Small and Medium Sized Libraries Committee Meeting Highlights

ALA Midwinter Conference

Mark Pumphrey, Chair
1/21/07

The committee reviewed plans for two confirmed programs: "More Shining Stars," to be held at the 2007 Summer Conference in Washington, DC; and "More Than a Paycheck," a program planned for the 2008 PLA Conference in Minneapolis.  We also discussed a program proposal for the 2008 Summer Conference, on marketing in small and medium-sized public libraries, to be co-sponsored by the PLA-LD committees on Marketing Public Libraries and Rural Library Services; and also by the OLOS Rural, Native and Tribal Libraries of All Kinds Committee.  The committee also agreed to be co-sponsors of a program being proposed by the Rural Library Services Committee, tentatively titled Programming in a Shoebox:  Library Programming Without a Meeting Room. 

Each committe member present accepted a task for between now and the Summer Conference in June:

Mark Pumphrey:  Submit Program Proposal for 2008 Conference by May 1; Change program description for 2007 Summer Conference program by January 31; Keep communication flowing between conferences; Coordinate ALA 2007 program on award winners from S&M-Sized Libraries;
Denise Zielinski:  Coordinate 2008 PLA Program On Benefits in S&M-Sized Libs.;
Stephanie Beverage:  Explore use of ALA Online Communities by our committee;
Kim Bolan:  Explore use of PLA Wiki or developing our own, as well as other web resources and web applications; Prepare handouts for ALA 2007 program.
Patty Linville: Follow committee's interest in scholarship development to get librarians and library workers to the conferences by reviewing the scholarship program in her own state of Alaska and reporting back to the committee;
Beth Nicholson:  Draft program description for 2008 ALA program on marketing in S&M-Sized Libraries; confirm speakers and coordinate with co-sponsors and PLA office;
Elizabeth Reed: Coordinate committee's assistance for the Rural Library Services Committee program on programming in a small meeting room or when no meeting room exists.

Also, members commented on PLA's strengths and weaknesses; and on what they'd like to see the committee work on this year and next:

PLA Strengths & Weaknesses:

Stephanie:  committees work; what happens between conference doesn't work--not enough happening.

Laurel:  hard to keep up with email.  More meetings?  Online community concept works.  A public library wiki or encyclopedia sponsored by PLA but not a PLA wiki is needed.

Patty:  Email management is needed.  A Webjunction—like wiki is needed.   Leadership training is needed.  (Committee discussed that PLA is developing a leadership institute. 

Beth: PLA works very well.  Hard to get speakers.   Don’t make speakers register for conferences.  Toolkit for people who can’t come is needed.  Need to do as many programs as we can.  Swap & Shop-type programs (hands-on, practical) work. PLA should not schedule Rural Libraries and Small & Medium at the same time. 

Elizabeth: Likes the practical nature of PLA.  Talk Tables work.

Denise:  Comments already made reflect what she thinks. 

Mark:  More small library representation on the committee is needed.  
 

Work For the Committee In Addition To Conference Programs:

Kim:  Web tools.  Resources.  Scholarship.  Get more people to the conference. 

Patty: Need to get people together to apply for awards—do a program on this.

The rest of the committee members mentioned similar projects, in addition to the regular conference programs, similar to what Kim and Patty mentioned.

Members present:  Mark Pumphrey, Stephanie Beverage, Kimberly Bolan, Patricia Linville, Elizabeth Reed, Denise Zielinski

Members absent: Suzann Holland, Connie Pierce, Rose Chenoweth (Electronic Member)

Visitors: Laurel Best (panelist for Award Winners program)
Sylvia Thompson (WA academic librarian organizing a small church library and seeking advice)
Larry Grieco (Chair of the Rural Libary Services Cmt.)

ALA Midwinter Conference

Laurel Best, Chair
1/15/05 and 1/16/05

We discussed what criteria should be used to be classified as a small or medium public library. We're going to look at guidelines used by PLDS and HAPLR index, discuss by e-mail and then ask PLA to add a few words to our mission describing small and medium sized public libraries.
We discussed our program for Chicago and a proposal for New Orleans, "Show me the MLS"-Chicago; security program aimed at small and medium libraries for New Orleans.

Members present: Robert Gualtieri, Kendi Kelly, Charles Koutnik, Denise Zielinski, Laurel Best

Members absent: Isabel Delgadillo-Romo, Deborah Schlesinger

Visitors: Danny Hales, Jennifer Sherman, Beth Yengwall, Amy Agoado, (with Amazon.com)

ALA Midwinter Conference

Laurel Best, Chair
1/10/04 and 1/11/04

Determined plan for additional speakers to replace speaker who cancelled for More Shining Starts program at ALA annual. Denise is tracking down winner of a YSLA award and Merri is checking on Godfrey award winners.

Reviewed four PLA goals from Strategic Plan. Determined our group would present a program on recruitment and other issues regarding MLS personnel in small libraries. Target: 2005 annual.

Members present: Laurel Best, Merri Hartse, Kendi Kelley, Chuck Koutnik, Denise Zielinski

Members absent: Robert Gualtieri, Carla Hopkins, Elizabeth Hughes, Theresa Trawich, Debbie Schlesinger, Lyn Hopper (elec. member), Jennifer Jones (elec. member)

Visitors: Rita Hamilton

ALA's Midwinter Conference

Deborah Pawlik, Chair
1/20/02

We began by discussing the fate of the traditional Friday night dinner hosted by the SMSL committee. If one of the committee members volunteers to coordinate the dinner, we will try to have a dinner in Atlanta.

We discussed possible program ideas and submitted a program for ALA 2003 Toronto titled "Everything old is new again!" (Are reference books, bookmobiles and YA programming passe in small and medium size public libraries? Come hear new views old issues and take away proactical suggestions on the latest uses of thes old standards.

We also discussed two possible programs ideas for PLA 2004 - "Libraries that really ARE the heart of their community and how they got that way", and "Joint school/library facilities: what works and what doesn't."

Prior to the next meeting we will discuss via the internet, the two proposed programs, and solicit speaker recommendations for the program prosed for ALA Toronto.

Members Present: Deborah Pawlik, Laurel Best, Lawrence Grieco, Kendi Kelley, Carol Marlowe, Beth Nicholson, Deborah Schlesinger

Members Absent: Lyn Hopper, Mary Miller, Steve Norman, Ann Paietta, Frances Whealton

Visitors: Jerry Thrasher, Nann Blaine Hilyard

PLA is a division of the American Library Association. Copyright Statement.