From the desks of Kathleen Slocum, Continuing Education Coordinator, and Cheyenne Chontos, Library Technology Coordinator…
Kathleen: This year the ALA 2021 conference was held virtually for the continued safety of our many librarians that would have attended and met up in Chicago. The conference highlighted so many opinions and offered multiple resources on the topic of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI).
Cheyenne: I was especially drawn to Billie Jean King’s session as she talked about diversity and gender in sports and in the business world. During her session, she described the huge impact that community resources, such as access to the public library and to public parks, had on her childhood and her tennis career. It was inspiring to see the incredible impact libraries can have on people and how dearly they hold those experiences for their entire lives.
Kathleen: I found another opportunity that literally fed my heart and soul. The cookbook authors were very down-to-earth, and they offered us wonderful opportunities to get a taste of what their favorite foods were and the memories they have with their friends and family. The three I enjoyed were Stanley Tucci, Trisha Yearwood, and the 2019 winner of The Great British Baking Show, David Atherton. All three have new books coming out this fall. Enjoy them – I know I will!
Cheyenne: I also want to highlight some of the amazing breakout sessions that were offered this year. One of my favorites was the “Social Media for Small and Rural Libraries” session. Suzanne Macaulay, Deputy Director of the Pioneer Library System in Canandaigua, New York, offered practical ideas and tips for running social media for small and rural libraries. Some of my favorite tips from this session included:
- Do one or two social media platforms well, rather than trying to be involved in all of them.
- Patrons really enjoy social media content that is original, such as open-ended questions, images and graphics made in-house, and teasers of programs.
- Branded content, such as promotions for your digital libraries, can also be great to share on your social media.
- Your professional, community, and government organizations, such as ALA or a state agency, may also have content for you to share.
- Keep it positive and keep it simple!
I also enjoyed “Reaching The Underserved: How to Strengthen Your Library’s Community Engagement Strategies to Better Serve Those Who Cannot Visit the Library in Person,” “Library Budgeting: Working with What You Have and Advocating for What You Need,” and “Navigating Patron Privacy Concerns in the Digital Age.”
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| Learn more at https://2021.alaannual.org/ |
Most content from ALA’s 2021 Annual Conference – including live speakers and breakout sessions – will be available through ALA for a year after the conference ends. We hope that those who are able will take time to enjoy and learn from all this incredible content!