ALA program: More Shining Stars

I went to the 2007 American Library Association Conference in Washington, D.C. from June 21- 24. The next few posts will be my comments about the programs that I attended. I went mainly to Reader's Advisory programs and Programming programs!


More Shining Stars: Award-Winning Programs for Small and Medium Sized Public Libraries

I thought that this program would be a little better than it was. Only two of the speakers on the panel had any ideas that we could possibly use for for my library where I work, but both of these library’s programs were for teens.

Bloomingdale Public Library
One program that was discussed was having Dance Dance Revolution competitions. Teens were invited by being given a little 2x3 card advertising the event. They hold the event once a month for an hour and a half and provide snacks and drinks. They usually have 30+ teens at each event. It is something that was very inexpensive. They just had to buy the game, have a TV screen, and then purchase refreshments. Lots of libraries across the county are doing this, including Phoenix Public library here locally.

A lot of libraries also have the game Guitar Hero that teens can play. If you’ve never played this, you have to try it. Best Buy has a display set up so people can play around with it. It’s really fun! Libraries just have to buy the game and then have a TV. Relatively inexpensive in the long run.

Linebaugh Public Library
The program from this library sounded really cool and very intellectual. It’s called Café Symposium. It is an after school discussion group that encourages the development of critical thinking. The handout for this program was very thorough. The speaker said that everything a library needs to start up this program at their own branch is included on the handout. The facilitator that they use is an Honors philosophy student at their local university. She is their facilitator for free (it will look good on her resume).

In order to generate interest in the program, a library staff member and the facilitator go to high schools around the area to recruit students. They target AP English students who are Juniors and Seniors.

They usually start each session with a focus piece such as a poem, TV episode, etc that ties in with the topic in order to get the students comfortable and talking. They limit the event to six weeks with one session each week. A key to the success is that the facilitator never gives his/her opinion no matter how much the students beg!