ALA and ALB

ALA

Mary Kelly and I will be presenting two programs at the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago next week.

On Monday, July 13 at 10:30 AM, we will present "Thingamabobs and Doodads: Why Tech Support IS Reference." This program will discuss why reference librarians should provide tech support to their patrons, how they can stay current with their technology training, and what the core technology competencies are for reference librarians.

At 1:30 PM on the same day, our topic is "Not Just for Kids: Promoting Library Services Through Adult Summer Reading Programs." We'll talk about how to design a program that doesn't scare adults away or cause them too much work. We'll advocate for Adult Summer Reading Programs that cater to non-users and infrequent library users, as well as non-readers. ASRP's are a great way to market library services, including, but besides, books.

We'll also be at the "Ask an Expert" table in the Palmer House Spire Room from 8:00 AM until about 10:00 AM on 7/13. We'll have our iPod Touch and Tablet PC available and will talk with anyone who's interested in knowing how we use them in roving reference.

ALB

Awful Library Books, a blog created by Mary Kelly and I, has gotten some crazy press this week. We are just blown away by the response we've gotten to this little side project. Time.com interviewed us for their online feature called "That Viral Thing." You can read the interview here. Then, Entertainment Weekly's Pop Watch Site of the Day picked it up. It was also featured at:
-BoingBoing.net
-School Library Journal
-The New Yorker
-and it was briefly linked on USA Today's online "Pop Candy" section.

We're having some fun with this, and are shocked at the same time. Thanks for your interest, everyone!