Hope to see you in Denver, Colorado
Posted on 19. Mar, 2010 by Andrea Berstler in All Current Posts, Latest Posts: Andrea Berstler
The Association for Rural & Small Libraries
and
The Association of Bookmobile & Outreach Services
are pleased to announce that registrations are now open for their
2010 Joint Conference
Magic in the Mile High City!
to be held in Denver, Colorado at the
Crowne Plaza Hotel
October 14-16, 2010
There are some interesting, educational and exciting plans for this year’s conference.
The Keynote Speaker for Thursday’s Opening Session will be Dr Loriene Roy, past President of ALA. For the Closing Session on Saturday morning, Pat Wagner from Pattern Research will address the group. Both individuals are well known and respected speakers in the library world.
In addition, local author and radio personality Dom Testa will speak at an Friday Author’s Lunch. A Wednesday night Welcome Mixer is planned to allow you to meet old friends and make some new ones. There will be dine-arounds on Thursday evening and a Magic Show on Friday night. A time to visit bookmobiles, stop by the vendor tables as well as to reconnect with friends and associates from across the county will be included in this year’s schedule. Workshop selection is being finalized and workshop titles will be announced in a few weeks. Some of the topics for this year’s workshops include gaming in the library, using outreach programs for children and teens, ethics, library advocacy, and managing change.
Early Bird member’s rate for conference registration is $200. https://www.bcr.org/ARSL/conf10/index.html (good through 8/29/2010)
Three exciting pre-conferences are planned as well.
All are scheduled for Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Dealing with a Runaway Board will offer real world solutions for those who are having difficulty managing boards, directors or other library personnel who are out of control. A panel of experts will work with attendees to develop solutions for your situation.
10 Things You Should Know Before Disaster Strikes will take you step by step through disaster preparedness; what you need, who you should call and how to organize now, before a disaster hits your library. This workshop includes a hands-on salvage workshop for restoring damaged library materials.
Think Outside the Box is a 1/2 day tour of the two newest libraries in the Anything Library System. LEED Certified and completely Deweyless, these two new libraries offer an opportunity for you to see a different kind of library. Meet with the architect, talk to the directors and tour the facilities. Transpiration to and from the libraries is included.
The Crown Plaza Hotel - Denver Airport - is situated just outside lovely Denver, Colorado at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. Minutes from the Denver International Airport, the hotel offers a lovely lobby area, a restaurant with a wide variety of meals, an exercise room, business center and swimming pool. All the rooms for the conference will have free internet access and the conference room rate is only $99 per night (single or double occupancy). This rate is good for 3 days before and after the conference, so plan an extra day and do some sightseeing. The hotel also will provide a free shuttle service to and from the Denver Airport. Be sure to ask about it when you register (303-371-9494). www.cpdenverairport.com
Conference registration information and an online conference brochure can be found at the following link: http://www.arsl.info/annual-conference-awards-calendar/denver-conference-2010
To register, please stop by the Conference Registration and Exhibitor website – https://www.bcr.org/ARSL/conf10/index.html
If you have any questions regarding the upcoming conference – please send email to arslannualconference@gmail.com
I really hope to see you there!
Library Olympians
Posted on 18. Feb, 2010 by Andrea Berstler in All Current Posts, Latest Posts: Andrea Berstler
Well the Vancouver Olympics have begun, with medals being given to those who are the fastest, the strongest, the best at what they do. I would, however, suggest that small and rural libraries have been involved in a Library Olympic competition of our own. Here are a few of the events that we see daily.
We have the Short Track Circulation Desk Relay Competition where staff strive to serve customers and check in items while not running into each other or tripping over the carts of items stored behind the desk.
There is also the Reference Desk Bi-athalon, an entertaining sport that requires the participants to do any two skills from the following at the same time: answering reference questions, offering reading suggestions, solving computer problems, fixing a stuck printer, explain why we can’t do your taxes for you or fielding phone calls. Points are given for style, smile, customer satisfaction and being able to discern what the customer wants versus what they actually asked.
If you like team sports then you should watch the infamous Downhill Weather SuperG which pits an entire library staff and their movie collection against the fury of Mother Nature in full winter mode.
and here is an Olympic quote for the week -
“The important thing in life is not to triumph but to compete.”
- Pierre de Coubertin (French Educator, primarily responsible for the revival of the Olympic Games in 1894)
Keep Competing!
The Librarian’s Christmas Tree
Posted on 30. Dec, 2009 by Andrea Berstler in All Current Posts, Latest Posts: Andrea Berstler
Librarian's Christmas Tree
This whole library tree idea has been floating around for some time. We found a few examples on the Internet. In fact, our Main Branch in Exton, PA created a similar tree in the local mall, which is where we got the idea. We did tweak it a bit for our lobby – here are some instructions:
Start with some books – actually, start with lots of books. We used adult non-fiction books because they are all of similar size (height, depth and width). Most of the books we used were donated titles. We selected them for their cover colors (red, green, white, gold). For once – it was good to judge a book by its cover.
Lay out your first row – placing the books end to end in a gentle circle. Each layer needs to be made of books that are the same depth so your tree does not tilt to one side. the next row should be staggered – like laying bricks. For the third row, we chose to make that layer of books open – this added a Pine Tree feel. You don’t have to do this – but if you do, you need to make sure the open books are also about the same height. For every 2 or 3 rows, the book in the back will have to be turned 90 degrees so that the rows begin to get every so much smaller as the tree goes up. Don’t rush this – it seems to happen on its own.
After approx 12 rows, we place a set of boards across the tree to tie the sides together. We used old wood shelves, but any strong board or even heavy duty cardboard would do.
We placed a second set of boards under the first vertical row of books. This row has 2 titles with the spine out and then one with the pages out. The “backward” book is fanned open to help support the rows above it.
After some additional horizonal books, we used a round piece of cardboard and some old VHS cases for the second set of vertical titles. Then topped the tree with small Books on Tape cases and a bow.
The whole tree is just under 6 feet tall. We forgot to count the items used – but best guess is around 250. We put the restraints around it because the tree’s exsistance created a need in people both young and old to see if they might be able to pull one book from the tree – sort of a monsterous Janga puzzle. It has received numerous comments and we are already wondering how we can top this next year.
Happy New Year!
Feeling like you are a Mile High
Posted on 30. Dec, 2009 by Andrea Berstler in All Current Posts, Annual Conference, Latest Posts: Andrea Berstler
Earlier this month I was privileged to spend 3 days in Denver. I can say that the air is dry, the mountains are stunning and the folks at the Crowne Plaza are warm and welcoming and are looking forward to seeing you all next October.
Denver is the site for the 2010 Joint Conference for ARSL (that’s us) and ABOS (Association of Bookmobile and Outreach Services). It’s been a few years since we held a joint conference with our sister organization, but we are already hard at work, planning the upcoming conference.
Mark you calendars now- that’s right, set aside what you are doing while you browse this blog, get out your calendar, blackberry, Iphone or that scrap of paper you use to note dates and write this down – October 14 – 16, 2010.
Just a few previews – to help you decide to join us.
The location is the very lovely Crowne Plaza Hotel near the Denver International Airport. The hotel and conference center has a wonderful, open lobby, well lit conference facilities and warm, comfortable guest rooms. Speaking of rooms, the daily conference rate for the hotel is $99 (plus tax) per person per night and is available 3 days before and after the conference, in case you want to stay and explore Denver a little more. You can begin making your hotel reservations now – just make sure you mention the Library Conference when you call. A link for online reservations will be on our website soon.
We can let you know that two of the keynote speakers are Dr. Lorraine Roy, past president of ALA; and Pat Wagner, from Pattern Research. We are very excited to have these leaders in the library world as part of the activities.
The Conference Committee is hard at work preparing an exciting, interesting, fun-filled yet educational conference. We plan to begin accepting proposals for workshops beginning in February, so watch for that notice.
We are also hard at work organizing 2 preconference workshops, a welcome mixer and dine arounds, small evening excursions, an author lunch, a magic show and other fun events so you can chat with old friends, make new ones and enjoy the Denver Area.
So make your plans to join us in Denver for
“Magic in the Mile High City!”
October 14 – 16, 2010
We Win
Posted on 13. Oct, 2009 by Andrea Berstler in All Current Posts, Latest Posts: Andrea Berstler
Like many of you, I am enjoying the fall spectacle that is playoff baseball. As a Phillies fan, I truly enjoyed the game the other evening as the teams battled through all 9 innings. Neither one gave up, neither one rolled over or surrendered, they continued until the last out was made. It was exciting. It nearly gave me a nervous breakdown, but it was exciting. (my sympathies to any Rockie fans out there)
Many of us in “library land” are in the midst of a struggle, a playoff of our own, so to speak. We battle against those who cut our funding, who seek to marginalize us, who do not understand or desire intellectual freedom or who think that perhaps we should just go the way of the dinosaur. But I encourage you to consider that even if you feel as if you are in the bottom of the ninth with 2 out, you are still in the game. Good teams do not resign themselves to losing games, they continue to play because you just never know what could happen.
Also, good teams work together. They encourage each other, they cover the errors of other players, they give 100%. Many of you are doing this – and we applaud you! But there is one more thing – good teams are a team. No one player gets a team to the playoffs or wins a World Series. It is a team – not just the men on the field, not only those in the dugout. That’s why teams give their staff WS rings – we don’t see them, we don’t applaud them, but they contribute. You are not in this difficult time alone. There are other’s battling alongside you.
So I say all this to get to this point. Although you may feel like it is the 9th inning and you are about to lose – the game “ain’t over ’til it’s over.” We will continue to play and here’s the catch, as long as we do, we win.
Andrea
Embracing Change
Posted on 01. Oct, 2009 by Andrea Berstler in All Current Posts, Latest Posts: Andrea Berstler
When it comes to change librarians, like most people, usually subscribe to 1 of 2 schools of thought. Change is to be avoided, delayed or downright stymied at all costs or change is to be sought out, welcomed and embraced. Personally I like change; it can give us a fresh perspective, allows us to see things in a new light and can often bring the most wonderful people into our path.
But not all change is good or welcomed or embraced. Such is the change wrought in our organization with the passing of our friend Ken Davenport. While I never got to work with Ken in person, I did speak with him over the phone, chatted with him online, exchanged notes on Facebook and have read through the minutes of meeting that described his contributions to our association. Ken did not seek praise or even acknowledgement for his contributions, he simply wanted to make a difference in the lives of those who served in small and rural libraries, so they could in turn make a difference in the lives of those in their communities.
We honor Ken’s work when we take up that mantle, when we become the ones who strive to make a difference. A difference in the lives of our co-workers, friends, family and in our communities. It’s a big task, a nobel calling; and it will make a change in the lives of those around us. A good change, one we can embrace and welcome, and pass along.
Andrea
It’s a Small, Small World
Posted on 13. Sep, 2009 by Andrea Berstler in All Current Posts, Latest Posts: Andrea Berstler
Ok – now that you are stuck singing this silly song for the next few hours, here’s why I called this post by such a title. One of the best parts of the ARSL conference, which is now officially concluded, is meeting and sharing with librarians, trustees and library staff from other parts of my state, other states and even across the county. Doing so has made me aware of several things.
First – the ARSL conference allows you to travel all over the county by traveling to one location. Here in Tennessee I have become aquainted with California, Texas, Kansas, Iowa, North & South Carolina, Maine, Alabama, Georgia as well as my home state of Pennsylvania. I have learned how their libraries function, are funded, the tales of their towns and villages, the stories from their trenches.
Also I have learned that while some librarian’s talk funny (you can decide which ones those are) we are often telling the same story. We have the same struggles, the same joys, the same insecurities, the same pet peeves; it is as if we run the same library, just in the next town or state over. If you will allow me to use an over-used phrase – we are all in the same boat. Their tales are similar to my tales, their funding woes are like mine, their insecurities are mine, their crazy patrons visit me in PA and their trenches look surprising like the ones I visit daily.
Perhaps that is why this conference and this organization has struck a resounding chord at the heart of so many? ARSL members and conference attendees know they are not in this alone and they know that someone else is working and may have already come up with a solution to the problem they just found that they have.
As we travel together over the next weeks and months – remember this. We are all in this together. The land of small and rural libraries is truly a small, small world.
Andrea Berstler
Greetings from Gatlinburg
Posted on 09. Sep, 2009 by Andrea Berstler in All Current Posts, Latest Posts: Andrea Berstler
Welcome to our new blog site, new website and new logo! It’s as if we have turned over a new leaf, and we are so glad to include you in the Grand Opening. As we go through the next few weeks, we will be glad of your comments, suggestions and ideas.
As for my blogs, I believe they will focus very much on programming, networking and partnering with local organizations to allow libraries to continue to reach their communities even with budget cuts at every turn. I hope to share the great ideas gathered from this year’s conference. I look forward to hearing from you as to the great ideas you have found in your piece of “God’s acre.”
Greetings from Gatlinburg!
Andrea