Hot Off The Press

Fellow LJ Mover & Shaker Sandra Sajonas and I share our tips and experiences at LIScareer.com - "In Library School or Job Hunting? Tips to Build Up Your Professional Career".

And that's a wrap!

Finished wrapping up HealthCampNYC, a regional health unconference that took place in May. Check out the summary report.

Library Workers' Skill Share Event

* What? Library Workers' Skill Share
* When? Tuesday, July 13 from 4:30pm - 7:00pm
* Where? Brooklyn Public Library, Central Library
* Why? An effort to provide support for all library workers in NYC who are job hunting, unemployed, facing potential layoffs or simply looking to freshen up their skills

Featuring:
• "Locating and Using Local Career Development Opportunities", Tom Nielsen from the Metropolitan New York Library Council (METRO)
• "E-Portfolios and Profiles: Using Free Web Tools to Prepare for the Job Market", Susanne Markgren from ACRL/NY
• Speed mentoring sessions: Meet one-on-one with library workers from academic, special, medical and public libraries for advice and networking - arrive early to sign up for a time slot
• Resume review roundtables
• Workshops
• Spotlight sessions
• Networking and resource tables: Meet with representatives from various associations and agencies and find out about available resources and services
• And much more!

This is a free event. Please register by July 6 at http://tinyurl.com/libraryworkersevent

The Library Workers' Skill Share event is sponsored by the New York Chapter of SLA, the Metropolitan New York Library Council (METRO), ACRL/NY and REFORMA Northeast.

HealthCampNYC Recap

A month ago, we had an amazing regional health unconference - HealthCampNYC: Using Collective Knowledge to Improve Health Literacy and Community Health. Over 85 people attended and participated in over 24 discussion sessions throughout the day. Check out pictures and discussion notes from the day on the HealthCampNYC wiki.

MLA '10 Recap

Highlights of MLA '10 in Washington, DC

Daniel Pink Lecture
In an increasingly automated world where routine tasks can be and are outsourced, Daniel Pink, author of A Whole New Mind, talked about six right-brained abilities that matter and that we can develop:

1. Design
   
2. Story
   
3. Symphony
   
4. Empathy
   
5. Play
   
6. Meaning

Lightning Poster Presentations
MLA decided to try something new this year: lightning poster presentations. Each presentation would be 5 minutes and there would be 20 minutes at the end where you can go and talk to the presenters. The idea is to introduce the project and then you can talk to the presenters if you want more information or have questions. Doris Withers, a professor at Medgar Evers College/CUNY and I did a lighting poster presentation "Brooklyn Public Library: A Collaborative Library Partnership for Promoting Genetic Literacy in the Community".

Leadership Principles
The Leadership and Management Section of MLA hosted a program about 25 unproven principles of leadership. Here are some of those principles:

• Processes aren't ends in themselves but tend to be viewed that way
• Folks won't "get it" at first
• Organize for flexibility
• Some order is necessary, too much is unproductive
• Measure only what's important
• Allow and force folks to "fail forward"
• Don't seek perfection
• Some problems are real, some are not
• All solutions are temporary

More conference recaps can be found on the MLA '10 Blog.

TEDx Conferences

I first found out about TED (Technology Entertainment Design) in library school. TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to "ideas worth spreading". Since then, I've enjoyed watching TED Talks. Today I just found out about TEDx conferences through Library Journal. "In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TED has created a program called TEDx. TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience" (TEDxNJLibraries). Princeton Public Library is hosting TEDxNJLibraries, the first TEDx event to be held at a library. These TEDx events remind me a bit of unconferences because they're both about bringing people together and sharing ideas, but they are also different. For one thing, TEDx events are by invite or selection only while unconferences are usually open to everyone, like HealthCampNYC, a regional health unconference. I think they're both interesting ways of bringing people together and I hope to learn more about TEDxNJLibraries in the coming weeks.

Register for HealthCampNYC

Registration is open for HealthCampNYC: Using Collective Knowledge to Improve Health Literacy and Community Health on Friday, May 14.

HealthCampNYC is a regional health unconference for librarians, literacy professionals, public health professionals, medical professionals, community-based organizations and people interested in sharing with and learning from each other.

Participants at HealthCampNYC will be expected to share their work, skills and knowledge as active participants. In the rich tradition of unconferences, attendees will determine and manage program topics and sessions. Sessions may include (but are not limited to): how-to workshops, debates, or problem-solving sessions. This collaborative environment presents unique opportunities for learning, sharing, and relationship-building.

HealthCampNYC is hosted by Brooklyn Public Library, with support from the Brooklyn Early Childhood Direction Center, The Health Education and Literacy for Parents (HELP) Project, Kingsborough Community College/CUNY's Launchpad to Careers in Public Health, New York Academy of Medicine Library and the Public Health Association of New York City (PHANYC). This project has been funded in whole or in part with Federal funds from the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, under Contract No. NO1-LM-6-3501 with New York University.

Register at http://healthcampnyc.wetpaint.com or email us at healthcampnyc@gmail.com.

SLA@Pratt Skill Share Fair This Friday

Following a successful Career Fair last year, SLA@Pratt is hosting a Skill Share Fair this Friday, April 23 from 4:30pm-7pm. Like last year, this event is opened to non-Pratt people. My colleague Sandra Sajonas and I will be presenting on tips & tricks to building your professional career at 6pm. For more info and to RSVP, check out the SLA@Pratt site.

Sibling Workshop at Brooklyn Public Library

Following a very successful two-day Sibshop training workshop conducted by Don Meyer last Spring at the Brooklyn Heights Library, The Child's Place for Children with Special Needs at Brooklyn Public Library is hosting a panel presentation Meeting the Needs of Brothers & Sisters of People with Disabilities on Friday, April 23 at 10am-1pm at the Central Library. See the event flier (PDF) for more information.

HealthCampNYC - A Regional Health Unconference

HealthCampNYC: Using Collective Knowledge to Improve Health Literacy and Community Health

Friday, May 14
9am - 5pm
Brooklyn Public Library, Central Library

HealthCampNYC is a regional health unconference for librarians, literacy professionals, public health professionals, medical professionals, community-based organizations and people interested in sharing with and learning from each other.

Participants at HealthCampNYC will be expected to share their work, skills and knowledge as active participants. In the rich tradition of unconferences, attendees will determine and manage program topics and sessions. Sessions may include (but are not limited to): how-to workshops, debates, or problem-solving sessions. This collaborative environment presents unique opportunities for learning, sharing, and relationship-building.

For more information and to register: http://healthcampnyc.wetpaint.com/

HealthCampNYC is hosted by Brooklyn Public Library with support from The Health Education and Literacy for Parents (HELP) Project and New York Academy of Medicine Library. This project has been funded in whole or in part with Federal funds from the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, under Contract No. NO1-LM-6-3501 with New York University.

PLA 2010 Recap

Highlights of PLA 2010 in Portland, OR

Experimenting with Unconferences
Mel Gooch, Gretchen Caserotti and I presented a program titled Revitalizing Communication and Professional Development Through Unconferences where we talked about BPL ThinkTank, a staff development unconference at Brooklyn Public Library and KidLib Camp, a children's librarianship unconference at Darien Public Library. Our presentation is up on Slideshare.

Revitalizing Communication and Professional Development Through Unconferences: The Brooklyn Public Library and Darien Public Library Experiments

Fly-on-the-wall, Behavioral Archaeology, Five Whys and Character Profiles/Personas
Sandra Sajonas and I facilitated a talk table program titled DIY Usability: Is Your Library People Focused? where we talked about people-centered usability and the project that we did in library school which focused on the evaluation of a library's new service model that promotes library patron self-sufficiency through the use of technology. It was an amazing group that generated some great ideas using people-centered design methods. More info on our People-Centered Design Thinking site.


Marshmallows, Gum Drops and Twizzlers
I co-facilitated a talk table program where we discussed how libraries can work to promote genetic literacy in the community. Find out more about the Human Genome Project Community Conversations Initiative.


Board Games, Arts & Craft, Food and Drinks
I attended a very interesting panel program (organized by my colleague Sandra Sajonas) titled If You Didn't Work Here, Would You Come Here? showcasing some great examples of library outreach and programming for people in their 20s and 30s. Check out the write up of this program in Library Journal.

Are you going to PLA?

As I'm preparing for PLA, I realized that the conference is not a month away anymore, it's in a week. I'm looking forward to my first in-person PLA conference. I attended the virtual PLA conference two years ago. Are you going to PLA? If so, be sure to check out some of the programs mentioned in my last blog post about PLA?

Testing ALA Website Accessibility

From ALA Emerging Leaders Team K:

We are seeking volunteers to take part in a usability study examining the accessibility of the American Library Association (ALA) website for individuals using assistive devices. The ideal participant would be a member of ALA who requires an assistive device to access the Internet. Participants will be able to take the test at their own locations, and on their own devices. The study will run during March, April and May of 2010. The results of the study will contribute to a report that will lead to improvements in accessibility of ALA’s website.

If you are interested in participating in this usability study, or can assist us in recruiting suitable participants, please email us at accessibilitytesting [ at ] ala.org. Feel free to forward this message to any individual or group whose members might be interested in participation.

Thank you,
Chelle Batchelor, University of Washington Libraries
Lisa Chow, Brooklyn Public Library
Cynthia Matthias, Hennepin County Library
Jennifer Rutner, Columbia University Libraries

ALA Emerging Leaders 2010
Team K: Usability-Accessibility Test

Save the Date: HealthCampNYC

SAVE THE DATE

HealthCampNYC: Using Collective Knowledge to Improve Health Literacy and Community Health

Friday, May 14
Brooklyn Public Library, Central Library

HealthCampNYC is a regional health unconference for librarians, literacy professionals, public health professionals, medical professionals, community-based organizations and people interested in sharing with and learning from each other.

Participants at HealthCampNYC will be expected to share their work, skills and knowledge as active participants. In the rich tradition of unconferences, attendees will determine and manage program topics and sessions. Sessions may include (but are not limited to): how-to workshops, debates, or problem-solving sessions. This collaborative environment presents unique opportunities for learning, sharing, and relationship-building.

For more information: http://healthcampnyc.wetpaint.com/

HealthCampNYC is hosted by Brooklyn Public Library with support from The Health Education and Literacy for Parents (HELP) Project and New York Academy of Medicine Library. This project has been funded in whole or in part with Federal funds from the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, under Contract No. NO1-LM-6-3501 with New York University.

Please feel free to share this info and the Save the Date flier with anyone who might be interested.

PLA 2010 in Portland, OR

Are you going to the PLA conference next month?

Check out these programs that my colleagues (including fellow graduated PULSE trainees) and/or I will be presenting at PLA -

Revitalizing Communication and Professional Development Through Unconferences: The Brooklyn Public Library and Darien Public Library Experiments
Thursday, March 25 at 2pm-3:15pm

DIY Usability Study: Is Your Library People Focused?
Friday, March 26 at 8:30am-9:45am

How Libraries Can Work to Promote Genetic Literacy in the Community: Brooklyn Public Library's Human Genome Project Community Conversations (HGPCC) Initiative
Friday, March 26 at 2pm-3:15pm

STEP UP! Timely Outcomes-Based Model for Helping Job Seekers
Friday, March 26 at 2pm-3:15pm

If You Didn't Work Here, Would You Come Here?
Saturday, March 27 at 8:30am-9:45am

Check out the PLA 2010 programming schedule for more info.

DOHMH Public Health Library Internship

Take a look at this internship opportunity at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Public Health Library. I interned at this library about three years ago and had a really great experience.

DOHMH Public Health Library Internship Announcement

The Public Health Library of the NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene is offering an unpaid internship opportunity for library students. We are seeking a motivated, action-oriented student to assist the library staff in providing direct library services to the researchers of the agency and to assist in any special projects assigned. The Public Health Library, overseen by the Bureau of Public Health Training, also provides classes on information retrieval and bibliographic management to agency staff. Candidates would need to be able to assist during library's operating hours (Monday through Friday from 9 to 5pm). Students interested in health science, public health, or government librarianship are encouraged to apply. Please send resumes to Gloria Willson, Library Director, at gwillson [ at ] health.nyc.gov or fax to 212-447-8239. To learn more about the Public Health Library, please visit - www.nyc.gov/health/library.