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Luv yer politicians’ papers #ncla09

Published October 7, 2009 conferences Leave a Comment
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Politicians’ papers was a great session not only for learning about the holdings of specific special collections, but also to learn more about the process and problems with acquiring any political papers.

  • Betty Carter, University Archivist at UNCG, discussed the recent acquisition of the papers of Kay Hagan and Howard Coble and her “newbie” perspective on entering into the game of acquiring politiians’ papers.
  • Tim West, Director of the Southern Historical Collection at UNC Chapel Hill, talked about their large holdings and the need to consider not only politicians’ papers, but also a wide variety of collections of political individuals, such as local activists, political journalists and judges.
  • Maury York, assistant director for special collections at ECU, discussed Eastern Carolina University’s collection of political papers. ECU’s focus areas are general NC history, military history with emphasis on naval and maritime history, american missionaries, and tobacco related collections. Within those areas they have a strong politicians’ papers collection that includes some oral histories.

They also discussed the challenges of acquiring political papers including:

  • balancing the acquisition of large collections against the potential use and value of the collection.
  • absorbing the expenses required both in terms of money and staff time.
  • marketing and promoting the collection once acquired.
  • meeting donor requirements (some collections may have strict restrictions).
  • initiating the process of digitizing collections or dealing with electronic records.
  • dealing with issues of copyright in relation to the collection.

Some interesting areas for the future include the possibility of these and other libraries collaborating on future acquisitions, coordinating acquisitions, and also conducting studies of use of these collections. ECU also has a cool class for first year students that requires the students use a primary source from the collection. Because of this assignment, many of these students become interested in using primary sources in their future assignments. Sounds great to me!!

Kick It! Opening Session of NCLA #ncla09

Published October 7, 2009 conferences , the profession 1 Comment
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NCLA 2009 has opened up with a pretty awesome speaker. Probably one of the best plenary speakers I’ve seen in a while. Keith Michaels Fiels, the ALA Executive Director, stopped by to talk about the future of libraries.

Here are just a few notes from the session:

  • We need to be careful in our predictions because “attempts to predict the future can accidentally create it”, especially if we assume dire outcomes.
  • Library 2.0 is already passe. Social networking tools must be dealt with to work with our patrons
  • No matter how many changes, we will always have tech haves and have nots. We need to keep those differences in mind.
  • Statistics show 1/2 of all employers only accept applications online. Post-katrina experience with online FEMA forms demonstrate necessity of libraries to the community.
  • “Technology is no longer installing software and turning it on.” Librarians are necessary to work with patrons and assist them in using tech.

Libraries play key role in several ways

  1. Helping the disenfranchised
  2. We reflect the diversity of our communities
  3. Preserving 1st amendment rights of library users. We need to be advocates for privacy.
  4. Continue to fight to preserve access to information! EPA libraries experience demonstrates ALA’s power to preserve access.
  5. Continue to attract the best and brightest especially in light of changes in libraries.
  6. We need to reach out to other countries to help and to learn from them.

Problems with funding may make us assume that we are powerless, but “We can fight back. We can succeed.” Advocacy works and can be learned. What can we do?

  • We need to plan for the future.
  • We need to assert our role in education because libraries are other half of education system.
  • We need to use the growing body of documentation showing the value of the library.
  • We need to do better job involving public. “I Love Libraries” website designed for the public.
  • We need to increase public awareness of importance. Use media outlets to advertise libraries.
  • We must stick together at state and national level. ALA membership return on investment is astounding.
  • “Put some skin in the game”. Our membership in associations provides for public awareness and advocacy.

Can libraries survive?

He maintains that “those who create libraries without walls tend to create libraries without money.” But we need to remember that libraries are busier than ever because people come to libraries for more than what the computer can provide.

To close he maintained that “we need to keep in mind that we hold the future and we will create the next generation of libraries”.

10 Reasons Why I’m a Sucker for a Good Conference

Published October 3, 2009 conferences , the profession 2 Comments
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Our state library conference as well as my first virtual conference, ICPSR’s OR meeting, are next week, and I am as giddy as a kid on Christmas Eve. Certainly no conference ever lives up to expectations (even Computers in Libraries), but I love attending them (I love it, I love it, I love it, I love it!). In the spirit of mad conference prep, here are my top 10 reasons why I love conferences. Feel free to add your reasons!

10. Travel: This has less to do with attending conferences than with getting to conferences. I’m the rare bird who loves the process of traveling. I love the build up and preparation, the early morning departures and the late night arrivals. I love the waiting and the movement. Granted, I once loved air travel a lot more, but a large part of me is excited about the process of traveling and nothing more. Conferences simply give me a destination.

9. Swag-bringers: When I first started attending conferences, I didn’t really take interest in the vendors. I don’t enjoy taking things I don’t need and I especially don’t need post-it notes or more pens. (Sarah Glassmeyer, a University of Kentucky law librarian, once suggested they should give out Advil, which is brilliant truth.)

I needed a couple of years in my job to realize the importance of the swag-bringers. You can ask them anything. Instead of having to send a long complicated email about how to do/fix/understand something, you can just make a list prior to the next conference and they will answer. And they reward you with swag. Actually they like you better if you ask questions before taking the swag. I think you get even better swag. Be nice to your swag-bringers; you will learn lots.

8. New places Oh yes. You know we all skip out on that least interesting session to go sight-see. The last day of Computers in Libraries is always a ghost town because everyone is packed into the Washington Monument. As a presenter, I’ve been dismayed by last day light attendance, but it is a fact of life. That’s why we like to go to conferences in interesting places and not in Hickory, NC. Oh wait…
I kid, I kid.

7. Old Friends: I should be a better friend and not use conferences as a means to meet up with former classmates and colleagues, but we are all busy people. And conferences are by far the best way to meet up with your BFF librarians from your past. In addition to catching up, you have plenty of fuel for discussion–from that awesome session to the crazy vendor antics at the bar to your crazy antics after the bar…

My favorite tactic is for everyone to spread out and attend different sessions. Even if I get the snoozer, my friends will have lots of exciting stuff to tell me about the other sessions. Plus, I am notoriously bad at picking sessions. If you go to a conference with me, don’t ever let me pick the sessions. You will regret it. Anyone have any great tips for choosing the most awesome session ever? Please let me know because I need some.

6. New friends: I love meeting new people especially those in completely different jobs from mine. Hanging out with your polar opposite provides invaluable perspective and insight. After listening to public library problems, I’m always a bit more comfortable with the relatively secure position of the academic library. You certainly realize how petty or stale the debates can get in your own world. Plus, these new friends often become old friends, especially if you attend the same conference frequently (Hello, Computers in Libraries).

5. Discussions: Maybe my Generation X age is showing through here, but I’m not a huge fan of listserv discussions. Or maybe it is my Millennial tendencies because I tend to lose track of the topic being discussed (even with gmail so nicely threading things). Or maybe I feel like I am wasting time reading a discussion about the new APA when I need to be planning the class I’m going to teach in 5 minutes.

I don’t know, but I certainly prefer bringing these discussions to conferences and having them in person. One of my favorite experiences at ACRL this year was being in a focus group discussion with other librarians under 35. It was brilliant because we were told to let it fly and we did. Because no one was taking tabs on who said what the ideas were free and the criticism was constructive. While in most of my experiences these discussions have been informal (usually a group in the back of the bar at 2:00 am), I have high hopes for the future of round tables, discussion groups, and unconferences. They all seem to have the same goal of getting people together to just talk.

4. Learning: My boss probably would like this higher in the list, but if you read the rest I think you’ll understand why it is number four. I love to learn about new things and while formal conference sessions can be hit or miss sometimes, it is undeniable that I learn a tremendous amount when attending a conference. From small groups to the exhibit hall to formal presentations, conferences are about the creation and dissemination of information. I certainly love that.

3. Rejuvenation: I appreciate my students, faculty, and colleagues, but at times I need a break from all of them. The beautiful thing about conferences is being able to recharge and refocus on your profession. A political science faculty member once told me never to check my work email during a conference. His reasoning was that you need the time to rejuvenate your interest in your field, to step back and learn and to remember the things that made you excited about the profession in the first place.

I have yet to follow his advice (although I set up an away message) because I worry that a patron may have a question only I can answer. But I am getting better at it. Luckily the web version of our crummy email system is at times uncheckable. At least that way I don’t have to feel guilty about allowing myself freedom and time to think.

2.Community: The past two years I have attended the annual conference for the International Association of Social Science Information Service and Technology, the primary conference for data librarians and archivists. A common refrain of attendees is “I love being surrounded by people who understand what I do.” Working in a niche position like data librarianship can be somewhat isolating especially when your colleagues don’t understand your work. Conferences can provide that community and support.

1. Bringing it all back: After it is all over, we need to bring it back to our libraries. I firmly believe this. To support the process of bringing it back our library has a Professional Development Blog and conference attendees provide informal brownbags. Sometimes it can take a few months to get your blog entry posted, but eventually is better than never. In addition to formal dissemination, it is our duty to convey information in informal ways. If I hear a great idea about another library’s use of twitter, then I need to let my colleagues know. This sharing of information is how we ensure that our libraries develop and adapt to the future.

Well, those are my reasons. Any others?

Oh, if you are attending the NCLA conference you should blog about your sessions. Contact information is available on the official blog. If you aren’t going, you can follow the events there or check in here!

Going to the NC Lib Assoc Conference?

Published September 25, 2009 conferences , the profession Leave a Comment
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Come hang with the cool kids then @ the NCLA 58th Biennial Conference. The Government Resources Section has some fun programs all conference long. Stop by and get your government information fix.

Politician’s Papers focuses on the papers of politicians held in various special collections across the state. Betty Carter, University Archivist at UNCG, Maury York, Assistant Director and Head of Special Collections at ECU, and Tim West, Curator of Manuscripts and Director of the Southern History Collection at UNC-Chapel Hill, will talk about acquiring these collections and their importance to research. We created this session in conjunction with UNCG’s recent acquisition of Kay Hagan’s North Carolina Senate papers, and it is the inaugural Ridley Kessler Memorial Program. Wednesday, October 7, 1:30 pm – 2:45 pm.

Come join us at the Exploring NC EDIS session for a world wind tour of the North Carolina Economic Development Intelligence System. Hosted by our fearless navigator, Tammy Lester, a Data Analyst for the EDIS, we will explore a statistical and mapping tool that provides economic and demographic data for economic developers, businesses and the general public. Remember, there’s power in numbers! Thursday, October 8, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm

Digital Government Resources from the State Library will feature all of the cool new stuff the State Library is doing for YOU! Jennifer Davison, Head of the Government Documents branch, and Amy Rudersdorf, Director of the Digital Information Management Program will highlight a variety of digital projects from the NC State Publications Collection to NC Mosaic to the Historical NC Census Data. Digital collections galore! Thursday, October 8, 4:15 pm – 5:15 pm

The Hottest Business Meeting in Town will be in the early morning hours (you don’t sleep at conferences anyway, right?). This is a key meeting for all Government Resources Section members and wannabes. We will be electing new officers and discussing the new directions the Government Resources Section can take. You don’t want to miss it. Be a part of the future! Friday, October 9, 8:00 am – 8:45 am

All about Census 2010 is a timely panel presentation on the importance of the Census 2010 efforts, the upcoming data releases through the Census 2010 and American Community Survey, as well as what libraries across the state can do to help promote Census 2010. The presenters are Bob Coats, Governor’s Census Liaison in the Office of State Budget and Management, Beth Hayden, Demographics and Reference Librarian in the State Library, and Laura Strickland McClettie, a Team Leader with the Charlotte Regional Census Center. Don’t forget that all agencies and institutions in this state are directly affected by the Census results. Come and learn what you can do to achieve a complete count! Friday, October 9, 9:00 am – 10:15 am

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