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.

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.

Should the Three NYC Library Systems Be Merged?

Last week the Mayor and City Council reached an agreement to restore library funding so that NYC libraries can continue to provide 6-day library service. In the midst of the budget crisis and petition signing, WNYC did a piece titled "One Library System Instead of Three: A Radical Cost-Cutting Solution?". I've heard the merger idea suggested before. What do you think? Should the three NYC library systems be merged?

Keep Your Library Open

"If education and information are going to provide the means as America digs itself out the great big hole we are in, the public library is handing out the shovels. Cut or kill the libraries and you yank away a shovel" (Libraries Are America's Lifelines. Leave Them Alone).

New York City libraries are facing a 22% budget cut (Library Journal). This would mean:

• Over 900 library employees would be laid off
• Many neighborhood libraries would be closed on the weekends
• Less programs such as storytime, computer workshops, workshops on resume, interviewing, and job searching, book discussions, health workshops, etc.
  
• Less books, DVDs, CDs, magazines, e-books, audiobooks, databases, etc.
  

What you can do:

• Write to your City Council Member.
• Find out more ways to take action to save NYC libraries.

BPL Sibshop Workshops

Over 60 people attended last week's Sibshop workshop series, hosted by Brooklyn Public Library, The Child's Place for Children with Special Needs. This was the first time the training has been offered in a library and one of the very few times it was offered without charge. Sibshops are workshops for children and teens who have a sibling or siblings with special needs. The two-day workshop series was conducted by Don Meyer, Director of the Sibling Support Project. Find out more about Sibshops.

Save NYC Public Libraries

All three library systems - Brooklyn Public Library, New York Public Library, and Queens Library are facing budget cuts in the coming fiscal year, which starts in July. Please take a moment and sign the petition to save NYC public libraries.

Sibshop Training and Sibling Workshop at Brooklyn Public Library

What: Sibshop Training and Sibling Workshop
Who: Siblings, parents, families, service providers, and anyone interested in learning more about sibshops and sibling issues.
When: Friday, May 8 and Saturday, May 9
Where: Brooklyn Public Library

Sibshops are workshops designed to celebrate the contributions made by brothers and sisters, as well as acknowledge the challenges of the sibling role. Don Meyer will discuss the good and not so good parts of being a sibling of a person who has special needs, while offering suggestions to parents and providers. There will be group discussions to share experiences and hear what
others have to say about growing up as a sibling of a person with special needs. The Saturday workshop is geared for 8 to 13 year olds and their families.

This is no charge to attend this workshop. For more information and to register - http://tinyurl.com/sibworkshop.

Libraries = Collections?

Over the past few years, based on conversations with people, libraries are associated with books, audiobooks, DVDs, CDs, e-books, databases, etc. - basically resources or collections of resources, regardless of the media type. Yesterday, I was doing shelf-reading of a print reference collection. Today, I had a conversation with a few colleagues about collections and circulation statistics. Overall, libraries are deeply connected and defined by its collections. My colleague, Nate Hill recently blogged a post about the changing role of public libraries which covers a bit of what I discussed in my last post and will discuss in this post.

For a long time, libraries have been and are still defined by their resources and collections of resources. Increasingly, people are finding information online on their own, which has brought up questions like why do we need libraries and how can libraries stay relevant. It's not only the resources that defines what libraries are, the library staff plays a crucial role. Why not encourage and support an environment for library staff to use their ideas, skills, creativity, and knowledge to collaborate with the community to develop, organize, create, and coordinate events, programs, wikis, blogs, etc. while using the collections? I think there's potential in libraries playing this kind of role and it's great to see that it's happening.