OLA 2014 Conference review and the future of SSD

Susan Gilmont, a Library Technician III at the Guin Library Hatfield Marine Science Center, writes about her experiences and inspirations at the recent OLA conference the SSD took part in:

I was fortunate to be able to attend the first day of the 2014 Oregon Library Association conference, "The Inside Out Library." It was a great experience, and really recharged me. The OLA Support Staff Division had 6 sessions at the conference, 4 of which were made on Thursday. As the SSD Continuing Education Committee chair, my job was to find presenters, propose sessions, keep presenters informed, help them with conference minutiae, and introduce them when necessary.

The keynote address was made by two New Jersey librarians, Norma Blake and Kathy Schak-Greene, and was called "The Innies and Outies of Libraries." "Outies" advocated for libraries and reached out to local officials and organizations. "Innies" worked to advance their libraries on the inside through marketing, merchandising and partnerships. Perhaps the most intriguing concept of the talk was the idea of public library design "SWAT" teams that offer expertise to help libraries become more welcoming spaces through redesign and reorganization. Often a simple coat of paint and de-cluttering made a huge difference. "Weed aggressively. Clarify purpose and create zones." This was all very interesting in light of the Guin Library's recent remodel.

I wouldn't have dreamed of missing "Oral History and Libraries: a Perfect Fit." Three librarians from Lake Oswego Public Library led off with a description of their current oral history project, "In Their Own Words II." This project picks up at the point where a Bicentennial project in 1976 left off. They gave "how-tos," including hardware and software recommendations and pointers to good resources. They noted the importance of volunteer training and the need to get it right the first time, since many older people interviewed may not be around for a second take. The presentation was topped off by Mike Dicianna, a PSU student worker in SCARC, who talked about OSU's sesquicentennial oral history project and played a passionate and moving clip from the president of the OSU student body in the 1941-1942 school year. It was a knock-out clip, and really showed the importance of hearing people in their own voices.  This was an inspiring session. For more information, see NW Central. SSD sponsored this session.

Although I'm not a librarian, I do care about libraries, and "Building an Effective Library Advocacy Network" was another great session. Although some of it reiterated the themes of the keynote address, Peter Leonard from Cedar Mill Library, Vailley Oelhke from Multnomah County Libraries and Buzzy Nielsen from Mount Hood County Library District drew on their own experiences to forge and sustain vital networks of library supporters. It was wonderful to sit back and see all the earnest note-taking going on and listen to the excellent questions. I know we did some good there. SSD and PLD sponsored this session.

The last session I attended was "The Inside-Out Organization," a look at OLA itself, hosted by past chairs. The goal there was to get potential OLA volunteers. I had a different goal -- I was looking for clues for revitalizing SSD. We weren't able to have a conference this year because nobody volunteered to chair the Conference Committee. Last year, the SSD Board put on the conference, again because of a lack of volunteers. SSD needs new energy, a new generation of involved members, and a new generation of supportive library directors. There is no doubt that the Great Recession has hurt all volunteer organizations, and things may improve as the economy slowly rebounds. But what shape will SSD be in by then? All I can say is what I have learned: service is its own reward.

My spirits were improved by the SSD business meeting, when three of us executive committee members met with four members. One of them came forward and said she was interested in getting involved. Another was one of our scholarship recipients, who was able to attend the conference because of support provided by SSD. It made me feel better. I don’t know if it is the networking with old friends, or a general charge from the good energy in the air, but I really do feel more optimistic about the future.

All in all, this was an excellent experience.

Works Well With Others

Today we have a message from Susan Gilmont. It sounds like a great opportunity!

I don’t know how you folks are evaluated these days, but here’s a criterion that goes into my annual evaluation:

“Cooperative effort to achieve common goals; ability to work well with others”

Here’s a suggestion for a way to meet this goal:  join the SSD Continuing Education Committee.

If you’d like to meet and work with top-tier library employees from all over the state, this is the place.  If you’re looking for a growth experience, or to enhance your resume by showing how you can “work well with others,” then this is a good opportunity.  If you have a boss who is pushing you to expand your horizons, this could be the answer.  If you are just looking for a place to make a contribution, boy do we have a spot for you.

The Continuing Education Committee finds presenters for OLA and sponsors sessions there.  There are two flurries of activity around this – one in September, when we propose sessions, and one just before OLA.  Most meeting and planning is done by e-mail, calls or Skyping.  Easier than ever.

What it does for you:  I’ve been on this committee for a lot of years. It’s very energizing.  You find yourself looking at educational offerings in a whole new light:  would this speaker be good for OLA?  What sessions have I always wanted to see?  What do we all think about but nobody talks about (like money)? It turns you outward, makes you look around in a new way.  Very good for a person.  You have a reason to go to that workshop that made you curious.  It’s also justification for you to attend OLA, if you need something like OLA involvement to back up your attendance.

So, please consider joining us.  We’ll have a good time, and we’ll make a contribution.  If you are interested, please contact me at:  susan.gilmont@oregonstate.edu  .

Oregon Libraries in the News this week

 The Rockwood library, part of Multnomah County Libraries, "with the help of Volunteers of America and Catering for a Cause, ... will be offering hot lunches as part of the federal summer food program" to feed hungry kids. How amazing is that?

Does your library have unusual or innovative programs to help out the community?

Oregon City Library

The Oregon City Library, headed by Maureen Cole (also appearing at our conference this year),  is looking to expand in its current location. This has been an ongoing issue for several years. I think the most interesting thing is the Carnegie library was originally built to accommodate an expansion. What a forward-thinking idea! Let's all keep our fingers crossed for Oregon City.

How many Carnegie libraries are in Oregon? Do you work in one?

SSD Conference Breakout Session: Coping with Change

We have some great breakout sessions planned for this year's SSD conference. Here is some more information about the Coping with Change session:

If the first three things you think of when you hear about a change at work are “not this again,” or “if I hear about one more change, I'm just going to spit,” or “I can’t take this anymore,” then attend this session! Together we’ll explore the human side of change, trade tips on living through change, and talk about skills which will help you, and therefore your employer, get through change at work. Libraries are being challenged to be adaptable and flexible in order to survive; that has to start with staff. In his session, we’ll work together to adapt our attitudes about change from evil, awful, and horrid to exciting, invigorating and stimulating.

Presenter Bio: Maureen (Mo) Cole is the Director of the Oregon City Public Library, moving to that position in 2009 after working at the Eugene Public Library for 3 years and the Kellenberger Library at Northwest Christian University for 10 years. This year marks her 20th year as a librarian and she notes that the technology has completely changed during that time. Maureen brings a unique perspective because of her broad range of experiences in special, school, academic and public libraries in volunteer, classified and management positions ranging from technical services to public services. She was even a library board member at one point. Even though she is certain that the pace of change has completely exceeded our human capacity to change, she knows that library staff are superheroes who are up to any challenge.