ALA 2016 - Libraries and Community

ALA Annual placed a large focus on inclusion of patrons from all walks of our communities, whether or not they fit into our majority demographic. From collection development practices to programming development, attendees were encouraged to listen and learn from their patrons.

I attended so many inspiring programs, but my top three were:

• We Need Diverse Books and More: This panel - which included authors and scholars - discussed best practices for creating a truly diverse collection of voices in YA and children’s departments. Librarians were encouraged to investigate books for authenticity and strive to include characters who have intersectional identities.
• Literacy Inside and Out: When one member of a family is incarcerated, it has a lasting effect on the entire family. How can we serve our community members during and after incarceration? One excellent program idea came from the Hennepin County Library: their program, Read to Me, allows incarcerated parents read a children’s book and record it on a disc for their child.
• YALSA’s President’s Program: Grant recipients presented inclusive programs they created for young adults, including teen parents, GLBTAQ youth, and teens who are blind.

If I had to choose one key piece of advice that echoed throughout every program, it is the importance of building your library according to your entire community. While we think we know what our community wants, we should never assume we’re doing the right thing. No event should be planned without input from your target audience; creating space for dialogue and listening without judgment is the key to creating lasting community relationships.

Rebecca Starr

Information Services

ALA 2016 - 3D Printing: Programs and Partnerships

I enjoyed my time at the ALA Annual Conference in Orlando, FL. I attended engaging and thought provoking workshops during this year’s conference. For me the 3D Printing: Programs and Partnerships session really stood out. The workshop focused on the basics of 3D printing and offered program ideas that were unique.

Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library has a variety of programs that include animation, robotics, cosplay design, fashion, and host of other examples. They offered great ideas for programs. They also spoke about partnering with their area community college and even connecting with an animation studio to show their preteens and teens how their current projects could lead to other educational opportunities and careers. Their unique programs were great examples of how to integrate 3D printing into current programs. They also offered tangible ways to invite community members into libraries to enrich the experience of local teens.

Zandra Campbell
Orleans Street Branch

ALA no longer bundling registration

Found this today on the ALA website:

Starting with this Midwinter Meeting, we’re introducing a new way to reward people who register for both Midwinter and the Annual Conference & Exhibition in any given year. After the 2017 Midwinter Meeting, registrants will receive a personalized discount code applicable to Annual Conference registration. The discount code will be valid through noon (Central), February 15, 2017. (The discount will be equivalent to the past Bundle Registration savings.)

Midwinter Meeting registrants will have access to Annual Conference registration and housing on February 1st, 24 hours before those open to everyone else, and will be given plenty of advance notice of their priority registration date and time.

Why the change? Many reasons, but first and foremost, to make it possible for more members to save money. Under the old program, after September, there was no opportunity for members who, for fiscal or budget reasons, may not have been able to take advantage of the opportunity to bundle. This new way of discounting registration will allow anyone who attended Midwinter to earn the discount. The old system also presented challenges with opening and closing the system and tracking data between registration and housing. The new system eliminates those challenges and should provide members a better experience. The usual blocks of housing will be reserved. Everyone will now need to register separately for each conference, and we recognize that for some people, this will be less convenient. We hope that the improved efficiency of priority housing and the greater flexibility of discounts for attendees of both events will help mitigate any inconvenience. Be assured that we’ll evaluate this new approach to see how it works in 2017.

For more information and details:  http://www.ala.org/conferencesevents/bundle

“When Bad Things Happen to Good Librarians”

This library training has been developed to help front-line library workers better serve patrons with mental illness and/or developmental disabilities. The training was created using input from focus groups consisting of public library staff members, mental health consumers and mental health professionals. The content of the program reflects many hours of collaboration and interaction between Department of Mental Health (DMH) librarians and the "in-the-trenches" front-line workers of many Missouri libraries.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zACEc4f-Cxc

Learning Portfolios

A Learning Portfolio is a self-directed, independent study of a subject that is relevant to the staff member’s job requirements and/or duties.  The topic of the portfolio is selected by the staff member, in consultation with her/his supervisor, and completed within a set time frame.  The portfolios are an excellent way for staff to acquire knowledge of subjects where there is no formal course or ready made instruction available for the person to learn/acquire knowledge on that subject.  Portfolios are also a great way for staff to study subjects that are relevant to their specific duties or needs, or on topics which might not be of interested to the staff as a whole.

The Learning Portfolio Instructions document provides the information needed to complete a Learning Portfolio.  There are two parts to the process, and signatures from the supervisor and staff development coordinator are required for both.  Part 1 is a planning process.  Part 2 is a completion process that includes an Activities and Resources Log. This study must be approved by the staff member’s supervisor and the staff development coordinator of their library system

Although multiple Learning Portfolios may be completed during the 5 year period, a maximum of 40 total hours can be used, with a minimum of 1 hour and a maximum of 20 hours on any single Learning Portfolio.

Completed portfolios will be posted on the staff development coordinators wiki site, and will accessible by staff statewide.

The Process: 

• Staff member decides on a topic and schedules a brief meeting with immediate supervisor to determine if topic is appropriate and relevant to the staff member’s responsibilities or areas of interest.
• If topic is approved by supervisor, the staff member then completes the Learning Portfolio Plan, following the instructions on form.  The staff member then meets with the supervisor to review the information and receive feedback from the supervisor.  Once the staff member and supervisor agree on the project, the supervisor signs the form and then forwards the paperwork to the Staff Development and Training Coordinator. 
• The SD&T Coordinator reviews the Portfolio Plan, and (if necessary) contacts the staff member with questions or suggestions.  If revision is required, the forms will be returned to the staff member and then re-submitted to SD&T.  If revision is not required, the SD&T Coordinator will sign the form and send the original back to the staff member.  A copy of the paperwork will be retained in the SD&T files.
• Staff member begins and completes the project according to the approved timeline.
• Staff member meets with the supervisor to review completed project, and supervisor signs the completion form. The staff member then creates the “Official Record of Continuing Education Activity” form (CEU).
• The signed form and supporting documents are sent to the SD&T Coordinator for approval.  If the Coordinator has questions or concerns about the project, a meeting may be scheduled with the staff member and/or supervisor.  The Coordinator signs the completion form and returns the signed original to the staff member.  A copy of the paperwork will be retained in the SD&T files.
• The staff member will include the title of the activity on the appropriate “Full Record of Earned Continuing Education Units” form as part of the re-certification paperwork.

Librarians and library associates in Maryland can chose to create a Learning Portfolio as an additional means of earning contact hours to meet their continuing education requirements.  

Guidelines for Goals and Intentions Statements

If you are going to request funding for a conference or outside learning event, you need to submit the "Request for Authorization for Leave and-or Expenses to Attend" form (354).  Along with this form, you must submit a "Goals and Intentions Statement," that explains why you want to attend this event.

Your statement may be brief, but should include the following:

1.)    What is the purpose/focus of the conference or training?  Who is the intended audience?  Put this in your own words and connect it to the library, don’t just copy and paste from the website (1-2 sentences are usually fine).  

2.)    Why do you wish to attend the event?   How is it relevant to your job and/or the library?  How will the library benefit from your attendance?  What skills/ideas do you expect to gain from attendance that will improve your job performance and/or customer service? (this section should be the longest and contain the most detail).  Avoid statements that would be true of any attendee at any conference (e.g. “at this conference I’ll represent the Pratt library”) and focus on why YOU should attend this particular event.

You might include:

• Experiences/information gained from prior years' attendance that you have used in your job.  If this is your first time attending you might include information you received from others who attended or what you expect to bring back from the event.
• Specific information/training offered at the event that you cannot receive elsewhere.
• Lists of specific sessions at the event which are relevant to your job, or which prompted your request to attend.
• If committee service is part of your request, you need clearly describe the committee and its goals, and explain how service on this committee benefits the library, the staff, or our customers. 
• If you are a member of the sponsoring organization, or have a membership that entitles you to a discount in registration or other fees, include this information and your membership number in your statement. 

Remember that the goal of this statement is to give the reasons why you wish to attend the conference and how the library staff or customers will benefit from your attendance.   Be specific.  

If you have any questions about your statement,

please contact Staff Development and Training before you submit your paperwork.

Why is Professional Development Important for Librarians and Library Associates?

The continuing education requirement for public librarians and library associates in the state of Maryland is part of the Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR) under Title 13A.05.04.02, and is the process is the responsibility of the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE).  Certification is required not only for employment as a librarian/library associate in Maryland, but also for participation in the retirement system.

So this tells us the technical “why,” but not the actual “why” of library professional development.  Often, staff are so focused on the numbers (hours, due dates) that they forget why the requirement is there in the first place.  Professional development and continuing education are crucial to improving library related skills and to the development of the staff member as a professional:  

Education for the contemporary professional no longer ends with diploma, if it ever did. It has been recognized that continuing education strengthens not only knowledge and skills necessary for competent performance but also values and attitudes necessary for the service orientation of a profession.[1]

The ever-changing role of the library requires that the staff also be ever-changing, and ever-improving.  Some estimates show that human knowledge is doubling every 13 months[2], and between 600,000 and 1,000,000 books published every year in the US[3].  The need to learn new technologies, stay relevant, and restructure services based on the needs of our customers requires ongoing professional development. 

Instead of fixating on the number of hours needed, librarians and library associates should focus on gaining knowledge, updating skills, remaining “abreast of trends and developments in the field”[4], and improving both technical and inter-personal skills.  By recognizing that training and development is a “crucial element in ensuring positive user experiences within libraries,”[5]  staff can explore learning as a means of becoming better professionals.  We don’t take classes to get hours; we get hours to remind us that we need to take classes!  

Of course, we have the yearly Full Record reports and SD&T staff to help ensure that you stay on track with your hours, but if our librarians and library associates are constantly improving skills and pursuing educational opportunities, then the 90 hour requirement should take care of itself. 

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[1] Hurych, J. quoted in http://conference.ifla.org/past-wlic/2011/200-cooke-en.pdf

[2] Schilling, David Russell http://www.industrytap.com/knowledge-doubling-every-12-months-soon-to-be-every-12-hours/

[3] Morgan, Nick.  http://www.forbes.com/sites/nickmorgan/2013/01/08/thinking-of-self-publishing-your-book-in-2013-heres-what-you-need-to-know/

[4] Cooke, Nicole A. http://conference.ifla.org/past-wlic/2011/200-cooke-en.pdf

[5] Lockhart, Janine and Sulaiman Majal http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1134&context=iatul