subjects. 

Justin C. Switzer

Orleans Street Branch

Big and Uncomfortable Conversations: Urban Librarians Conference 2018

On Friday, April 13th, I attended the Urban Librarianship Conference, a one-day conference at
Brooklyn Public Library’s majestic Central Branch. The conference, which is hosted by Urban
Librarians Unite, provides an opportunity for librarians who work in urban environments to
exchange resources and ideas.

Under the theme “Library Revolution,” presenters shared programs, policies, and endeavors
that are pushing libraries to become more equitable places. These discussions often push
librarians into an uncomfortable - but necessary - space of self-examination; for example,
keynote speaker Jessamyn West reminded us of the importance of creating a space that
reflects our community, not a place that seeks to indoctrinate a community with “correct” values.
(Jessamyn West created a webpage for her talk; it’s jam-packed with resources about justice,
inclusion, and library neutrality.) What signals are we sending to patrons with seemingly-
inoculate gestures?

Here are some of the thought-provoking resources and ideas discussed:

● Collections: Collection development librarians at Oakland Public Library examined their
children’s books containing portrayals of police. They found that almost all of these
books depicted police as “community helpers” who keep communities safe from “the bad
guys.” Recognizing that many children in their community have had poor experiences
with the police or have family members who have been incarcerated, selectors realized
they needed to create a collection showing a wide range of experiences and reactions to
police. In response, they created a toolkit with best practices on how to evaluate and
select books about police.

● Programs: Children’s librarians at Brooklyn Public Library created Genderful!, a two-
hour program inviting kids (ages 6-12) and caregivers to a safe place to discuss and
explore gender identity. Activities included button-making, zine-making, quiet reading
corners, storytelling, and musical performances. The program was well-attended, but
presenter Leigh Hurwitz hopes to make it even more inclusive next year for children with
a wide array of sensory needs and for families of color.

● Visibility: Asata Radcliffe and Jennifer N. Shannon introduced 2040 Review, a
forthcoming review journal that centers authors and reviewers of color. Asata, who is a
seasoned book reviewer, discussed the many barriers authors of color confront when
getting their book into readers’ hands; as they state on their website, “It is the mission of
the 2040 Review to provide an avenue of accessibility for authors of color within the
world of literature reviews.”

The Urban Librarianship Conference provided a great opportunity to explore how other libraries
are examining and challenging our normal operations. It also offered opportunities to learn
about other resources we can use to make Enoch Pratt a safe and welcoming space for all.

Rebecca Starr
Info. Services

Escape Room Activity

If you aren’t participating in the escape room activity, then thanks for reading this but please move on to the next blog post.  

If you are participating, your clue is:

 “it may not be in the middle, but it’s central to our system, three will unlock the secret” 

Good Luck!

PLA 2018: The Accidental Trainer: Teaching Technology in a Modern Day Library

So often as programming librarians we create our own presentations for workshops from scratch. I have found over the years that had I checked online I would have had a nearly there version that could have cut down on planning time while still being a high quality, unique program. Even so, putting together a detailed and intentionally educational program can be quite time-consuming. This is especially the case for librarians responsible for prioritizing the needs of patrons approaching their desks in addition to planning programs. There may be a few minutes here and there for planning but no dependable blocks of time. Creating materials for teaching technology and computer skills is just as time consuming.  

Fortunately, in 2015, the staff at Gail Borden Public Library in Elgin, IL developed a grant funded digital literacy toolkit for trainers.  This initiative continues via a partnership with the Public Library Association. The toolkit consists of an instructor’s guide and all necessary materials for each computer course. The toolkit is valuable because they follow best practices for quality e-learning content development. The trainer website can be found at https://training.digitallearn.org/  and the learner website is https://digitallearn.org/ .

During The Accidental Trainer workshop, I realized the importance of ensuring busy librarians have structured tools for creating programs and workshops that lessen the burden of planning, yet provide the freedom to add important personalized details.

Here are some of the highlights of the DigitalLearn Trainer website:

• Includes a content outline and agenda, topics, talking points and a step by step guide.

• Provides templates to create your own Powerpoint presentations and videos using Articulate Storyline software.

• Provides handouts that include screenshots to give to patrons in addition to a well-designed survey for evaluation of the course.
• Provides complete course material for relevant topics addressing hardware, software and applications, Google tools, Microsoft tools, resumes, social media and more. One course example is entitled: Learn how to build your own computer and perform basic computer repairs in this three-part, hands-on series https://training.digitallearn.org/courses/all-about-computers.

Rose Anne Ullrich
Info. Services

City Training Forms now on the blog

We added links to the City of Baltimore training forms to the "Forms" tab on the blog.  You should complete a 354 and goals statement, and then attach the appropriate form(s) so we can complete your registration on the city site.

Contact SD&T if you have any questions about completing these forms.

PLA 2018: Spark Talks II

The PLA 2018 Conference in Philadelphia was my first time attending this event. An interesting session I attended on Friday, March 23 was Spark Talks II. This session had a unique format: there were six presenters, and each was given five minutes to present a topic. The goal of the session is to spark ideas to pursue later. The topics included later literacy for teens, using MakerSpaces with the homeless, reliable sources of medical information, recognizing people with non-binary gender status, the strength of teen services staff, and quick and easy database training for library staff. My favorite of these topics was later literacy. The speaker argued that while there is an overwhelming focus on early literacy, there is very little attention paid to later literacy for teens. She used the example of author Jason Reynolds, who has stated that he had not read a book in its entirety until the age of seventeen. She offered five elements to later literacy (to match the five elements of early literacy) that teens should focus on: reading, writing, remixing (i.e. blackout poetry, fan fiction, etc.), hanging out, and creating. This was an insightful talk, and I hope this talk gets expanded into a full workshop at a future conference. 

Another Spark Talk that captured my interest discussed how to serve homeless patrons using the library's MakerSpace. This is not a connection one might usually consider when serving the homeless, but the presenter argued that learning the skills offered by a MakerSpace can help patrons gain some measure of independence, and access to community resources they may not encounter otherwise. She used the example a female patron, who had been living in her vehicle, to demonstrate her point. The patron used the MakerSpace to learn how to make small, decorative accessories, and after having her work noticed, was able to start a small business selling her goods. The money she earned allowed her to get an apartment, and a measure of financial stability. Her story reveals the vital link between developing practical skills and gaining ground toward employment and independence for people experiencing homelessness. 

Spark Talks was definitely one of the most interesting experiences I had at the PLA 2018 Conference, and hopefully, it is an event that will be adopted at other conferences in the future.

Anjanette Wiggins
Forest Park Branch

PLA 2018: Simply-e App Project

At PLA, I attended a workshop devoted to the Simply-e APP which is being developed by NYPLA and ALA librarians. This was the best presentation of this project I have seen yet. The presenters explained the project’s goals: 1) to simplify the user experience 2) to allow users to access data from different providers on one app, and 3) to help libraries gain more leverage when negotiating with vendors of the popular electronic formats. 

Several MD counties are piloting this app this year. The workshop recommended that interested librarians download the app to learn how it works. They also asked us to encourage co-workers to explore the app as well.

https://www.nypl.org/blog/2016/07/21/introducing-simplye

Sarah Kuperman

Collection Management Department

PLA 2018: South Philadelphia Library Tour

One of my favorite things to do when visiting a city during a conference is visit local libraries and
meet with the staff. As host library of the PLA conference in Philadelphia, PA, The Free Library of
Philadelphia offered tours of some of their newly renovated and modernized locations, including the
South Philadelphia Library. In June 2016, this branch reopened in the brand new South Philadelphia
Community Health and Literacy Center, which combines the services of a library, recreation center, city health clinic, and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) pediatricians’ offices in one building. As many of you may know, the Hamilton Branch Library serves as a safe, after-school space for approximately 100+ students in a neighborhood that lacks a much needed recreation center. I was therefore very excited to see how a library and a recreation center might coexist in the same physical space.

What I found was a beautiful, bright space for the library, located on the first floor. All the furniture is moveable and is easily arranged for programs, including small concerts. The second and third floors host the health clinic and pediatricians’ offices. The recreation center, complete with an outdoor playground and basketball court, can be found in the back of the building. Library staff indicated that the building partnership has brought in more customers and boosted circulation, particularly in the area of health education. The library even has blood pressure cuffs and kitchen scales to loan. The shared space with the recreation center has allowed children the best of both worlds – completing homework assignments and participating in programs in the library as well as blowing off steam playing in a supervised environment at the rec center. The South Philadelphia Community Health and Literacy Center is truly a result of responding to community needs. I see a similar need in Hamilton. How wonderful it would be to combine a library and recreation center in the same place, creating a focal space for the community.

Laura Millay
Hamilton Branch

Reader's Advisory and Tattoos

There is an interesting article on readers's advisory based on a customer's tattoos in the March 9 issue of American Libraries Direct (ALA):

https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2018/03/01/inked-readers-advisory/

American Sign Language TED Talk

If you are interested in the American Sign Language class we are offering in April, you might find this brief TED talk to be helpful.  Christine Sun Kim shares her view of ASL as a rich, visual language.

 http://t.ted.com/AsHZObG

SD&T Winter/Spring courses

Over the next few days we're going to start announcing the classes we are offering for winter/spring 2018.

Keep your eyes on your email for these announcements and contact SD&T to register for any or all of the programs.

Teaser: 1st class for spring scheduled - more to come

We've scheduled the first of many classes for the winter/spring 2018 courses, but we're not telling what it is 😉.  More details to come in the next few days.

Five Laws of Library Science

Siyali Ramamrita Ranganathan was a mathematician and librarian from India.  In 1931 he proposed the following:

1. Books are for use.
2. Every reader their book.
3. Every book its reader.
4. Save the time of the reader.
5. The library is a growing organism

Not being a librarian, I was unfamiliar with these.  If you are too, check out this article  on Wikipedia:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_laws_of_library_science

Also, there is this infographic from USC:  https://librarysciencedegree.usc.edu/resources/infographics/dr-s-r-ranganathans-five-laws-of-library-science/

Better yet, read the original:  https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.$b99721;view=1up;seq=11

Tsundoku - when you have more books than you could ever read

The Japanese word tsundoku refers to a situation where you have books piled up in your home that you don't read.  I expect that this situation is familiar to many of us, perhaps you are even guilty of it yourself (I know that I am).

There was an interesting article about this in the Huffington Post, you can read it here:

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/theres-a-japanese-word-for-people-who-buy-more-books-than-they-can-actually-read_us_58f79b7ae4b029063d364226