This year's conference took place in New Orleans, LA which is where the first ALAAC we ever attended was held. My girlfriend Nicole has family there, so we are very familiar with the city, and it's a great place for a conference!
Friday, June 22nd
We flew in separately and actually managed to land around the same time noon. A poorly driven cab ride later we were at the convention center which already had a long line through it for the Opening General Session which was to feature a few interesting speakers leading up to the main event: Michelle Obama! We split up: she checked us in and grabbed our badges while I checked our suitcases into bag check.
When we got in line we were about 200 feet from the entrance to the main hall where the opening ceremony was. Not too shabby since the room was massive. We stood around there for a bit, and then I wandered off to see how far it went in the other direction. When I got back, Nicole was talking to the head of the New School Library and one of her coworkers who had walked all around the French Quarter all day. Tentative dinner plans were made. All in all we stood there for about an hour and a half and then the line finally started moving. It turned out we were really far up in the line and we grabbed a couple seats about 40 feet from the stage.
When we got in line we were about 200 feet from the entrance to the main hall where the opening ceremony was. Not too shabby since the room was massive. We stood around there for a bit, and then I wandered off to see how far it went in the other direction. When I got back, Nicole was talking to the head of the New School Library and one of her coworkers who had walked all around the French Quarter all day. Tentative dinner plans were made. All in all we stood there for about an hour and a half and then the line finally started moving. It turned out we were really far up in the line and we grabbed a couple seats about 40 feet from the stage.
She went on to tell us how important libraries and ALA are to New Orleans and the world. After Katrina passed and the flood waters receded, the main library (along with several others) was completely ruined. They were told by officials that it wasn’t worth the budget problems so it simply wouldn’t be replaced. The community came together and protested this unacceptable loss. ALA Annual was the first national convention to take place in New Orleans the cleanup, and with our help they raised enough money to get the new library built.
ALA President Jim Neal introduced and gave plaques out for the various ALA Awards. And the it was time for the main event. Neal stretched it out a long time, knowing how much we were on the edge of our seat but finally Michelle Obama took to the stage to a thunderous standing ovation and boy did she earn it! She spoke for a full hour, in conversation with Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden. The two were fantastic, and Hayden threw a lil shade at the current administration a few times. “It was so wonderful to have an actually literate family in the White House!”
You can read about Mrs. Obama’s book list and the role of libraries in her life in my library blog. Her upcoming memoir Becoming will be released in 24 languages this November. Much of the conversation focused on the weirdness of raising a family in the White House, particularly that family in that White House. As much as the kids loved their dad, it soon became clear that Barack shouldn’t attend every play, soccer game, or even PTA meeting. The logistics of it were untenable as there had to be a massive security detail around him at all times and no one was super comfortable having snipers on the roof of the school. When the kids went off to slumber parties the families involved had to have background checks run first, and everyone was under a microscope at all times.
She said that raising the kids with any sense of normalcy was challenging but when kids know you love them unconditionally it doesn't matter if you're in the white house or a shed. Children are super resilient so it's really hard to see so many who actually were pushed past the breaking point. The Obamas don't measure their children with things like grades, but rather with “Are they kind? Are they curious? Are they a decent person?” Kids need to be loved and told they count and are worth it. Building confidence in them is majorly important: If they can walk into the white house and look the first lady or president in the eye and shake their hand, they can walk into any room anywhere and accomplish great things!
Part of that is providing them with a good role model. It's especially hard for women to say “hey I'm worth a lot!” and put a dollar amount on it, but that needs to happen more so it becomes the norm, and not just for men. She spoke about the importance of self-care. Women, mothers especially, tend to put themselves like 4th on their list of priorities, and often they don’t even make their own list. She likened a lot of parenting to the airplane drill: put that oxygen mask on yourself before helping your child put theirs on. “You can't help someone if you are dying inside!” she said.
Be kind and loving but strong too with strong friendships with other strong women. You are not supposed to mother in isolation. You need your community and if you don't have one you need to build one. And you can't have all crises all the time: even during scary times you gotta find a way to incorporate some fun. I think that last part is especially important these days!
Apparently whenever they move, Barack hauls around boxes and boxes of books. That sounds… familiar.
We were pretty close to the stage, but I went up at one point and shot photos from much closer. Sadly when we got to the hotel room later I realized I didn’t bring my card reader and the one in my laptop doesn’t work. Womp womp.
You can read about Mrs. Obama’s book list and the role of libraries in her life in my library blog. Her upcoming memoir Becoming will be released in 24 languages this November. Much of the conversation focused on the weirdness of raising a family in the White House, particularly that family in that White House. As much as the kids loved their dad, it soon became clear that Barack shouldn’t attend every play, soccer game, or even PTA meeting. The logistics of it were untenable as there had to be a massive security detail around him at all times and no one was super comfortable having snipers on the roof of the school. When the kids went off to slumber parties the families involved had to have background checks run first, and everyone was under a microscope at all times.
She said that raising the kids with any sense of normalcy was challenging but when kids know you love them unconditionally it doesn't matter if you're in the white house or a shed. Children are super resilient so it's really hard to see so many who actually were pushed past the breaking point. The Obamas don't measure their children with things like grades, but rather with “Are they kind? Are they curious? Are they a decent person?” Kids need to be loved and told they count and are worth it. Building confidence in them is majorly important: If they can walk into the white house and look the first lady or president in the eye and shake their hand, they can walk into any room anywhere and accomplish great things!
Part of that is providing them with a good role model. It's especially hard for women to say “hey I'm worth a lot!” and put a dollar amount on it, but that needs to happen more so it becomes the norm, and not just for men. She spoke about the importance of self-care. Women, mothers especially, tend to put themselves like 4th on their list of priorities, and often they don’t even make their own list. She likened a lot of parenting to the airplane drill: put that oxygen mask on yourself before helping your child put theirs on. “You can't help someone if you are dying inside!” she said.
Be kind and loving but strong too with strong friendships with other strong women. You are not supposed to mother in isolation. You need your community and if you don't have one you need to build one. And you can't have all crises all the time: even during scary times you gotta find a way to incorporate some fun. I think that last part is especially important these days!
Apparently whenever they move, Barack hauls around boxes and boxes of books. That sounds… familiar.
We were pretty close to the stage, but I went up at one point and shot photos from much closer. Sadly when we got to the hotel room later I realized I didn’t bring my card reader and the one in my laptop doesn’t work. Womp womp.
When they left the stage there were some other announcements, but nearly everyone got up and headed to the vendor floor. We got some great tote bags, a glass of wine each from Library of Congress which came in nicely branded cups. We ran into 4 people from MML (my once and future branch) walking the vendor floor. most of the people from last year were at the Mango booth and they were all happy to see us. We did a short interview for them about what we were excited about at ALA this year and then hung out chatting for a while. The Floor closed and we headed off to collect our bags and take a Lyft to the hotel since the line for the shuttle buses was at least 3 buses worth of people long. It was a traffic nightmare and our driver was super irritated the whole time as if this sort of thing never happens in New Orleans.
Soon after we checked in we headed out to have dinner with the head of Nicole’s library and its director of access and user services . Since I still work at NYU as well and The New School is partnered with them, we actually talked about work the whole time. It was interesting to hear how things worked on the other side and all parties came away with new ideas and understandings.
After trying to buy card readers at all the drug stores nearby we headed to the room and to bed. We’d been up since 3:30 this morning and been on 4 planes between the two of us. Time. For. Sleep!
Soon after we checked in we headed out to have dinner with the head of Nicole’s library and its director of access and user services . Since I still work at NYU as well and The New School is partnered with them, we actually talked about work the whole time. It was interesting to hear how things worked on the other side and all parties came away with new ideas and understandings.
After trying to buy card readers at all the drug stores nearby we headed to the room and to bed. We’d been up since 3:30 this morning and been on 4 planes between the two of us. Time. For. Sleep!
Saturday, JUNE 23rd
The next day I headed over to the convention center for Springer Nature’s Advancing Library Discovery by Advancing Publishing Technology Lunch & Learn. Much of what was discussed was geared more towards academic libraries, but some of it was interesting:
Researchers are being told they need to publish their data. Many don't know how so Springer is helping with a lot of support for them. They realized how important it is to provide a lot of really good tech support so the content actually gets used. They are also beefing up their security and making it much harder for people’s accounts to be hacked or misused.
They have started the affordable textbooks revolution which includes DRM-free eBooks so that there are always copies available no matter how many students need them. Having spent a lot of time at the reference desk trying to explain to confused patrons how it’s possible that all “copies” of an eBook could be checked out, I really like this idea!
They have started the affordable textbooks revolution which includes DRM-free eBooks so that there are always copies available no matter how many students need them. Having spent a lot of time at the reference desk trying to explain to confused patrons how it’s possible that all “copies” of an eBook could be checked out, I really like this idea!
One of the best things, though was a library joke one of the speakers told: A man came into the library and asked for books on paranoia. The librarian said “They’re right behind you!” In true 2018 fashion I heard someone complain later about how no one should ever actually say that to a paranoid patron. No. Friggin. Kidding. Sheesh.
After that I met Nicole and we headed to see the Auditorium Speaker Series featuring Sally Field.
Nicole was a HUGE Gidget fan back in the day so she was really excited for the talk. Unfortunately she had to leave early for a shift in the resume help center, but I got to stick around.
Sally Field didn't find reading till mid 20s but was deep in it when she did. Reading a lot, she fantasizes about getting a deep education like some fantasize about Hollywood. She began writing journals as a kid 1971. She had a hard childhood, and felt like she had a story to tell but didn't know how to do it. Journals were her friends, confidants etc. She actively encourages her 5 grandkids to journal.
Then seven years ago her mother passed away and for a while she felt like something was festering inside her but she didn’t know what, or what to do about it. Then she attended a Women in Power Conference at The Omega Institute and they asked her to give the keynote out of the blue. Things fell into place and what she wrote became the beginning of her new book, In Pieces. For the last 7 years she has been adding to it obsessively.
Going through all the old boxes and such in the house, she found a lot of things from her childhood including old letters from her father from decades earlier and started putting the pieces of her life together. She discovered a lot about herself and her forgotten survival methods from childhood in the process. In Pieces comes out in September.
I went up and was first to ask a question. Told her my girlfriend had to leave early but was obsessed with Gidget when she was younger, so thank you from her. Fields said “wait wait wait… she left??” I said she had to run a program. “Yeah yeah… she left???” Everyone laughed. I asked what she was reading and then if there was a way I could do a more in depth interview for the NYPL. She just finished The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah, and is currently reading Warlight by Michael Ondaatje. We shall see about the interview.
After that I met Nicole and we headed to see the Auditorium Speaker Series featuring Sally Field.
Nicole was a HUGE Gidget fan back in the day so she was really excited for the talk. Unfortunately she had to leave early for a shift in the resume help center, but I got to stick around.
Sally Field didn't find reading till mid 20s but was deep in it when she did. Reading a lot, she fantasizes about getting a deep education like some fantasize about Hollywood. She began writing journals as a kid 1971. She had a hard childhood, and felt like she had a story to tell but didn't know how to do it. Journals were her friends, confidants etc. She actively encourages her 5 grandkids to journal.
Then seven years ago her mother passed away and for a while she felt like something was festering inside her but she didn’t know what, or what to do about it. Then she attended a Women in Power Conference at The Omega Institute and they asked her to give the keynote out of the blue. Things fell into place and what she wrote became the beginning of her new book, In Pieces. For the last 7 years she has been adding to it obsessively.
Going through all the old boxes and such in the house, she found a lot of things from her childhood including old letters from her father from decades earlier and started putting the pieces of her life together. She discovered a lot about herself and her forgotten survival methods from childhood in the process. In Pieces comes out in September.
I went up and was first to ask a question. Told her my girlfriend had to leave early but was obsessed with Gidget when she was younger, so thank you from her. Fields said “wait wait wait… she left??” I said she had to run a program. “Yeah yeah… she left???” Everyone laughed. I asked what she was reading and then if there was a way I could do a more in depth interview for the NYPL. She just finished The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah, and is currently reading Warlight by Michael Ondaatje. We shall see about the interview.
Apparently word spread: later I was in a hallway and a woman walking by said “I hope you get to interview Sally Fields and thank you for asking what she was reading!” Then at the end of the night a guy in the hotel pool said "Hey were you at the Sally Fields talk?" I was like yeah haha I was that first asshole who asked for an interview! Then Nicole came home and said someone at her event told her “your boyfriend gave you a shout-out to Sally Fields and then asked her for an interview." I'm (in)famous.
The last guy to ask a question stole the spotlight (literally) from the one who should have asked her something: they said one last question and the spotlight went to the other mic since someone at his had just had their turn. He grabbed his mic and just started talking and eventually they gave up and put the light back on him. What did he have to ask that was so vital and important after this hour long, intense talk about trauma, loss and a very difficult writing process? “How many takes did it take for you to get out of the wedding dress in Smokey & the Bandit? And who was easier to work with: Burt Reynalds,” or 2 others I can’t remember.
“I can't answer any of those questions…” she said to laughter, then added “because they're stupid!” More laughter. The guy fired back “welp… when they hired me they just said I had to know how to read. Didn't require me to be smart.” And walked away. I thought they’d let that last person ask, but no… they ended it on that one. I went down and spoke to one of the organizers about an interview and they took my info. We shall see.
I headed down the hall to the ALA Membership Meeting which is usually somewhat interesting and there’s a chance to win a free year of ALA or attendance to next year’s conference (or at least a Starbucks card). It had already started by the time I got there, but this year’s basically was just taken up by two votes: one on whether the ALA Executive Director should have to have a Masters related to libraries and one on whether we should exclude all fossil fuel investments from the ALA portfolios.
The last guy to ask a question stole the spotlight (literally) from the one who should have asked her something: they said one last question and the spotlight went to the other mic since someone at his had just had their turn. He grabbed his mic and just started talking and eventually they gave up and put the light back on him. What did he have to ask that was so vital and important after this hour long, intense talk about trauma, loss and a very difficult writing process? “How many takes did it take for you to get out of the wedding dress in Smokey & the Bandit? And who was easier to work with: Burt Reynalds,” or 2 others I can’t remember.
“I can't answer any of those questions…” she said to laughter, then added “because they're stupid!” More laughter. The guy fired back “welp… when they hired me they just said I had to know how to read. Didn't require me to be smart.” And walked away. I thought they’d let that last person ask, but no… they ended it on that one. I went down and spoke to one of the organizers about an interview and they took my info. We shall see.
I headed down the hall to the ALA Membership Meeting which is usually somewhat interesting and there’s a chance to win a free year of ALA or attendance to next year’s conference (or at least a Starbucks card). It had already started by the time I got there, but this year’s basically was just taken up by two votes: one on whether the ALA Executive Director should have to have a Masters related to libraries and one on whether we should exclude all fossil fuel investments from the ALA portfolios.
Issue one was pretty much a one sided debate. ALA is an organization, not a library, so cutting people who know how to run organizations, but who don’t have an MLS could be damaging. Having the job description say “MLS preferred” should be fine. It is also not a librarian association: it’s a library association. We all work with lots of people in the library who are NOT librarians. We need not exclude people. Someone with association work skills may be better than a candidate who’s got the MLS but has no real association experience. We need to be able to cast as wide a net as we can to get the best possible candidates.
On the other hand, shouldn’t the person running the show be trained in the field? That’s about the only real argument for this measure which may be why the motion failed spectacularly.
On the other hand, shouldn’t the person running the show be trained in the field? That’s about the only real argument for this measure which may be why the motion failed spectacularly.
Issue 2 was debated more evenly though. Many organizations and associations are already divesting their portfolios so as to exclude fossil fuels. Renewables are the future, and we should not be investing in a dying, wasteful and harmful industry. It may be hard to do and keep our income the same but important things are often hard. We already look at gun investments, tobacco, and how diverse the heads of the companies are, so this wouldn’t be different.
On the other hand, while we should eventually get to 100% divestment, we do need to continue our income so we can continue to grow and exist as an organization. Also with Mutual Funds it is almost impossible to do this: they invest in many different things and it’s very difficult to parse out just the ones we don’t like. We should strive to, but know that it’ll take a lot of time to get there. I stood up and asked if the motion could be adopted with time frames: x% by 2020, x% by 2022, etc, but was told that this motion was worded specifically to pull out of everything immediately.
On the other hand, while we should eventually get to 100% divestment, we do need to continue our income so we can continue to grow and exist as an organization. Also with Mutual Funds it is almost impossible to do this: they invest in many different things and it’s very difficult to parse out just the ones we don’t like. We should strive to, but know that it’ll take a lot of time to get there. I stood up and asked if the motion could be adopted with time frames: x% by 2020, x% by 2022, etc, but was told that this motion was worded specifically to pull out of everything immediately.
This is partially why the resolution failed. All or nothing immediately just isn’t realistic. Hopefully a measure with a roll-out instead of just immediate withdrawal is put forth so we can start divesting from fossil fuels, but passing this with the current language would cause all kinds of chaos.
After that I went to the vendor floor for a bit before heading to a bar for the NYU Happy Hour. I saw a bunch of my old coworkers and caught up a bit which was really nice. They headed off in various directions after and I headed to the hotel pool for a much needed swim.
After that I went to the vendor floor for a bit before heading to a bar for the NYU Happy Hour. I saw a bunch of my old coworkers and caught up a bit which was really nice. They headed off in various directions after and I headed to the hotel pool for a much needed swim.
Sunday, 6/24/2018
 | Today was award day, and pride... and insanely hot, so I wore my kilt. Apparently it was Kilt Day because so did Jules Shore and a bunch of other random, unaffiliated guys. In fact later that night I saw him at the Mango party and he told me a weird story: He was walking through the convention center and a guy asked him if he was Ory. Apparently he was supposed to meet an Ory who had said he’d be wearing a kilt that day. “You mean Ari?” Jules asked him, but they guy said no it was definitely an Ory. I confirmed: Not me. Someone with almost my name though. The woman I sat next to for the first talk of the day said “I've been trying to convince my husband to get one. He's hot all the time, but he says he'll only do it if more people start wearing them around, so thank you!” |
The first talk I attended got me out of bed early: Government Information for a Cynical Public. Interesting topic and I work in a library with a lot of gov docs and such, plus a lot of cynical, often downright crazy patrons.
The first to speak was Alicia Kubas, Government Information Librarian from the University of Minnesota. She started her job right when the government shut down in 2015. It was an eye opening experience where access is concerned since… they had none. If this information can disappear for seemingly no reason or be changed because of politics, why should we trust it at all? This kind of political shenanigans leads people to distrust all government info.
She mostly spoke about government info at the Federal level, though this kind of access issue can occur at any level. At the moment change and access issues are happening in the online environmental information sources the most. In the past it wasn't usually specifically malicious on the part of anyone: most times 404s are just the result of a lack of time, accidents or poor management. Government shutdowns are an interesting test: when the government shuts down, we see how much info is under their control.
Sometimes information disappears or changes due to changes of policy: The USDA pulled their data at one point because there were some names in it that might have screwed up their privacy policy. They were just reviewing it and planned to put it back up, but people protested and it was put back up sooner. On the other hand, now things about fossil fuels have been taken off the EPA site and replaced with stats about how the economy could be helped by green tech, but without any information on how bad oil is. This kind of thing has an eroding effect on public trust. Also some things have been put in a more secure area of the site which requires passwords and so decreases access.
Data is often taken offline because there's simply no funding to keep the site going and updated. It takes a lot to keep such things going and often this is one of the first areas cut when there is a budget crunch.
Another reason information may disappear is keeping new data and removing the old. While it may make sense to remove outdated data, it's important to know what came before and how things have progressed. Unfortunately due to lack of staff, space, funding or time the old information often does not remain available. The Internet Archive can be a useful tool, but does not always have everything.
The first to speak was Alicia Kubas, Government Information Librarian from the University of Minnesota. She started her job right when the government shut down in 2015. It was an eye opening experience where access is concerned since… they had none. If this information can disappear for seemingly no reason or be changed because of politics, why should we trust it at all? This kind of political shenanigans leads people to distrust all government info.
She mostly spoke about government info at the Federal level, though this kind of access issue can occur at any level. At the moment change and access issues are happening in the online environmental information sources the most. In the past it wasn't usually specifically malicious on the part of anyone: most times 404s are just the result of a lack of time, accidents or poor management. Government shutdowns are an interesting test: when the government shuts down, we see how much info is under their control.
Sometimes information disappears or changes due to changes of policy: The USDA pulled their data at one point because there were some names in it that might have screwed up their privacy policy. They were just reviewing it and planned to put it back up, but people protested and it was put back up sooner. On the other hand, now things about fossil fuels have been taken off the EPA site and replaced with stats about how the economy could be helped by green tech, but without any information on how bad oil is. This kind of thing has an eroding effect on public trust. Also some things have been put in a more secure area of the site which requires passwords and so decreases access.
Data is often taken offline because there's simply no funding to keep the site going and updated. It takes a lot to keep such things going and often this is one of the first areas cut when there is a budget crunch.
Another reason information may disappear is keeping new data and removing the old. While it may make sense to remove outdated data, it's important to know what came before and how things have progressed. Unfortunately due to lack of staff, space, funding or time the old information often does not remain available. The Internet Archive can be a useful tool, but does not always have everything.
Yasmin Sokkar Harker from the CUNY School of Law was up next speaking about cynicism Vs skepticism.
She said that their students are actually pretty optimistic and enrollment is up. Many of them feel like they need to do something for the community and the current government turmoil has sparked a great interest in helping people who have been left behind or are suffering due to the administration's actions and new policies.
We are living through a time of misinformation and hyperbole, a lot of which actually is coming from the government itself. It’s nearly impossible to get ahead of it at the moment: as soon as you fact check one thing there’s already 6 new crazy sounding statements that have come out.
Customs and Border Patrol faked a 73% increase in assault on agents. They claimed there were 123 cases of assault at the border, but then it turned out that only 7 border agents had been assaulted in the attack. Basically they took the 7 border patrol agents assaulted by 6 people who were wielding 3 items as weapons: s7x6x3=123 cases of assault at the border. Except that… that's not how that works.
Ice’s Declined Detainer Outcome Reports (DDOR) were so inaccurate they had to stop publishing them after only 3 were released. These were supposed to publicly shame jurisdictions that were not fully complying with some of ICE’s requests (many of which they were under no obligation to comply with), but many of these jurisdictions complained about the high number of inaccuracies and they stopped publishing the reports. ICE even admitted that it didn’t have good information coming in, so a lot of it was inaccurate.
Cynicism is very damaging, but what can we do? Educate! We need to promote healthy skepticism over cynicism. It's a good defense against false information while not making it impossible to actually get to the info itself. A knowledge of civics is vital, but has been cut from many curricula and the results are clearly not good.
There also needs to be accountability. We need to be not just writing, but publishing as well! If we can get the real info in front of people and cite from real sources we will be doing a lot to help fight the alternative facts and fake news plague that is upon us. FOIA is an important tool we should all be using as well. Read a report that seems off? Ask for the documents they looked at when writing their reports. We also need to talk to each other! When you see data or reports that are fishy, go to the community that knows about that topic and see what they have to say.
Finally Allan Van Hoye from the Colorado University in Boulder who wanted us to think critically about gov info.
In contrast to Yasmin, he embraced his cynicism entirely. He began working with government documents after Trump took office, in a time where the information coming from government sources was totally flawed. While there are lots of government employees who really do care and are great, the numbers of them - especially higher up in the system- who are either through ignorance or malice have been tainting the information well with alternate facts has been increasing.
Some have been discouraging the population from providing accurate information in the first place. For example, the Census department just added the question about citizenship. While it is hard to say what they'll do with that data, it is likely it will be used to cast dispersion on opposition votes. It also keeps those whose citizenship is in question from answering at all. “Look at how race was used by the census in the past. Look at who is left out!” he said.
After that there was a discussion portion where questions were put up on the screen for the panel to answer.
1. How does access to information relate to power structures and social exclusion?
Access and education have to go hand in hand. It's one thing to read a legal document but do you understand it? We need to keep print copies because those who can't use the digital are often the most at risk. Tax forms that people can only access online are hurting those who can't or don't know how to get to them and submit them. Even the print collections are really hard to deal with so that's an access pain point as well. We need people who are good at govdocs who can guide those in need.
2. How do you evaluate content while considering the public motivations of government?
We should be teaching skepticism right from the start so students can guard against misinformation. Teach government literacy too, so they know what the process is and how the publications come out of that. Ask how bias plays a role? Civics education is key! (None of this really answered the question)
3. In what ways has access to government information changed? How does this affect teaching or working with users?
We tend to trust print more because it's harder to change and you can track changes easier. Be willing to show patrons and students not just where gov docs work, but make them aware of how the system can fail as well. The amount of info and the speed it comes out is insane at this point. Executive orders are flowing like water. Then the courts are weighing in and things are changed multiple times a day. All of this makes it hard to teach, but harder to write about. The moment you look down to analyze a document you miss 3 changes that are made. We have to talk a lot more about where the sources are coming from. The moderator has given up on wh.gov and says to use the Federal Register instead.
There are some helpful tools out there:
Perma.cc from the Harvard Library Innovation Labs preserves a link but also takes a screenshot of how it looks right then. Drawback: it’s not searchable. Great for footnotes though.
The Internet Archives plug in is essential.
There are lots of people trying to figure out how to combat link rot. We have the tech we need to use it! It’s hard to make the time though.
How do we know what is actual government info, not just political info? Librarians need to defer to the government people who know how to find this stuff. We need tech people to help. Everyone should work with govdocs people.
When that got out, I met up with Nicole at the Random House Book Buzz where we learned about a lot of upcoming books, as well as some excellent sounding audiobooks. I put Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls 1 & 2 on my Overdrive holds list during the program and they didn’t disappoint: a few hundred one or two minute stories about important and influential rebel girls ready by a cast of talented baddass women. Highly recommended!
She said that their students are actually pretty optimistic and enrollment is up. Many of them feel like they need to do something for the community and the current government turmoil has sparked a great interest in helping people who have been left behind or are suffering due to the administration's actions and new policies.
We are living through a time of misinformation and hyperbole, a lot of which actually is coming from the government itself. It’s nearly impossible to get ahead of it at the moment: as soon as you fact check one thing there’s already 6 new crazy sounding statements that have come out.
Customs and Border Patrol faked a 73% increase in assault on agents. They claimed there were 123 cases of assault at the border, but then it turned out that only 7 border agents had been assaulted in the attack. Basically they took the 7 border patrol agents assaulted by 6 people who were wielding 3 items as weapons: s7x6x3=123 cases of assault at the border. Except that… that's not how that works.
Ice’s Declined Detainer Outcome Reports (DDOR) were so inaccurate they had to stop publishing them after only 3 were released. These were supposed to publicly shame jurisdictions that were not fully complying with some of ICE’s requests (many of which they were under no obligation to comply with), but many of these jurisdictions complained about the high number of inaccuracies and they stopped publishing the reports. ICE even admitted that it didn’t have good information coming in, so a lot of it was inaccurate.
Cynicism is very damaging, but what can we do? Educate! We need to promote healthy skepticism over cynicism. It's a good defense against false information while not making it impossible to actually get to the info itself. A knowledge of civics is vital, but has been cut from many curricula and the results are clearly not good.
There also needs to be accountability. We need to be not just writing, but publishing as well! If we can get the real info in front of people and cite from real sources we will be doing a lot to help fight the alternative facts and fake news plague that is upon us. FOIA is an important tool we should all be using as well. Read a report that seems off? Ask for the documents they looked at when writing their reports. We also need to talk to each other! When you see data or reports that are fishy, go to the community that knows about that topic and see what they have to say.
Finally Allan Van Hoye from the Colorado University in Boulder who wanted us to think critically about gov info.
In contrast to Yasmin, he embraced his cynicism entirely. He began working with government documents after Trump took office, in a time where the information coming from government sources was totally flawed. While there are lots of government employees who really do care and are great, the numbers of them - especially higher up in the system- who are either through ignorance or malice have been tainting the information well with alternate facts has been increasing.
Some have been discouraging the population from providing accurate information in the first place. For example, the Census department just added the question about citizenship. While it is hard to say what they'll do with that data, it is likely it will be used to cast dispersion on opposition votes. It also keeps those whose citizenship is in question from answering at all. “Look at how race was used by the census in the past. Look at who is left out!” he said.
After that there was a discussion portion where questions were put up on the screen for the panel to answer.
1. How does access to information relate to power structures and social exclusion?
Access and education have to go hand in hand. It's one thing to read a legal document but do you understand it? We need to keep print copies because those who can't use the digital are often the most at risk. Tax forms that people can only access online are hurting those who can't or don't know how to get to them and submit them. Even the print collections are really hard to deal with so that's an access pain point as well. We need people who are good at govdocs who can guide those in need.
2. How do you evaluate content while considering the public motivations of government?
We should be teaching skepticism right from the start so students can guard against misinformation. Teach government literacy too, so they know what the process is and how the publications come out of that. Ask how bias plays a role? Civics education is key! (None of this really answered the question)
3. In what ways has access to government information changed? How does this affect teaching or working with users?
We tend to trust print more because it's harder to change and you can track changes easier. Be willing to show patrons and students not just where gov docs work, but make them aware of how the system can fail as well. The amount of info and the speed it comes out is insane at this point. Executive orders are flowing like water. Then the courts are weighing in and things are changed multiple times a day. All of this makes it hard to teach, but harder to write about. The moment you look down to analyze a document you miss 3 changes that are made. We have to talk a lot more about where the sources are coming from. The moderator has given up on wh.gov and says to use the Federal Register instead.
There are some helpful tools out there:
Perma.cc from the Harvard Library Innovation Labs preserves a link but also takes a screenshot of how it looks right then. Drawback: it’s not searchable. Great for footnotes though.
The Internet Archives plug in is essential.
There are lots of people trying to figure out how to combat link rot. We have the tech we need to use it! It’s hard to make the time though.
How do we know what is actual government info, not just political info? Librarians need to defer to the government people who know how to find this stuff. We need tech people to help. Everyone should work with govdocs people.
When that got out, I met up with Nicole at the Random House Book Buzz where we learned about a lot of upcoming books, as well as some excellent sounding audiobooks. I put Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls 1 & 2 on my Overdrive holds list during the program and they didn’t disappoint: a few hundred one or two minute stories about important and influential rebel girls ready by a cast of talented baddass women. Highly recommended!
The next session I attended was Motivating Library Learners.
Scott Pieper from Georgia State University Library started off:
Georgia State University is a Research Intensive R1 institution with over 50,000 students, and one of the most diverse in the nation. He was joined by Karen Viars from Georgia Tech Library which is half that size. She is a humanities librarian at a science school, so had an interesting take on the topic.
They covered some of the theories and practices they employ in their libraries:
Expectancy-Value Theory is when people come into your library or classroom asking can I do this task successfully and what is the value of doing the task? Library anxiety may be a factor that you have to take into account as a library educator. Also the cost-to-time-spent ratio really needs to be favorable to be worth the investment.
There is also Keller's ARCS Model which is explained in this fun video:
Scott Pieper from Georgia State University Library started off:
Georgia State University is a Research Intensive R1 institution with over 50,000 students, and one of the most diverse in the nation. He was joined by Karen Viars from Georgia Tech Library which is half that size. She is a humanities librarian at a science school, so had an interesting take on the topic.
They covered some of the theories and practices they employ in their libraries:
Expectancy-Value Theory is when people come into your library or classroom asking can I do this task successfully and what is the value of doing the task? Library anxiety may be a factor that you have to take into account as a library educator. Also the cost-to-time-spent ratio really needs to be favorable to be worth the investment.
There is also Keller's ARCS Model which is explained in this fun video:
Alan Monroe’s Motivated Sequence is a useful model for getting funding as well, possibly most well illustrated by the Shamwow ads. A great breakdown of the sequence is by Dominic Spencer, an instructor at the University of Central Florida in 2011:
- Attention: Hey! Listen to me, you have a PROBLEM!
- Need: Let me EXPLAIN the problem.
- Satisfaction: But, I have a SOLUTION!
- Visualization: If we IMPLEMENT my solution, this is what will happen. Or, if we don't implement my solution, this is what will happen.
- Action: You can help me in this specific way. Will you help me?
It was an ok talk, but turned out to mostly be geared towards academic librarians, so I headed to the vender floor for a bit before heading to the next talk. I spoke with some of the people at the NASA booth about a really cool program they have now: If you go through their short training program you can host programs at the library with actual moon rocks that NASA will lend you! They come in thick disks of lucite so patrons can get up close looks at these pieces of the lunar surface without damaging them.
Then it was time for The Art of Audiobook Narration, a panel I heard about during the Book Buzz.
The panel included Dan Zitt, Vice President, Content Production for the Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group.
Then it was time for The Art of Audiobook Narration, a panel I heard about during the Book Buzz.
The panel included Dan Zitt, Vice President, Content Production for the Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group.
| There is a lot that doesn’t make it into the final products: for about 12,000 hours of released audio, about 30,000 is recorded and then edited down. They have 15 recording studios, 5 of which are in NY. They are always happy to get librarian visitors and if no one is using the equipment you can actually try your hand at recording! I’m going to have to do that… I’ve been thinking about getting into audiobooks for a while now and this sounds like an awesome way to get the inside scoop. They keep expanding their talent pool, and more and more people are listening as well. Smart speakers (Alexa, Google Home and such) are helping audiobook growth, and currently around 1 in 5 people listen to audiobooks. |  |
Smart speaker adoption is actually faster than it was for smartphones, and this is great news for the audiobook industry.
Dan went to the White House to record some of Michelle Obama's book and it was… an experience. They recorded the beekeeper and chef and eventually Michelle herself. It was wild to be there, and go through the security process and such, and hearing the inside stories was amazing. What a way to make a living!
Recording audiobooks is the marathon of voice-over work, unlike the sprint: things like adwork and such where you are doing a 30 second bit. The Audio Publishers Association has many resources for those interested in the industry. He recommended Ahab, which connects voice talent to producers at Penguin Random House Audio. You can create a profile and upload sample clips of you reading and if it’s good enough you could get hired.
Scott Brick was on the panel and while I didn’t know who he was at first, I soon realized he’d read a lot of the books I’ve listened to including The Passage Series by which was excellent. He joked that when people sneer at audiobooks saying “Oh I like to read real books” he says “Oh, you mean the dead tree version? Cool.” Ditto, here on out.
Dan went to the White House to record some of Michelle Obama's book and it was… an experience. They recorded the beekeeper and chef and eventually Michelle herself. It was wild to be there, and go through the security process and such, and hearing the inside stories was amazing. What a way to make a living!
Recording audiobooks is the marathon of voice-over work, unlike the sprint: things like adwork and such where you are doing a 30 second bit. The Audio Publishers Association has many resources for those interested in the industry. He recommended Ahab, which connects voice talent to producers at Penguin Random House Audio. You can create a profile and upload sample clips of you reading and if it’s good enough you could get hired.
Scott Brick was on the panel and while I didn’t know who he was at first, I soon realized he’d read a lot of the books I’ve listened to including The Passage Series by which was excellent. He joked that when people sneer at audiobooks saying “Oh I like to read real books” he says “Oh, you mean the dead tree version? Cool.” Ditto, here on out.
 | When he has to read a horror novel he will watch The Ring, or something really scary while alone at night. If he’s scared then he can scare his listeners. Fear can be infectious, and the trick is allowing it to spread through your work. Audiobooks aren’t all fun & games though: He found out that a VA rehab center was using one of his recordings to bring back veterans who had lost the ability to speak. They have to relearn from scratch, and the recordings help them. One never knows the impact they truly have, just do the best you can and be the best version of you. Fun Fact: When people asked Ray Bradbury where he got his ideas he always pulled out his library card. |
While there were a few minor things I would have liked to attend after that, I hadn’t eaten all day and I was accepting an award in an hour and a half, so I grabbed a quick bite and headed across the street to the Tchoupitoulas Room at the New Orleans Downtown Marriott to practice my speech. I had written part of it while bouncing down the road on the way to see the Terracotta Warriors in China, some of it while at work, and some throughout the day as I read it over. Google Docs is a beautiful thing!
The 2018 LIRT Innovation in Instruction Award ceremony had about a dozen people attending, including the winner for the Librarian Recognition Award. I shouldn’t have bothered eating: they had a full spread of really good food. We milled about networking a bit and then the Awards Committee Chair Beth Fuchs Introduced the awards. I went first as Nicole had to leave early to throw the NMRT dinner, and this is what I said:
I am honored to accept this award on behalf of the New York Public Library for Picture Yourself Online!, a free headshot program I started at the NYLP’s Mid-Manhattan branch nearly two years ago.
I knew when I started in my new position that I wanted to create something unique for our patrons. I have a variety of skills from an eclectic work history, all of which aid me in my daily duties, but one thing stood out while teaching computer courses and helping people on the reference desk: while everyone these days seems to be a photographer, no one really seems to have good professional photos of themselves!
Too many people either don’t have a device to create such an image, or do not know how to get their pictures off the devices they do have. Too many are using poorly framed selfies or even inappropriate club shots on their LinkedIn and other job search, and networking accounts.
I put together a proposal, which was accepted, and then recommended that we buy a pop-up background for the program which at the time cost just over $100. Thank you Caryl Soriano for your support! I created a flyer with the editing help of a few of my co-workers, and designed the system by which we collect our patrons email addresses and ensure the right person gets the right photos.
In June of 2016 we were ready to go, and shot 19 people’s photos in a one hour session. Since then we have shot a total of 430 people’s headshots, for free, providing them with a professional image to use in today’s digital world.
The 2018 LIRT Innovation in Instruction Award ceremony had about a dozen people attending, including the winner for the Librarian Recognition Award. I shouldn’t have bothered eating: they had a full spread of really good food. We milled about networking a bit and then the Awards Committee Chair Beth Fuchs Introduced the awards. I went first as Nicole had to leave early to throw the NMRT dinner, and this is what I said:
I am honored to accept this award on behalf of the New York Public Library for Picture Yourself Online!, a free headshot program I started at the NYLP’s Mid-Manhattan branch nearly two years ago.
I knew when I started in my new position that I wanted to create something unique for our patrons. I have a variety of skills from an eclectic work history, all of which aid me in my daily duties, but one thing stood out while teaching computer courses and helping people on the reference desk: while everyone these days seems to be a photographer, no one really seems to have good professional photos of themselves!
Too many people either don’t have a device to create such an image, or do not know how to get their pictures off the devices they do have. Too many are using poorly framed selfies or even inappropriate club shots on their LinkedIn and other job search, and networking accounts.
I put together a proposal, which was accepted, and then recommended that we buy a pop-up background for the program which at the time cost just over $100. Thank you Caryl Soriano for your support! I created a flyer with the editing help of a few of my co-workers, and designed the system by which we collect our patrons email addresses and ensure the right person gets the right photos.
In June of 2016 we were ready to go, and shot 19 people’s photos in a one hour session. Since then we have shot a total of 430 people’s headshots, for free, providing them with a professional image to use in today’s digital world.
Feedback has been great, and recently one of the headshots was used as the photo of one of the co-authors of the book Women of Purpose. The publisher sent it to our Instagram account (NYPL_SIBL) not realizing that not only was the photo taken at our library, but that the person running that account was the one who took the picture in the first place!
The concept of the program is simple: Our patrons fill out a short form and hand it to my assistant. They step in front of the background and I take their photo, calling out the photo number to the assistant to write on the form. After the program ends I use Photoshop to clean up the headshots and crop them in an classic 8x10. I send two copies of each photo: one that is 300 dpi in case they want to make prints, and one that is 100 dpi for use online.
The concept of the program is simple: Our patrons fill out a short form and hand it to my assistant. They step in front of the background and I take their photo, calling out the photo number to the assistant to write on the form. After the program ends I use Photoshop to clean up the headshots and crop them in an classic 8x10. I send two copies of each photo: one that is 300 dpi in case they want to make prints, and one that is 100 dpi for use online.
This past August I moved to the Science, Industry & Business branch while Mid-Manhattan is undergoing some intensive renovations. We have something called Job Search Central there, which provides not only books and lectures on job seeking, but also one-on-one assistance with a team of volunteers from many different professions. A program to provide our job seeking patrons with a professional looking photo fit in so well that I now have to cap the number of attendees for the sessions. Our record was this past November during the Performing Arts Resources Fair when I took 66 people's photos in just under 2 hours! The post production took a good deal longer than that!
I recently returned from Xi'an China where my girlfriend Nicole and I lectured about libraries in America. What our hosts found most eye opening was the idea that that libraries don't have to simply be buildings full of books. This sentiment was echoed by LaToya Cantrell, New Orleans' first female Mayor during the opening session when she said “Libraries are not just books, they are communities!” Of course books will always be important, but the library of the future, and hopefully of today, is so much more.
As with any change, there is some push back. There are those who resist the electronic formats or dismiss the importance of non written-word related programming.
Theirs are the protestations of a dying ideology. We must, as an industry, look ahead and find the places we will be the most help to the most people. We must embrace all formats to ensure the most people possible are benefiting from our resources. There are many different kinds of literacy after all! While it is important to retain and maintain our physical collections, these cannot be all or even most of what we offer our communities.
Before library school I worked in a photo studio. From 2005-2008 I watched as a great photographer lost ground until there was barely enough to pay his mortgage and the studio moved to NJ and eventually closed. Skilled as he was, my boss did not adapt well to the changes that industry was going through. It wasn't his fault: when the rules drastically change overnight after you have been successfully doing something for decades it is very hard to know how to survive. We had no clear path to the new success model and failure became an inevitability.
Perhaps if we'd gone to conferences and learned from our peers and industry leaders the studio would be alive and well today. That's the amazing thing about these conferences: our industry is facing challenges similar to what we faced at Tony’s studio, but there is a clear roadmap to successfully adapting if one knows where to look.
Libraries are a place to learn, not just from books and journals and DVDs, but from maker-spaces, life-skills classes and recording studios that inspire and launch Grammy Award winners. We have English conversation hours, language learning apps and video tutorials. We provide access to the Internet, to career counselors and in some places social workers and even shower facilities.
How do libraries stay vital to our patrons in the age of Google? In this amazing and wonderful and scary age where anyone can access the wisdom of the ages and the misinformation of the power hungry and fearmongering from a ubiquitous device that fits in their pocket?
The answer lies in the question: we remain vital by looking at the needs of our patrons. Not by guessing, or pushing them in the directions we want them to go, but by actually having our boots on the ground and bearing witness to suit clad business-people and the destitute and desperate homeless alike. We find and fill the needs of the people because this is what public service means.
And yes: it also means books, and encouraging literacy and all the traditional library goals. But the game has changed and we either adapt or we lose, and when we lose so too does the public and our society itself. So keep evolving, keep disseminating information and the tools your patrons need to succeed, and most of all keep your eyes open for new niches to fill!
We live in exciting and interesting times. It's up to you to make the most of them. Libraries, our country and our world are depending on us!
Thank you!
I recently returned from Xi'an China where my girlfriend Nicole and I lectured about libraries in America. What our hosts found most eye opening was the idea that that libraries don't have to simply be buildings full of books. This sentiment was echoed by LaToya Cantrell, New Orleans' first female Mayor during the opening session when she said “Libraries are not just books, they are communities!” Of course books will always be important, but the library of the future, and hopefully of today, is so much more.
As with any change, there is some push back. There are those who resist the electronic formats or dismiss the importance of non written-word related programming.
Theirs are the protestations of a dying ideology. We must, as an industry, look ahead and find the places we will be the most help to the most people. We must embrace all formats to ensure the most people possible are benefiting from our resources. There are many different kinds of literacy after all! While it is important to retain and maintain our physical collections, these cannot be all or even most of what we offer our communities.
Before library school I worked in a photo studio. From 2005-2008 I watched as a great photographer lost ground until there was barely enough to pay his mortgage and the studio moved to NJ and eventually closed. Skilled as he was, my boss did not adapt well to the changes that industry was going through. It wasn't his fault: when the rules drastically change overnight after you have been successfully doing something for decades it is very hard to know how to survive. We had no clear path to the new success model and failure became an inevitability.
Perhaps if we'd gone to conferences and learned from our peers and industry leaders the studio would be alive and well today. That's the amazing thing about these conferences: our industry is facing challenges similar to what we faced at Tony’s studio, but there is a clear roadmap to successfully adapting if one knows where to look.
Libraries are a place to learn, not just from books and journals and DVDs, but from maker-spaces, life-skills classes and recording studios that inspire and launch Grammy Award winners. We have English conversation hours, language learning apps and video tutorials. We provide access to the Internet, to career counselors and in some places social workers and even shower facilities.
How do libraries stay vital to our patrons in the age of Google? In this amazing and wonderful and scary age where anyone can access the wisdom of the ages and the misinformation of the power hungry and fearmongering from a ubiquitous device that fits in their pocket?
The answer lies in the question: we remain vital by looking at the needs of our patrons. Not by guessing, or pushing them in the directions we want them to go, but by actually having our boots on the ground and bearing witness to suit clad business-people and the destitute and desperate homeless alike. We find and fill the needs of the people because this is what public service means.
And yes: it also means books, and encouraging literacy and all the traditional library goals. But the game has changed and we either adapt or we lose, and when we lose so too does the public and our society itself. So keep evolving, keep disseminating information and the tools your patrons need to succeed, and most of all keep your eyes open for new niches to fill!
We live in exciting and interesting times. It's up to you to make the most of them. Libraries, our country and our world are depending on us!
Thank you!
A little dramatic at the end, but not untrue. The other award winner spoke, and then we all hung out chatting and eating for a bit before heading out. Now I had about 45 minutes before the Mango Languages party which was happening not far away at the Rusty Nail. Back in 2011 when we attended our first ALA, Nicole and I got an invite to the then semi-exclusive party which took place in the same venue. Since then we have barely missed a conference, and never a Mango party!
While I waited I stopped at a hotel bar and got a large ice tea (it was New Orleans in June… Kilt or no, I was melting!) and checked my phone. It turns out the venue for the NMRT party had been changed at the last minute so Nicole was scrambling to get the word out and get everything set up. There wasn’t much I could do to help, but she managed to get everything settled and throw a good party anyway. #FreakingRockStar!
The Mango Party was, as ever, a really good time, and a great chance to network and catch up with people. I saw several people from NYU, a few from NYPL, and a few people from various other library related events and conferences. Food, giant jenga, bean-bag toss and an open bar. The Mango people themselves are always great company and a good time was had by all!
While I waited I stopped at a hotel bar and got a large ice tea (it was New Orleans in June… Kilt or no, I was melting!) and checked my phone. It turns out the venue for the NMRT party had been changed at the last minute so Nicole was scrambling to get the word out and get everything set up. There wasn’t much I could do to help, but she managed to get everything settled and throw a good party anyway. #FreakingRockStar!
The Mango Party was, as ever, a really good time, and a great chance to network and catch up with people. I saw several people from NYU, a few from NYPL, and a few people from various other library related events and conferences. Food, giant jenga, bean-bag toss and an open bar. The Mango people themselves are always great company and a good time was had by all!
Monday, 6/24/2018
The first session for the day was Transforming the Learning Experience Together: Public Libraries Team Up with the MIT Media Lab.
MIT Media Lab researchers have been teaming up with librarians across the country to create a variety fun and educational programs under PLIX (The Public Library Innovation Exchange). These have included residency exchanges, webinars/unhangouts and all sorts of interesting things which can be found at plix.media.mit.edu. Those who want to participate can, and everyone is encouraged to try out the programs on their own as well.
MIT Media Lab researchers have been teaming up with librarians across the country to create a variety fun and educational programs under PLIX (The Public Library Innovation Exchange). These have included residency exchanges, webinars/unhangouts and all sorts of interesting things which can be found at plix.media.mit.edu. Those who want to participate can, and everyone is encouraged to try out the programs on their own as well.
Some of the projects have included:
The Free library of Philadelphia was one of the libraries that created a “food computer” which is a box that grows plants and collects data about them that is then given to “Nerd Farmers” to help their own crops.
Scratch is a coding project for kids, 8 and up that fosters creativity while also boosting their ability to think systematically and work with each other to create fun animations and games.
DataBasic.io is a suite of data tools that allow you to tell a story using your data. Data culture starts at the top with leadership that encourages staff to work with data and knows its value. The Data Culture Project tested the activities with 30 different organizations and provide activity guides and everything else you may need. One of the tools, WTF CSV goes through and tells you what is going on in your CSV file. SameDiff can compare your text files and tell you where the differences are.
Climate Cubesat Co-building Outreach Program (C³)
Cubesats are small satellites that don’t cost much because they often use commercial off-the-shelf components. Anyone with a little knowhow and/or instructions can build one that measures something, and for a fee these can actually make it into space! NASA has started using cubesats itself, and currently the NASA CubeSat Launch Initiative is partnering with high schools, universities and non-profits to get their projects off-world.
Not only are these miniature satellites cheaper to launch, they provide many data sets from small boxes rather than one big satellite providing one single data set. They are attempting to get every state to launch one, an initiative to get everyone involved and excited. NASA generates terabytes of data every single day and they needs help analyzing it all.
Most satellites these days are private, and the public doesn't get that info. We don’t benefit unless we pay for the information. Cambridge is really interested in democratizing space and giving access to the people. At some point there will be a community data project to get everyone accessing and cataloging the data collected from the cubesats. Public Libraries would be the perfect interface between the public and these programs from big universities and organizations, so PLIX is an education and research system of the future!
Currently the only do 5-6 programs a year. It's all open access and non-profit due to ease of access and low cost, the conduct many webinars, but would like to increase not only these, but actual workshops and programs as well. They would love to hear more about similar projects that libraries are doing.
There was a program on using Naloxone in the library to save patrons who O.D (The Opioid Epidemic: How Can My Library Help?). I didn’t attend, as it took place during the MIT PLIX panel, but the presenter was outside the room at a table with various pamphlets and with practice Naloxone equipment afterwards. I chatted with her for a bit, and learned a lot.
Naloxone knocks the opioids off the receptors and then blocks the receptors. The thing most people don’t know though is that the opioids are still floating around in the bloodstream: they don’t just vanish magically. Basically the O.D. wakes up in instant and awful withdrawal which means a few things: 1. They are generally incredibly unhappy and will lash out at anyone near them, so be prepared for violence and 2. They will feel an intense need to shoot up right then and there because it’s the only thing that will make them feel even close to OK. But here’s the problem: the original dose that killed them the first time is still present so if they shoot more it's absolutely going to be deadly, so you gotta sit on them (maybe literally) for a few hours so they don't.
The small doses are $25 or so depending on your organization, but involves hypodermic needles so some people won’t be super comfortable administering it. Still, they’ve made it as foolproof as they could: you simply pull the full amount out of the vial and inject it into the meaty part of the arm. It’s still administering a shot, but it’s on the easy end of things.
There are also nose blowers that shoot the Naloxone up the nose of the OD, which is much less scary for those not used to giving shots, but these cost a fair amount more than the shots and so are out of reach for many budget strapped libraries.
The most impressive, though was the automatic model. This small (about the size of a Tic-Tacs canister) device talks you through the process. She had a teaching model that we could actually go through all the steps with on ourselves or a volunteer, and it literally tells you in a clear robot voice exactly what to do. Unfortunately (as has been the case with a lot of life-saving medication lately) there was a spate of price gouging and one of these will cost you $5,000. The company was sued several times over this and finally the resolution was that instead of pricing them reasonably, they agreed to give out grants to organizations that applied to get the device.
She also recommended that all current opioid users have one of the automatic devices in their kit with an Alice in Wonderland type note on it: “Open me!” (or if they can’t afford anything but the needle version “stick me!”). That way when someone walks in and finds them ODed they will open it up and it can tell them what to do from there.
I met Nicole for on last trip to the vendor floor and to say goodbye and thank you to the Mango staff. Gale was clever: they were giving out boxes with water and snacks out to help people recover from the various parties that took place the night before and keep us on our feet through the 5th day of the conference:
The Free library of Philadelphia was one of the libraries that created a “food computer” which is a box that grows plants and collects data about them that is then given to “Nerd Farmers” to help their own crops.
Scratch is a coding project for kids, 8 and up that fosters creativity while also boosting their ability to think systematically and work with each other to create fun animations and games.
DataBasic.io is a suite of data tools that allow you to tell a story using your data. Data culture starts at the top with leadership that encourages staff to work with data and knows its value. The Data Culture Project tested the activities with 30 different organizations and provide activity guides and everything else you may need. One of the tools, WTF CSV goes through and tells you what is going on in your CSV file. SameDiff can compare your text files and tell you where the differences are.
Climate Cubesat Co-building Outreach Program (C³)
Cubesats are small satellites that don’t cost much because they often use commercial off-the-shelf components. Anyone with a little knowhow and/or instructions can build one that measures something, and for a fee these can actually make it into space! NASA has started using cubesats itself, and currently the NASA CubeSat Launch Initiative is partnering with high schools, universities and non-profits to get their projects off-world.
Not only are these miniature satellites cheaper to launch, they provide many data sets from small boxes rather than one big satellite providing one single data set. They are attempting to get every state to launch one, an initiative to get everyone involved and excited. NASA generates terabytes of data every single day and they needs help analyzing it all.
Most satellites these days are private, and the public doesn't get that info. We don’t benefit unless we pay for the information. Cambridge is really interested in democratizing space and giving access to the people. At some point there will be a community data project to get everyone accessing and cataloging the data collected from the cubesats. Public Libraries would be the perfect interface between the public and these programs from big universities and organizations, so PLIX is an education and research system of the future!
Currently the only do 5-6 programs a year. It's all open access and non-profit due to ease of access and low cost, the conduct many webinars, but would like to increase not only these, but actual workshops and programs as well. They would love to hear more about similar projects that libraries are doing.
There was a program on using Naloxone in the library to save patrons who O.D (The Opioid Epidemic: How Can My Library Help?). I didn’t attend, as it took place during the MIT PLIX panel, but the presenter was outside the room at a table with various pamphlets and with practice Naloxone equipment afterwards. I chatted with her for a bit, and learned a lot.
Naloxone knocks the opioids off the receptors and then blocks the receptors. The thing most people don’t know though is that the opioids are still floating around in the bloodstream: they don’t just vanish magically. Basically the O.D. wakes up in instant and awful withdrawal which means a few things: 1. They are generally incredibly unhappy and will lash out at anyone near them, so be prepared for violence and 2. They will feel an intense need to shoot up right then and there because it’s the only thing that will make them feel even close to OK. But here’s the problem: the original dose that killed them the first time is still present so if they shoot more it's absolutely going to be deadly, so you gotta sit on them (maybe literally) for a few hours so they don't.
The small doses are $25 or so depending on your organization, but involves hypodermic needles so some people won’t be super comfortable administering it. Still, they’ve made it as foolproof as they could: you simply pull the full amount out of the vial and inject it into the meaty part of the arm. It’s still administering a shot, but it’s on the easy end of things.
There are also nose blowers that shoot the Naloxone up the nose of the OD, which is much less scary for those not used to giving shots, but these cost a fair amount more than the shots and so are out of reach for many budget strapped libraries.
The most impressive, though was the automatic model. This small (about the size of a Tic-Tacs canister) device talks you through the process. She had a teaching model that we could actually go through all the steps with on ourselves or a volunteer, and it literally tells you in a clear robot voice exactly what to do. Unfortunately (as has been the case with a lot of life-saving medication lately) there was a spate of price gouging and one of these will cost you $5,000. The company was sued several times over this and finally the resolution was that instead of pricing them reasonably, they agreed to give out grants to organizations that applied to get the device.
She also recommended that all current opioid users have one of the automatic devices in their kit with an Alice in Wonderland type note on it: “Open me!” (or if they can’t afford anything but the needle version “stick me!”). That way when someone walks in and finds them ODed they will open it up and it can tell them what to do from there.
I met Nicole for on last trip to the vendor floor and to say goodbye and thank you to the Mango staff. Gale was clever: they were giving out boxes with water and snacks out to help people recover from the various parties that took place the night before and keep us on our feet through the 5th day of the conference:
There was also a kid rocking the most impressive badge ribbon collection of all time!
Then it was on to Lessons Learned from the 2017 Eclipse: What Participation in Charismatic Events Can Do For YOUR Library.
Aside from some librarians who actually successfully pull off massive events at their libraries, there were NASA scientists speaking or helping with the program. I spoke to a few of them and will be doing a What is NASA Reading blog at some point!
NASA worked with libraries across the country before the eclipse, and 6 million people watched the major celestial event thanks to the program. 35,000 places filled out the follow up report about doing a viewing program which was about half the places that requested kits, so it’s very possible many more than that actually did such programs. It worked, not just for that day, but there were lasting repercussions: libraries reported increased circulation, increased donations and lots and lots of new library card holders. Beyond that though, because the libraries were so visible because of this one program they were able to get things on the ballot and actually win ballot initiatives for more funding and support!
Judith Schanzer has been successfully putting on massive programs at the East Meadow Public Library in Long Island. This is what she had to say about planning huge programs:
Start super early when you plan a big event as it is 99% process and behind the scenes stuff. This means that you need to have plenty of time away from the public to set things up and ensure your event is not only well planned, but has contingencies for any number of possible problems that may arise.
Apply for grants! There are many ways to get funding for events, including working with some of the local businesses who will benefit when there is a large influx of people in the area. Be sure to draw clear lines, however, so as not to feel beholden to a funder. You should also look to your state library as they often offer grants and training for special events.
Find staff that enjoy big crazy events. Not everyone is into or good at dealing with large crowds and the logistics that go along with them, and no good will come of making them work an event they find hellish and overwhelming. You need people with a taste for such things, and you have to hold several meetings beforehand to ensure everyone is on the right page and ready to put their energy in the right directions.
Any programming you can think of, do it. It doesn't have to be in a straight line, you can always find ways to make it relate to STEM or art or SOMETHING! If you have an idea that you think could work, run with it and get whoever you can involved because they will provide invaluable input. Success doesn’t follow a lone wolf when it comes to throwing major events.
Judith Schanzer has been putting on EMCon: East Meadows Public Library Animefest. At this point it is so big that the library itself is not large enough to house the program and it spills out into tents that they have to rent for the occasion. It is one of several large scale events they host, and when they had to cancel a big event one year, the surrounding businesses were upset because it hurt them. They were depending on the influx of people to the area and it really made them realize how valuable the library was to the area.
Aside from some librarians who actually successfully pull off massive events at their libraries, there were NASA scientists speaking or helping with the program. I spoke to a few of them and will be doing a What is NASA Reading blog at some point!
NASA worked with libraries across the country before the eclipse, and 6 million people watched the major celestial event thanks to the program. 35,000 places filled out the follow up report about doing a viewing program which was about half the places that requested kits, so it’s very possible many more than that actually did such programs. It worked, not just for that day, but there were lasting repercussions: libraries reported increased circulation, increased donations and lots and lots of new library card holders. Beyond that though, because the libraries were so visible because of this one program they were able to get things on the ballot and actually win ballot initiatives for more funding and support!
Judith Schanzer has been successfully putting on massive programs at the East Meadow Public Library in Long Island. This is what she had to say about planning huge programs:
Start super early when you plan a big event as it is 99% process and behind the scenes stuff. This means that you need to have plenty of time away from the public to set things up and ensure your event is not only well planned, but has contingencies for any number of possible problems that may arise.
Apply for grants! There are many ways to get funding for events, including working with some of the local businesses who will benefit when there is a large influx of people in the area. Be sure to draw clear lines, however, so as not to feel beholden to a funder. You should also look to your state library as they often offer grants and training for special events.
Find staff that enjoy big crazy events. Not everyone is into or good at dealing with large crowds and the logistics that go along with them, and no good will come of making them work an event they find hellish and overwhelming. You need people with a taste for such things, and you have to hold several meetings beforehand to ensure everyone is on the right page and ready to put their energy in the right directions.
Any programming you can think of, do it. It doesn't have to be in a straight line, you can always find ways to make it relate to STEM or art or SOMETHING! If you have an idea that you think could work, run with it and get whoever you can involved because they will provide invaluable input. Success doesn’t follow a lone wolf when it comes to throwing major events.
Judith Schanzer has been putting on EMCon: East Meadows Public Library Animefest. At this point it is so big that the library itself is not large enough to house the program and it spills out into tents that they have to rent for the occasion. It is one of several large scale events they host, and when they had to cancel a big event one year, the surrounding businesses were upset because it hurt them. They were depending on the influx of people to the area and it really made them realize how valuable the library was to the area.
NASA At My Library is a new program which will hopefully be available everywhere soon. So far Seventy-five U.S. public libraries have been selected to participate in the first 18-month project which will enhance and create new opportunities for STEM programming.
Apparently the next major North American eclipse will be in 2024 and New York City should be close to the totality. It is also occurring during tax week because... brutality.
Fun facts about the Sun and why we should pay attention to it: The Sun causes space weather so it's important to know what it's up to:its magnetic field pushes on our ionosphere and our magnetic field, so we are actually directly affected in ways we don’t even realize. The surface of the sun is only a few thousand degrees, but a little way out from that is a few million due to the Sun’s radiation.
Need some high quality multimedia products to use in the library? Enter the NASA Science Visualization Studio! While it’s not ALL of NASA’s images, the site contains visualizations, animations, and images to use in promotions, programming, or just to teach and learn from.
NASA Museum Alliance is the "front door" to NASA for the world of informal education and NASA programs, and to access the world of informal education.
Over two hundred and forty local amateur astronomical societies from all across the United States came together to form The Astronomical League. They provide a conduit of communication between these societies in order to foster collaboration, and pool resources in order to provide incentives for astronomical observation and research. They have a calendar of astronomy related events, and provide a good contact point for libraries (and other institutions) that want to partner with astronomers for programming.
Apparently the next major North American eclipse will be in 2024 and New York City should be close to the totality. It is also occurring during tax week because... brutality.
Fun facts about the Sun and why we should pay attention to it: The Sun causes space weather so it's important to know what it's up to:its magnetic field pushes on our ionosphere and our magnetic field, so we are actually directly affected in ways we don’t even realize. The surface of the sun is only a few thousand degrees, but a little way out from that is a few million due to the Sun’s radiation.
Need some high quality multimedia products to use in the library? Enter the NASA Science Visualization Studio! While it’s not ALL of NASA’s images, the site contains visualizations, animations, and images to use in promotions, programming, or just to teach and learn from.
NASA Museum Alliance is the "front door" to NASA for the world of informal education and NASA programs, and to access the world of informal education.
Over two hundred and forty local amateur astronomical societies from all across the United States came together to form The Astronomical League. They provide a conduit of communication between these societies in order to foster collaboration, and pool resources in order to provide incentives for astronomical observation and research. They have a calendar of astronomy related events, and provide a good contact point for libraries (and other institutions) that want to partner with astronomers for programming.
Aurorasaurus.org is a citizen science project supported by the National Science Foundation and designed by researchers from the New Mexico Consortium, NASA, Penn. State University, and Science Education Solutions. The page allows people to report where they are and if they can see aurora and plots the path of the beautiful but disruptive phenomena.
Spacestationexplorers.org is another great resource with downlinks from the space station and lots of hands on stuff to use for programming and such.
Need high quality, vetted STEM activities that are appropriate for library use? STEM activity Clearinghouse has you covered! Organized by audience, content level, and difficulty, among other things, projects span from using beads on string or on pins to learn binary, all the way through creating your own planetarium!
Then it was time for the final lecture of the conference (before the closing ceremony): Selling Your Story: Best Practices for Library Marketing Videos.
It turns out that one of my old colleagues at NYU was half of the duo presenting (three people were listed but only two were there). They started off with a really funny Old Spice style ad made by the Harold B. Lee Library at Brigham Young University:
Spacestationexplorers.org is another great resource with downlinks from the space station and lots of hands on stuff to use for programming and such.
Need high quality, vetted STEM activities that are appropriate for library use? STEM activity Clearinghouse has you covered! Organized by audience, content level, and difficulty, among other things, projects span from using beads on string or on pins to learn binary, all the way through creating your own planetarium!
Then it was time for the final lecture of the conference (before the closing ceremony): Selling Your Story: Best Practices for Library Marketing Videos.
It turns out that one of my old colleagues at NYU was half of the duo presenting (three people were listed but only two were there). They started off with a really funny Old Spice style ad made by the Harold B. Lee Library at Brigham Young University:
Tips for successful marketing and promo videos:
Expect to lose 20% of the audience in the first 10 seconds so make those count! Your videos should be 60-90 seconds maximum, with a good attention grabber within the first 5-10. The average attention span is now 8.2 seconds. Incidentally, the average for goldfish is 9.
Humor is good but not necessary, though it is the most watched video category at the moment. Millennials are super aware of authenticity and will ignore you if they sense anything phony so be careful! Brand the video every step of the way, though it is a tricky path to do so and stay authentic. Avoid packing too much information into a single video and try to avoid jargon.
Assessment is vital to your continued video efforts:
Set goals for a video and then gather feedback to see if it stacks. Try out running a focus group with library swag or snacks as incentive. Everything has analytics, so you can also see how the video is doing outside of your community.
Collaboration is awesome for promotion, so try to get coworkers, patrons and even local businesses involved. Even if they have no experience, as long as they’re passionate about the library it’ll be good. Make sure you give everyone credit and cite things!
Keep the video content accessible. Transcripts and/or captions are required by law, but there are a lot of programs and such that can help you add these. There are a lot of companies that can help get you compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
Keep the smaller screens in mind: more and more people rely solely on a phone or tablet for their internet access. Lots of white space will help things look ok. These devices have really opened up access and given people a lot of mobility. Even Mt Everest has WiFi now.
Expect to lose 20% of the audience in the first 10 seconds so make those count! Your videos should be 60-90 seconds maximum, with a good attention grabber within the first 5-10. The average attention span is now 8.2 seconds. Incidentally, the average for goldfish is 9.
Humor is good but not necessary, though it is the most watched video category at the moment. Millennials are super aware of authenticity and will ignore you if they sense anything phony so be careful! Brand the video every step of the way, though it is a tricky path to do so and stay authentic. Avoid packing too much information into a single video and try to avoid jargon.
Assessment is vital to your continued video efforts:
Set goals for a video and then gather feedback to see if it stacks. Try out running a focus group with library swag or snacks as incentive. Everything has analytics, so you can also see how the video is doing outside of your community.
Collaboration is awesome for promotion, so try to get coworkers, patrons and even local businesses involved. Even if they have no experience, as long as they’re passionate about the library it’ll be good. Make sure you give everyone credit and cite things!
Keep the video content accessible. Transcripts and/or captions are required by law, but there are a lot of programs and such that can help you add these. There are a lot of companies that can help get you compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
Keep the smaller screens in mind: more and more people rely solely on a phone or tablet for their internet access. Lots of white space will help things look ok. These devices have really opened up access and given people a lot of mobility. Even Mt Everest has WiFi now.
Make a descriptive title and use the file name as well for SEO purposes. Going viral isn't always a sign of success: your video (or other content) might get in front of a lot of eyes, but might not actually have an effect. This is one reason you need to keep the branding going throughout!
Invest in production value to keep people watching and to make sure they take you and your message seriously. If your video looks cheap and hokey people will associate those qualities with your library and its services. Cheese is fine, garbage is not! Shoot three good takes for each scene to ensure you've got it. Your lighting needs to be good and consistent to boot. Audio quality is the most important because no one will sit through a video they can’t hear or that sounds grating and terrible. Use shotgun mics if possible and listen to the audio for quality control. Nofilmschool.com has lots of great information and resources to help you keep your work looking its best!
Take care of your actors so they come back! You want to keep your talent and when you use patrons you especially want them to have a positive experience.
Animation is cheaper requires less people, is more flexible to work on in post, and there are a variety of tools at your disposal. GoAnimate is a good source and they give an educator discount.
Tv editors like to help libraries and we should reach out for collaborative opportunities. They brought this up right before the Q&A and an editor who was in the audience stood up and said that everything in the presentation had been exactly spot on. She said she would love to work with libraries to make video projects and she knows many others who would as well.
Invest in production value to keep people watching and to make sure they take you and your message seriously. If your video looks cheap and hokey people will associate those qualities with your library and its services. Cheese is fine, garbage is not! Shoot three good takes for each scene to ensure you've got it. Your lighting needs to be good and consistent to boot. Audio quality is the most important because no one will sit through a video they can’t hear or that sounds grating and terrible. Use shotgun mics if possible and listen to the audio for quality control. Nofilmschool.com has lots of great information and resources to help you keep your work looking its best!
Take care of your actors so they come back! You want to keep your talent and when you use patrons you especially want them to have a positive experience.
Animation is cheaper requires less people, is more flexible to work on in post, and there are a variety of tools at your disposal. GoAnimate is a good source and they give an educator discount.
Tv editors like to help libraries and we should reach out for collaborative opportunities. They brought this up right before the Q&A and an editor who was in the audience stood up and said that everything in the presentation had been exactly spot on. She said she would love to work with libraries to make video projects and she knows many others who would as well.
Tuesday, 6/24/2018
We were up early to see the Closing General Session featuring Viola Davis. This was in the same theater as the Sally Fields interview, and we were just about half way up the stadium seating. First came the ceremonial turning over of the gavel from Jim Neal to the new President Loida Garcia-Febo who has an impressive resume, including teaching in 21 countries on five continents!
Then it was Viola Davis time! She was absolutely fantastic and you could see the surprise on her face when first confronted with a thousand cheering librarians. Her interviewer was Andrew Medlar, recently hired Director of BookOps for New York and the Brooklyn Public Library.
Growing up poor in Central Falls, Rhode Island, Davis went to the library every day after school and stayed till it got dark. The librarian would give her half her sandwich so “it was like a Pavlov's dogs situation” a little bit. She still remembers and is grateful to Denise the librarian!
Her family didn’t have many books at home, but they had encyclopedias. She tried to read them, but couldn't get through them. “The library provided me with access! Access to all the things that you need to connect to the world and to your dreams. When you are poor you really are invisible but having that library card… that was like belonging to AARP!” So it wasn’t just the sandwiches!
Then it was Viola Davis time! She was absolutely fantastic and you could see the surprise on her face when first confronted with a thousand cheering librarians. Her interviewer was Andrew Medlar, recently hired Director of BookOps for New York and the Brooklyn Public Library.
Growing up poor in Central Falls, Rhode Island, Davis went to the library every day after school and stayed till it got dark. The librarian would give her half her sandwich so “it was like a Pavlov's dogs situation” a little bit. She still remembers and is grateful to Denise the librarian!
Her family didn’t have many books at home, but they had encyclopedias. She tried to read them, but couldn't get through them. “The library provided me with access! Access to all the things that you need to connect to the world and to your dreams. When you are poor you really are invisible but having that library card… that was like belonging to AARP!” So it wasn’t just the sandwiches!
“Sometimes I kept the books a little bit too long,” she said. “Like years! Sorry…!” If anyone would forgive a little girl for loving books that much, it’s a room full of librarians.
She reads everywhere, “even the jacuzzi!” and has spread her love of reading to her daughter, who had her read Corduroy by Don Freeman to her over and over again. One of the things Davis loved about the book was that it was about a little black girl, but it wasn’t about her being black. Like any book about white children, her race was incidental, though representational. There weren’t too many books at the time like that, and Ezra Jack Keat’s Snowy Day. “We want to be seen and we don't want a big introduction and explanation to why we are in it! Gay, trans, black white, all of us. We exist and should be seen, no explanation needed! It's our job as writers and artists and actors to reflect the world. Diversity in all things!”
She spoke about the inclusive nature of theater: in school it’s where they send all the misfits and the kids they can't control. It's a place where all are welcome and you get the jocks mixing with the nerds with the outcasts with whoever! “Theater is magic! It's where we get to be the most us, and the more you are who you are the more you are applauded!” And it’s truly the collaborative art: you can't be an actor without other people: set builders, writers, other actors and audiences… without others you can't really act!
Davis loves reading because she likes “the slow burn off the imagination.” She needed her imagination, she said, because she couldn't see her way out of the crushing poverty she lived in. “Reading provides insights to the outside world and the inner world too. It connects those.”
She spoke a bit about the books she’s reading and loves to read most, which will be written up in my “What Are They Reading” blog for her.
Fifty years after the original Corduroy book was published, Viola Davis has written a new book for the series: Corduroy Takes a Bow. In it the loveable bear explores a theater, top to bottom.
“It's your job as an author to plant the seed. You don't know necessarily what it's gonna grow, but you gotta plant it! Everyone has a different thing they really take from a book” she said. Davis’s love of the theater shines through the book, but it’s not the only possible takeaway.
She reads everywhere, “even the jacuzzi!” and has spread her love of reading to her daughter, who had her read Corduroy by Don Freeman to her over and over again. One of the things Davis loved about the book was that it was about a little black girl, but it wasn’t about her being black. Like any book about white children, her race was incidental, though representational. There weren’t too many books at the time like that, and Ezra Jack Keat’s Snowy Day. “We want to be seen and we don't want a big introduction and explanation to why we are in it! Gay, trans, black white, all of us. We exist and should be seen, no explanation needed! It's our job as writers and artists and actors to reflect the world. Diversity in all things!”
She spoke about the inclusive nature of theater: in school it’s where they send all the misfits and the kids they can't control. It's a place where all are welcome and you get the jocks mixing with the nerds with the outcasts with whoever! “Theater is magic! It's where we get to be the most us, and the more you are who you are the more you are applauded!” And it’s truly the collaborative art: you can't be an actor without other people: set builders, writers, other actors and audiences… without others you can't really act!
Davis loves reading because she likes “the slow burn off the imagination.” She needed her imagination, she said, because she couldn't see her way out of the crushing poverty she lived in. “Reading provides insights to the outside world and the inner world too. It connects those.”
She spoke a bit about the books she’s reading and loves to read most, which will be written up in my “What Are They Reading” blog for her.
Fifty years after the original Corduroy book was published, Viola Davis has written a new book for the series: Corduroy Takes a Bow. In it the loveable bear explores a theater, top to bottom.
“It's your job as an author to plant the seed. You don't know necessarily what it's gonna grow, but you gotta plant it! Everyone has a different thing they really take from a book” she said. Davis’s love of the theater shines through the book, but it’s not the only possible takeaway.
So ended another ALAAC! As ever, we left inspired, educated and with the mix of excited exhaustion that comes of attending a week of amazing and intense professional development. Can’t wait for next year!