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.

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.

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.

Libraries for the Future (LFF) Closes

Libraries for the Future (LFF), a national non-profit organization that supports innovation and investment in America's libraries, has closed due to budget issues. LFF developed and supported many great programs, including the Human Genome Project Community Conversations, a project that aims to promote genetics literacy in communities by using public libraries as a resource for information and venue for workshops, lectures, and discussions. I am actively involved with this project at Brooklyn Public Library (BPL). This project will continue since there are still some funds, but it's sad to see that a national non-profit organization of 17 years is now closed.