Conference report 2008

~2008 NYSLAA Conference Report~

By Susie Flick, Geneva Public Library.

This is a full report of what Susie experienced at the 2008 NYSLAA conference.

This was my first NYSLAA conference, and I was pleased with all of the information that I went home with. I met so many great people, and was happy to have been able to talk with library support staff from all across the state.

The first workshop I attended was Social networking 101. This workshop dealt with some of the ins and out of MySpace and Facebook. It was a general “getting to know you” type of workshop for people that are not too familiar with these social networking sites. Most of the focus was directed to keeping teens aware of what is and is not a good idea to put on their profiles. Most of our young adult patrons use these types of sites for talking to their friends, but also talking to people they do not know. This workshop talked of the opportunity to use these types of sites to share ideas about internet safety and to keep an eye on what the kids in your library are up to.

Another feature of this workshop was to use social networking as a tool to get people into your library. Thinking of a MySpace page as a billboard for your library is way to “get the word out” on programs, materials, services and anything else your library has to offer.

My second workshop was Save Energy, Save Dollars. This workshop was put on by Onondaga County Cooperative Extension, and was a real eye opener for me. It focused on the four main energy users; heating & cooling, appliances, lighting and hot water. The amount of savings in just a few areas of your home or workplace are staggering. Just by replacing one 75 watt bulb with a new 20 watt high efficiency bulb will save you $74 dollars over the life of the bulb in energy costs. The presenter of this workshop suggested that everyone should request an energy audit (by someone certified to do so) to see where most of your energy dollars are going. A few of the websites for energy saving were:

http://www.getenergysmart.org (NYSERDA Web Site)

http://www.energystar.gov (Energy Star Appliances)

http://www.homeenergysaver.lbl.gov (web-based do-it-yourself energy audit tool)

With the completion of this workshop, we all received energy tool kits. These kits included; an energy efficient light bulb, a window insulation kit, rope caulk, draft strips and a mini thermometer to test the temperature of your refrigerator/freezer. All in all, this workshop taught me a lot about easy steps to save energy and save money.

The third workshop I attended, was Fishing for Fiction. There was so much information in this workshop, that we were unable to get through all of it before our time ran out. The presenter provided us with an enormous list of websites for different genres that have information about different books, series and authors. Some of these sites have ratings systems and reviews, which is helpful if you cannot make up your mind, and want to try a recommended read. Others have character directories, and AKA searches for when you are looking for a series with a specific character in it or looking for books written under an alias.

Along with the lists of websites the presenter provided, he also gave us over 10 different bookmarks listing different genres, with a list of books that fit into each category. The presenter, an employee of the Liverpool Public Library, also told us about a new program they have started to promote reading. The library gives the patron a log to keep track of the items they have read, and when they reach 23, 56, or 99 books, they receive a different t-shirt with the number of books they have read on it. For example; after reading 23 books, the patron receives a t-shirt that reads, “I read 23 books at the Liverpool Public Library.” The library provides the first shirt, and each shirt after that the patron will have to purchase. A great idea to get patrons reading!

The last workshop I attended was Working Internally and Externally With Diverse Groups. This workshop was a quick overview of working well with the public, as well as internally with your co-workers. We discussed the shift from thinking of people as patrons, to thinking of them as customers. Our role as library employees is to supply the customers with what they want and need, and to always exceed the customers expectations. Our main goal is to get our customers to return to the library and do repeat business with us.

We also discussed ways to deal effectively with co-workers. One way is to be mindful of multigenerational gaps. Different generations have different work ethics and different ways of doing things. The key is to be aware of these differences, but appreciate a person’s strengths, and to manage differences quickly without conflict.

I learned so much from my time at the NYSLAA conference, and truly look forward to attending next year. What I have learned and brought with me back to my workplace will allow me to be a better employee. The presenters, volunteers, and fellow attendees were amazing, and I can’t compliment them enough. I am proud to be a member of such a great organization.