PLA Highlights

I’m back from Denver with a miserable head cold – yippee! Apparently, cold + mountain altitude + flying at . . . plane altitude = Head Cold of Death with Fluid in Ears as Bonus. So while I’m not feeling the greatest right now, I really did have a wonderful time at PLA. I was able to attend some really helpful sessions and see and reconnect with some librarians.

Here are some quick and dirty (hehe) highlights of the conference:

-Downers’ Grove, Illinois’ documentary film class series for teens was really inspiring and I’d love to recreate it at MHL but they spent a LOT of money on filmmaking equipment. Maybe that’s something to think about for the future.

-One program was entitled something like, “How Two Libraries Quit Summer Reading, and You Can Too!” and it was awesome. They didn’t really quit – you just can’t really quit summer reading – but they did change their programs drastically. One library, Park City, UT, went to a more creative and self-directed program and the Nashville Public Library created one program with a point system for kids, teens, and adults that included activities and goals. Both were really interesting approaches and I’d love to incorporate elements of both at my library. One signup and program for all ages?! Yes please! And I love how Park City had patrons create their own reading goals. My coworker Rebecca and I are thinking of moving to a summer reading bingo board with prize suggestions from the teens. They want the “swaggiest” bookmarks*, candy, and Magic the Gathering and Yu-Gi-Oh! cards. We can do that!

-Another awesome idea I’d love to incorporate at my library is to convince the school system to either  give out library card applications to new students as part of their school registration or just share the school records with us and let us give library cards to everyone at school. Another great idea is to have students’ I.D. cards be their public library cards. It would be so amazing and make it a lot easier for kids to access books from the public library. Right now they are supposed to show I.D. to get books and get a card, and they have to physically come into the library to get that card. Some libraries, like Haverhill in our consortium, have an online sign up for a card. I’d love that. It can be really hard for kids and parents to physically come to the library but if they already had cards or we just mailed them to them after applying online, they could still access a ton of our resources without leaving their house!

-Ok, so by far my favorite session was the very last one I attended called “Dragons in the Library: Tabletop Gaming and the Public Library” and it was so great. Obviously, it was totally right up my alley but it was fascinating. The Fresno library system created a tabletop gaming convention at the library and ran D&D games, hosted game premiers, and had a ton of people. Over 300 people over two days! It was just really fun to hear about how this library and others were using gaming in their programs. I asked a question about D&D one shot adventures – I’m going to be hosting a game for teens next month and they are super excited – and got lots of suggestions and helpful ideas. Basically, librarians who game – whether tabletop, video, roleplaying or whatever – are my new favorite people.

Denver was a cool city as well. I have been to the Rockies but hadn’t spent much time in downtown Denver and it was nice! Though, there are a lot of oversized things which make you feel like you’re in Honey, I Shrunk the Kids! See giant blue bear:

And giant dustpan:

I wonder what it all means….

While I was traveling and out there I read A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab which I really enjoyed. I’m sort of on a fantasy kick right now – wait, am I ever NOT reading a ton of fantasy? – and am also reading N.K. Jemisin’s The Fifth Season. I’m also listening to The Girl at Midnight by Melissa Grey but honestly, I liked the book better when it was by Laini Taylor! SICK LIBRARIAN BURN. 

That’s all for now. I’m going to take some Sudafed.

*Is “swaggiest” a word? Unknown. What does it mean? Cool . . . I think? I’m not sure. I’m getting old.