Those who have never attended a conference of librarians might suspect the experience would be boring, boring, boring; however, as with most opinions formed without personal experience, they would be mistaken.
To exemplify, guest speaker Dr. David Silver began the conference by discussing the current trend toward user-friendly social software and the many benefits it offers towards the enhancement of open communication. In addition to his very dynamic physical presence, Dr. Silver enhanced his presentation by contrasting the static broadcast nature of his web page of yore with the dynamic participative nature of his blog of today.
The next librarian to disprove the perception that librarian conferences are boring was Dr. Lynn Connaway. Dr. Connaway, OCLC research scientist, is currently evaluating data from a qualitative study concerning user expectations and preferences with respect to the modern library. The general conclusion of her study suggests that users want libraries that resemble coffee houses (i.e. atmosphere conducive to both cognitive and social endeavors) and librarians who are inviting rather than intimidating.
The librarians who invited me to sit at their table during lunch were no less interesting. In many ways, our lunchtime colloquy reminded me of Michelle Boule’s “We Got 2.0 Librarians, Not 2.0 Libraries.” In particular, two of the librarians discussed the challenges of teaching a room full of students how to search electronic databases when they, the librarian, were the only person in the room who had access to a computer. Another topic of concern was the lack of collaborative planning between instructors and librarians. In particular, it often seems to be the case that no specific lesson plan is given to either students or the facilitating librarian prior to the database overview.
Solutions? Increased funding for technology and enhanced communication all around.
The discourse I had with several librarians during the poster session (that’s me and Dr. Betsy Martens in the above photo) was no less informative and intriguing. Though many who visited my booth showed interest in my project, NSUBA Library Blog, it seems I heard as many excuses as to why a library blog had not been implemented (with lack of time being the primary) as I fielded questions on how the project came about and my assessment of its usefulness.
Solutions? Increased funding for more librarians and enhanced communication all around.
