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.

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.

Workshops on Sibling Issues & Sibshop Model This Friday & Saturday

What: Workshops on Sibling Issues and Sibshop Model Training
When: Friday, May 8 and Saturday,May 9
Where: Brooklyn Public Library (Brooklyn, New York)
Who: Siblings, parents, families, service providers, and anyone interested in sibling issues

Workshop Details:

Friday, May 8 from 9am-4pm

• Brothers & Sisters of People with Special Needs: Unusual Concerns, Unusual Opportunities
• A Panel of Brothers & Sisters
• Sibshops: Getting Started
  

Saturday, May 9 from 9am-3pm

• Demonstration Sibshop
  

* No need to register at this point, just show up. More information

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.

Sibshop Workshop Series on May 8 and 9

Brothers & Sisters of People with Special Needs: Too Important to Ignore! A Workshop Series: Friday, May 8 & Saturday, May 9, 2009.

The workshop series include:

• Brothers & Sisters of People with Special Needs: Unusual Concerns, Unusual Opportunities
• A Panel of Brothers & Sisters
• Sibshops: Getting Started
• Demonstration Sibshop

This is a good opportunity for parents and families to learn about sibling issues and for service providers and those interested to learn more about sibshops and get training.

Please register by Friday, April 24th. For more information and to register.

This program is sponsored by the Brooklyn Public Library and the Children's Services Committee of the Brooklyn Developmental Disabilities Council. Additional support provided by the Brooklyn Early Childhood Direction Center, YAI/National Institute for People with Disabilities and New York State Developmental Disabilities Planning Council.

Science, Magic, Medicine, and Harry Potter

This is really cool. The American Library Association (ALA) Public Programs Office, in cooperation with the National Library of Medicine (NLM) has a traveling exhibition, "Harry Potter's World: Renaissance Science, Magic, and Medicine", which was created to explore the link between Harry Potter and the history of science using materials from the National Library of Medicine. Public, academic and medical libraries may apply to host the banner exhibition. The deadline is May 1. Check out the exhibition site.