conferences

conferences

ALA Annual Alerts Librarians to Ideas and Innovations

ALA Annual Alerts Librarians to Ideas and Innovations

, Heidi Huff 0 Comments
Every June the American Library Association holds their Annual Conference; this year I had the opportunity of attending it, in Anaheim, CA, for the first time.  The American Library Association is a professional organization for all disciplines of librarians to receive support for their positions in the form of networking, resources, and professional development opportunities, including Annual, to “enhance learning and ensure access to information for all.”  There really is something for every type of librarian, from academic to public from private to prison.   I attended a variety of sessions to match the variety of job duties and interests I have, including but not limited to Innovative Outreach, Working with Grants, Civic Engagement, and Promotional Videos.  Additionally, I walked through … Continued
New Orleans: After Katrina, Then and Now

New Orleans: After Katrina, Then and Now

Lora Baldwin 0 Comments
New Orleans, or NOLA, is a great place to attend a conference. I recently attended my fifth American Library Association annual meeting there. In June 2006, ALA was the first conference in NOLA after Hurricane Katrina laid waste to the City. It was in the New Orleans convention center that was made famous by the hordes of people who had nowhere else to go during the flooding. The Ernest N. Morial Convention Center is over a mile long, but only a part of it was ready in time for the ALA conference. The first thing noticeable while driving into New Orleans in 2006 was the number of roofs covered with blue tarps. We stayed south of the city, in a … Continued
Intentional Spaces

Intentional Spaces

, , Interns, Library Services, Matt Dilworth
This year, while attending the annual American Library Association conference, graduate intern Sarah Gilchrist presented on “The Library Living Room: Creating Learning Relationships” (you can see her poster behind her in the picture).  Thousands of librarians from all over the country attend the ALA annual conference, and Sarah’s presentation gave us a chance to share with others the success of that unique learning environment, even as she learned about their new ideas.   The Library Living Room is a great space, and an excellent study or hang-out area for students (when classes aren’t running there!).  But it is just one of many intentional spaces in the library.  We’ve changed a lot of rooms in the library to better suit student … Continued
New Information in Genealogy

New Information in Genealogy

, Marcia Sloan 0 Comments
The Indiana State Library has recently hosted two genealogy workshops.  This fall the Indiana Genealogy and Local History Fair had vendors selling county history books, introductions to county libraries, and genealogy supply vendors.  The best part, this year, were the three speakers.  The first speaker, Marianne S. Wokeck, gave a presentation on “What Was in it for Women? The Role of Female Immigrants and Settlers.”  The second speaker, Dani Pfaff, gave a presentation called “Indiana Land Records: Not for the Faint of Heart.”  After lunch the third speaker, Andrew Kossack, spoke on “Access to Public Records Act Essentials.” While the speakers were there to talk about genealogy, I found that most of their information would fit in with some of … Continued
ALA Conference Recap

ALA Conference Recap

Matt Dilworth
The American Library Association’s annual conference was held in Washington, D.C. last weekend.  26,000 librarians from all over the country converged to discuss the pressing issues of libraries and information access.  This was the first time I had attended, and I was amazed at the scale and breadth of opportunities and challenges facing librarians today. There were numerous breakout sessions, panel discussions, and presentations there, including poster sessions.  In fact, out of 120 poster sessions offered at the conference, IU East was privileged to offer three of them.  I got to present the library’s action figure tour (on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IENKivi3pEg).  About a hundred people came by to look at the dolls and hear how and why we made it.  … Continued