Postcards from the Cracker Coast

Next time a patron complains about library fines, send them this article. Apparently a woman in Wisconsin was arrested over 30 dollars in overdue book fines. They actually came to her house and served her a warrant. Then took her too the police station to be fingerprinted and photographed. I guess the police are hardcore on cracking down on crime in their state!

The OCLC Symposiums at ALA conferences are always great programs and this year’s program, “The Mashed-up  Library,” was no exception.    In his keynote, Michael Schrage challenged libraries to provide services that users see as innovative.  Then a panel of librarians presented examples of mash-ups from their libraries.  To view the presentations, click here.  Then select “The Mashed-up Library.”

We are upgrading some of our computer systems on August 12^th , and 13^th . During this time there is a chance you will not be able to email us, access our website, or blog.  We are sorry for any inconvenience this might cause, please contact us by phone if you have any difficulty on those dates.

If you recently attended PLAN’s Academic Conference “ Beyond Merely Surviving” or the workshop “The Library’s Place on Campus,” you may be interested in reading Michael Stephen’s post on the Georgia Tech library:  “Keeping the Library Relevant” on the ALA TechSource blog.  This is an interesting post on how the Georgia Tech library has created flexible spaces for its students.

I have been listening to podcasts of some of the session from the ALA Annual Conference.  In one of them Joan Frye Williams talked about what we should call library users.  How about “members”?  They do after all have a membership card!  By the way the opposite is not non-members but “guests.”

Andrew Sanderbeck, who has done numerous workshops for us, is presenting a Free Webinar on WebJunction titled Conflict in a Peaceful Library September 16.  Be sure to sign up here for the webinar and to view more details.

Carol and I have created a new Google Map of places to stay and eat near the PLAN office. If you are coming into Panama City you might want to check it out.

Plan Google Map

Congratulations to the staff of the Eglin Base Library for receiving the award Air Force Library of the Year.  Read the article here.

Since we have updated our website, we decide to update our Blog!  Hope you like the new look and feel!

On Friday June 20, Dr. Miller, University Librarian and Director of the University Library System at Pitt University spoke about keeping the academic library relevant in the digital age. He made some great statements that I wanted to share.

Museums and archives are the past, libraries are the future. That statement just spoke volumes. All libraries, not just academics, need to figure out a plan to convey that to their service population.

When Dr. Miller spoke about the value of the library, he made some valid questions to ask. How is value determined? Who decides our values? What is your branding?

I am going to leave you with one more statement: The key to survive is the ability, willingness to change.

Very thought-provoking. I would love to see how your feel on these opinions/questions. What is your library doing to stay “relevant in the digital age?”

Dr. Miller’s PowerPoint Presentation

Pitt University Article on Dr. Miller

Update!!!

If you want a copy of his Long range Plan, email Alicia.