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8:00am - Registration Opens

9:00 – 10:15am

Teaching Tech to Patrons and Staff

Teaching classes to staff and patrons is easier than you think.  Emphasis on seemingly simple ideas, that aren’t so straightforward to everyone, such as social networking, cloud computing, and operating mobile devices.  This program will also cover a Teen Tech Squad and a volunteer initiative where teens provide one-on-one technology assistance with adults.

Speakers:  Jessica Lamarre, Youth Services Librarian, Pembroke Public Library; Ann Lattinville, Head of Children’s Services, Scituate Town Library; Peter Struzziero, Head of Teen Services, Scituate Town Library

MBLC:  Got Questions?  What Does the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners Do and How Can They Help Me?

Put a face to a name and meet the staff at the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners that helps to support, improve and promote library services throughout the Commonwealth.  Bring your questions about advocacy efforts, grant programs, resource sharing and statewide electronic resources, marketing, and support services.  Do you have comments or concerns?  We want to hear them too!  Join us for answers and more.

Speakers:  Dianne Carty and the MBLC Staff

Paralibrarians Get Certified: The New Improved PARA Program

The Massachusetts Library Association’s (MLA) PAralibrarian Recognition of Achievement (PARA) is now a Massachusetts statewide Paralibrarian Certification Program.  Everyone will be excited to learn about this certification opportunity for non-MLS degreed library staff.  From Directors to librarians to technicians – join us to learn about the PARA certification program.  Under the umbrella of MLA and in partnership with the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, hear about the program’s inception, development and application process.  What does it offer?  Who is it for?  Why bother?  Put it on your resume!  And meet the accomplished staffers who have earned PARA levels I, II, III, and IV.  Presented by the MLA Paralibrarian Section

Speakers:  Karen Horn, Circulation Supervisor, Sturgis Library, Barnstable; Meredith Toumayan, Topsfield Public Library

10:30 – 11:45am

COSTEP-MA:  Linking Libraries and Emergency Responders

COSTEP (Coordinated Statewide Emergency Preparedness) brings together representatives from all types of libraries, history organizations, museums, and emergency management to prepare for and respond to disasters that affect cultural institutions.  This session will introduce public, academic, and special library staff to COSTEP-MA and provide materials to help you connect with your community partners.

Speakers:  Ann Marie Willer, Preservation Librarian, MIT Libraries

Speed Dating with the Mass. Book Must-Read Authors

Speed Dating is a program for all levels of librarians from Pre-K through adult programmers, bringing approximately eight authors to lively round-robin, speed-dating conversations about books, reading, and author visits to libraries.  This will be the third time the program has been offered with growing interest each year.  Presented by the Massachusetts Center for the Book

Afraid to Advocate?  Get over it!!

Eric Poulin from the Greenfield Community College Library and John Ramsay from the Springfield City Library will present their experiences with grass roots advocacy efforts.  Although their examples are dramatic and in some ways unprecedented, they’ll highlight the critical need for advocacy for libraries, especially in difficult economic times.  They’ll also explain some of the ways that have been used to incite and motivate library supporters to stand up and let their voices be heard.  They’ll offer ways for people to get involved, even if they’ve never done it before or are reluctant about doing it.  Attendees will be invited to share their own experiences and reflections on this very important role for the library community.  Presented by the Western Massachusetts Library Advocates.

Speakers  Eric Poulin, Greenfield Community College Library; John Ramsay, Assistant Director, Springfield City Library

 

Celebrate Excellence:  Paralibrarian Awards & Annual Meeting

It’s a celebration of excellence!  After a brief Paralibrarian Section Annual Meeting, meet amazing Paralibrarians who work in libraries across Massachusetts.  Hoot ‘n holler for the nominees and award recipients for the 2013 Outstanding Paralibrarian of the Year and the 2013 Paralibrarian Advocate of the Year.  We will also cheer and applaud the new recipients of the MLA PARA Certification.  Don’t miss this terrific network and photo opportunity!  Presented by the MLA Paralibrarian Section

Speakers:  Robin Demas, Head of Circulation, Concord Free Public Library; Denise Faucher, Human Resources Director, Worcester Public Library

11:45am – 12:45pm

Buffet Lunch in the Tent    (Prepaid Ticket required)

12:45 – 2:00pm

What’s New in Statewide Resource Sharing

Last Spring, the Board of Library Commissioners appointed a Committee to look at the resource sharing needs of libraries statewide.   The Committee undertook the challenge of setting up a pilot e-book project that will debut in 2013 and began to explore other issues such as a discovery platform and statewide library card.  Members of the Resource Sharing Committee and pilot libraries will join Deb Hoadley, Project Manager of E-Book project and Advisor,  Massachusetts Library System, and Cindy Roach, Convener of Statewide Resource Sharing Committee and Head of Library  Advisory and Development, to talk about the these projects and future ideas for statewide resource sharing.

Speakers:  Deb Hoadley, Advisor, Massachusetts Library System; Cindy Roach, Head of Library Advisory and Development, Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners

 

Supporting Diverse Community Needs through Floating Collections

With declining budgets and fewer resources, public libraries must find efficiencies in collection development and management. Join us to hear examples of how two New York City libraries have used floating to find cost savings, ensure the relevance of their collections and improve community service models.

Speakers: Charlene Rue, Director of Collection Development, Brooklyn Public Library; Miriam Tuliao, New York Public Library

Library Services and the Future of the Catalog: Lessons from Recent ILS Upgrades

Are catalogs vital components of our public service work or simply technical components that belong to the technical folks in the back of the house? How is the role of Integrated Library Systems changing? Several Massachusetts Networks have recently upgraded and several more are presently weighing options for future change. Leaders from these networks will speak about their experiences with the upgrade process and share their thoughts on the role of catalogs in our work and what the future may bring.

Speakers:  David Leonard, Director of Administration & Technology, Boston Public Library; Kathy Lussier, Project Coordinator, Massachusetts Library Network Cooperative; Susan Mcalister, Executive Director, Minuteman Library Network; Larry Rungren, Executive Director, Merrimack Valley Library Consortium; Matthew Sylvain, Associate Librarian, University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth

How Well-Balanced Are You?:  Revolution Community Presents a Calming Moment

Working in a library can be a stressful mix of multi-tasking, brainstorming and deadlines.  Treat yourself to a quiet moment to recoup and find a fresh perspective.  Paula Blanchard, Co-founder of Revolution Community, will guide you through an hour of meditation techniques, breathing exercises, and calming practices to help you enjoy the process of program planning, sing-alongs, book groups, and long lines at the check-out desk.  Presented by the MLA Paralibrarian Section

Speaker:  Paula Blanchard, Revolution Community Yoga

2:00 – 3:00pm

Exclusive Exhibit Break

3:00 – 4:15pm

They Don’t Outgrow It: Lifespan Services to Patrons with Autism Spectrum Disorders

This informative panel will give attendees a short overview and presentation of Autism Spectrum Disorders in young adults and adults and how to best serve them and communicate with them.  Join this panel geared toward circulation and reference staff followed by a lively Q&A session.

Speakers:  Elizabeth Avery, Volunteer and Speaker for Understanding Our Differences, Weymouth Public Library; Dot Lucci, Program Director and Director of Consultation Services, Massachusetts General Hospital Aspire Prgram; Peter Struzziero, Head of Teen Services, Scituate Public Library; Ashley Waring, Children’s Librarian, Reading Public Library; moderated by Virginia Johnson, Head of Technical Services, Weymouth Public Libraries.

Loaning eReaders to the Public:  The Legal and Strategic Challenges

More and more libraries are looking at ways to circulate e-readers to help connect patrons to new digital services. How do you decide if an eReader lending program is right for your community?  What are some challenges you can expect lending new technologies in your library? Anne Silvers Lee and Jamie Wilson of the Free Library of Philadelphia will discuss the experiences of the Free Library of Philadelphia where e-readers have been circulating with some unexpected results since 2011. Melissa Andrews of the Boston Public Library will describe BPL’s pilot ipad lending program, launching in May 2103.

Speakers:  Melissa Andrews, Collections Supervisor, Boston Public Library; Ann Silvers Lee, Chief of the Materials Management Division, Free Library of Philadelphia; Jamie Wilson, Electronic Resources Coordinator, Free Library of Philadelphia

It Takes a Village: An Experiment in Building Metadata Skills

The library profession is both excited and anxious to adopt new metadata schemas for describing digital materials, but many face a fundamental problem; how to get started?  How to spread this specialized knowledge throughout a staff with widely divergent skillsets and varying levels of comfort?  Over the past year, staff in the Special Collections and University Archives (SCUA) at UMass Amherst trained twenty-five employees from nearly every department in the library in how to use the MODS metadata schema.  The key to this project was the model of teaching the standard through work on a set of 13,000 digital images that needed updating.  Through this experiment, SCUA has learned a great deal about how to transfer a specialized skillset from one department to another in a way that advances the cause of the entire library. 

Speakers:  Robert S. Cox, Head of Special Collections and University Archives, UMass Amherst Libraries; Jeremy Smith, Digital Project Manager, Special Collections and University Archives, UMass Amherst Libraries; Elizabeth Loving, Scholarly Communications  Assistant; UMass Amherst Libraries

Stay Focused, Stay Motivated

Patrons/Customers are the reason that libraries exist.  Great customer service is the key to a library’s survival in this day and age; it cannot be stressed enough how essential it is for every library employee.  How can directors motivate their staff to deliver good customer service on a regular basis?  How can staff motivate themselves to continue to provide good service?  Dan Collier will help us to achieve an improved understanding of the importance of good customer service.  Presented by the MLA Personnel Committee.

Speaker:  Dan Collier, Collier Performance Consultants

4:30 – 5:30pm

Book Cart Drill Team Competition

Under the BIG TOP Tent!  Entertainment Galore!  The Massachusetts State Book Cart Drill Team Competition, sponsored by DEMCO and the MLA Paralibrarian Section!  Why a Book Cart Drill Team Competition?  Marketing, branding, team building, community participation, librarians and paralibrarians working together!  DEMCO gift certificate prizes!  Trophies!  Wow!  Presented by the MLA Paralibrarian Section.

6:30 – 9:00pm

Dinner with Elinor Lipman

Elinor Lipman is the author of ten novels, including The View from Penthouse B and The Inn at Lake Devine, and two works of nonfiction, I Can’t Complain: (All Too) Personal Essays and Tweet Land of Liberty: Irreverent Rhymes from the Political Circus.  She lives in New York City