ALA CONVENTION 2007
Created | Updated Jun 5, 2023
ALA CONVENTION 2007
I had been a member of the American Libary Association since the early 1970s, and had worked as a profesional lirarian since 1973, but until about the year 2000 my library only ever sent the director and/or assistant director. Things changed with the new century (or maybe the director didn't feel like going). Anyway, the professionals started taking turns. In 2002 and again in 2007 I attended. 2007 was especially important because I heard that Julie Andrews would be one of the featured speakers at the convention in Washington, D.C. from June 22 through June 26. It was important to preregister for the convention and reserve hotel rooms early. Fortunately, you could make arrangements for both hotel sp[ace and the convention by going to http://www.ala.org/ala/eventsandconferencesb/annual/2007a/home.htm. I received confirmation on March 9th of my reservation for a room at Doubletree Crystal City hotel in Arlington, Virginia fromJune 22 through June 25. What follows is a day-by-day account of my experiences. I took copious notes by hand, and they may put you to sleep, but I had to take them so the people who paid for my trip could read them after I got back.
FRIDAY, JUNE 22
Got up at 6:00 a.m., had breakfast, and brought two packed suitcases to the bus stop near my home. The 7:25 (a.m.) bus got me to Forest Hills at 7:50. I got the orange line subway to South Station, where I got my tickets for the 9:20 Acela train to Washington, D.C. I dozed off many times during the trip. How nice not to have to stay awake to drive! When the train stopped at Union Station, I went down into the subway. Washington, Like Boston, has its subway lines color-coded. I took the red line to Galleria-Chinatown Station, changed to the yellow line, and got off at Crystal City Station. (Thank goodness I had looked up the route before I left Boston!) Unfortunately, even the best planning can't prepare you for the way streets will look when you are on them. 18th Street? St.Eades Street? I was looking for the Double Tree Hotel. Finally I found it (Whew!) I checked in, left my stuff in my room, and went looking for supper. I had passed a four-level urban shopping mall called Fashion Center on my way, so I headed for the food court, which had some good Thai food (Is there any bad Thai food? I haven't ever found any). Well, if I didn't want to get hopelessly lost in Washington, I would need some street maps. Happily there was a Border's book store on the way. It had a map of Washington. It was 8:30 p.m. when I got back to the hotel. Kind of a long day....
SATURDAY, JUNE 23
I made it to the Renaissance Ballroom East for a workshop with the title "We have the data, now what?" 10:30-12:00 a.m. It was about putting your collection assessment data to work. I soon began to realize that the libraians for whom this workhop was designed worked at big academic libraries where the goal was to digitize as many books as possible so they could be shared with other big academic libraries. It made sense, apparently, for such libraries to buy things that few other libraries had, then digitize them and share them online. Some items wouldn't need digitization, as Google had already done them. I come from a medium-sized public library where sharing resources was more about getting physical items from other libraries or, perhaps, through interlibrary loan from elsewhere on the planet. We are pretty much expected to have enough copies of the latest best-sellers that patrons won't have to wait nine months for copies to arrive. Big disconnect!
From 1:30-3:30, I went to a workshop on training the public on electronic databases. This was a bit more relevant to what I do. We were told that everyone on the staff should develop skill at doing this. Make every staff meeting a training opportunity. Have multiple staff-taught courses, and don't try more than two hours at a time. Don't let people talk over one another. Prepare for drop-in training. There was discussion of databases such as Proquest and Novelist. Staff needs to know how to walk the public through these.
After this I went walking in Lafayette Park, saw the back of the White House, then took the Metro home form Farragut North Station.
SUNDAY, JUNE 24
So there I was at 8:00 on a Sunday morning, attending a two-hour workshop called "10 cool technologies for library PR." It's not that I was exceptionally virtuous (which I was), but that I would need to write a report on what I had learned. Writing reports was something I could do. By now I had taken 24 pages of notes, so I would at least have something to show for my efforts. Anyway, the first speaker was telling us that Leaders want to see benefits. Directors want to see advantages. Influencers want to see features. Customers want to see functions. We need to let the public know that we have more than books. Create awareness with your logo. (My leaders back home would surely want to see results when I got back!)
When something new comes out, there are different kinds of people. First there are the innovators, who are fascinated with technology, have a lot of confidence, and often are self-taught. Then there are the early adopters, who are motivated to leapfrog the competition and try new things. There are disseminators. There are late-adopters, and there are non-adopters. Attributes that favor rapid adoption: relative advantage, compatibility with what people want to do, testability.
Some things that help you sell people on the advantages of your services: communicate, make eye contact, tell a story. If you bring rock bands to your library for a concert, make them bands that the local kids have heard of.
Don't put 90% of your effort into an annual report that no one reads. Your materials should have a call to action on them
For late adopters you need to stress obvious solutions to problems that they have, with very little risk, and help with the social pressures that the late-adopters are getting.
Useful approach to presentations: get used to an audience of one. Develop the scalable presentation. Learn to present in numerous environments.
Finally the workshop got around to identifying the ten cool technologies. As I write these notes in 2023, I'm sure that anyone reading them will know the technologies. However, in 2007 I had heard of hardly any of them. Here they are: 1. Youtube. 2. Second Life. 3. My Space. 4. Facebook. 5. Flickr. 6. Podcasts. 7. Wikipedia. 8. Ning. 9. Twitter. 10. Mozes. 11. Now public. 12. My bloglog. 13. Technorats. 14. Linkedin/Plaxo. 15. Webex-live meetings.
(I think the organizers got carried away. They promised ten technologies, but came up with 15. Actually, there were 16, but I didn't write fast enough to get one of them)
Being a glutton for punishment, I then went to a workshop from 10:30 to Noon called "TRANSFORMING YOUR SPACE." Librarians never stop trying to improve their libraries, but space affects everything. One speaker spoke of a mixed-use development that combined retail, park, and housing. The library's main floor was set up like a bookstore. The next speaker talked about a large college library. I was not able to identify much that I could use, though his description of a cybercafe where people could watch sports matches sounded cool. The third speaker was from a town with budget problems. The town had no town center, so the director organized the library as if it were the center of town. Every corridor had a street name. There's an Internet cafe, which produces $1,600 in revenue for the library from the vending machines. The reference room had a lot of windows, so the shelves were moved away from them to afford a nice view of the town. A lot of color and paint were added. Patrons were allowed to rearrange the furniture. The speaker urged librarians to take field trips to local Target, Staples, and grocery stores to see how they are organized, then try to adopt some of their practices, so patrons will feel comfortable when they visit the library.
Having gotten two solid workshops out of the way, it was time for some sightseeing. I walked down 7th Street to Independence Avenue and took a leisurely stroll through the Botanical garden.
MONDAY, JUNE 25
From 8:00 to 10:00, there was the 12th Annual SORT Walking Tour, which explored historic sites near DuPont Circle and more! It's not in my notes, so maybe I was saving my energy for Julie Andres' presentation. It was called "Presenting Julie Andrews," which took place from 10:30 to 12:00. This is how the American Library Associaiton billed her appearance in its convention brochure:
"American Libraries presents Julie Andrews, legendary star of stage, screen, and television. A special centennial program sponsored by HarperCollins. Andrews, who has enchanted generations with her music, film, and television performances, has stepped into the stage of literature. A longtime advocate for children's causes and literacy, Andrews has now focused her talent on children's books; a natural fit for an artist who as left her mark on the childhood of people worldwide. Don't miss the opportunity to hear this extraordinary voice on children literature, and the stories that help shape our lives as the Association's membership journal celebrates 100 years of publishing."
The advertising worked. There wasn't an empty seat in the house. I came extra early, and managed to find a spot in the third row. The editor of "American Libraries" (the monthly magazine published by the ALA) came out to say that this presentation had been arranged in honor of the centennial of the publication. This convention is the largest and best-attended in ALA's history (I bet they always say that). No cell phones and cameras allowed. Miss Andrews has tapped into the joy and power of reading as a children's author. A short film was shown, with highlights of Miss Andrews' career.
Then Julie Andrews got up to speak. "I so applaud the work that you do," she told the librarians in attendance. She congratulated "American Libaries" on a hunded years of publication. "This puts me at mid-career," she continued. She explained that she was an immigrant, having lived in the U.S. for 45 years. "I have a tremendous appreciation for libraries." She called the ALA convention the "Biggest blasted crackerjack factory." She went on to describe her father as a teacher, though her peripatetic existence as a performer meant that she was "never in one place long enough to attend a regular school." Tutors had to be hired. She got her start as a writer of children's book during a lull in her acting career in the early 1970s. (That was when I had started my career as a librarian, so she had been writing for as long as I had been librarying.) At first she was regarded as a celebrity author, but by 2007 she had been a professional author for more than 30 years. "Mandy," her first book, had recently celebrated its 35th anniversry. "Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles," her best selling book, had been published in 1973 and was still a bestseller. Instead of having illustrations, she decided to ask readers to draw their own. Ten years ago, Miss Andrews started a collaborative series with Emma Walton Hamilton, her daughter. She has now started the Julie Andrews collection, which publishes books by other authors. The series incorporates the arts, in particular the performing arts. Her "Great American Mousical" was turned into a stage musical at the request of fans.
The ALA asked Julie to be an advocate for literacy by chairing National Library Week in 2008. Julie's take on literacy was that children run the risk of being spoonfed rather than being allowed to participate. A library takes the gift of reading one step further. Libraries are an antidote to the isolation of the Internet. Julie said that she would prefer to have her grandchildren learn the meaning of "scrotum" in a library.
And then it was over. I joined a small number of participants who moved to the edge of the stage. Julie lingered a few moments (I was no more than seven feet from her), and then she was gone. If ever there was a time when I wished time could stand still, this was it.
From 1:30-3:30, in the Constitution Ballroom A-B (HyattHotel) there was a program called "Time odyssey, vision of reference and user services in 2017." The program started with a membership meeting for Reference USA, a subsidiary of the ALA. Then the program got under way in earnest.
The first speaker said, "The future may not be all that magical." People are amassing large videocollections in their homes. Starbucks and Barnes & Noble are encroaching on libraries' territory. Paper is a stubborn and persistent artifact. But libraries are important social hubs. They represent locatedness, making architectural statements. They are information distribution points for things such as tax forms.They've always been sites of high tech. The first bookmobile came near Washington more than 100 years ao. 95% of U.S. libraries have computer access. Attendance is up among all age brackets. Libraries are seen as safe places for children. Connectivity will get better and cheaper. By 2010, the average person will have huge home collectioons, but figuring out where individua sites are will get harder. Libraries will help sort it out. What libraries do is in itself a political act.
The second speaker said that computing power will double every two years, so 2017 will have 30 times as much capacity. We'll be wearing devices that talk to each other. Half of Americans have broadband connections. The other half will need libraries. Those who invented the Internet think they screwed up. The architecture of the Internet will become more secure and efficient. Who owns information? Who should pay for it? Tomorrow you won't hear music on the Internet. Some rock bands don't play riffs on their themes because people in the audience will record them and play them in their blogs faster than the bands can put them under copyright. Bloggers are empowering, but they forget that they are sharing information about themselves with the world. Will this make them so Googlable that they can't get into college or get a date? Nine ways that librarians can manage the future: 1. They know the contours of people's info needs. 2. we can manage info. 3. we know the importance of standards. 4. we have credibility. 5. We are capable of teaching. 6. we can explain what freedom of speech means. 7. we can be watchdogs on new systems. 8. we can guide conversations about new norms. 9. we can get up to speed on new systems.
The third speaker: How will we read in 2017? There may still be reference desks. Size eventully matters. Robots will read, understand, and not get bored. There will be ways other than reading for finding content. Technology arrives just in time to keep some functions going. The librarian's goal will still be the same.
The fourth speaker: There will still be reference desks because universities are really bad at getting rid of furniture. Librarians have a unique set ofskills. Libraries that offer all levels of service will be in he best position. We can spot emerging changes, scanning the horion. The strategy of looking for change is the underpinning of futurism. Stopping climate change is a dead issue. We need to adapt. We should monitor changes to see which ones will affect other changes. How is Generation Y growing up? How are laws changing?
After the last workshop I walked down 9th Street to 14th Street, and then walked to the Washington Monument, then up 17th street to Farragut West Station, where I caught the Metro for Pentagon City, where I got off and walked to the Double Tree Hotel, picked up my luggage and was shuttled to Crystal City Hilton for the final night.
