PaLA Conference
The 2002 Annual Conference of the Pennsylvania Library Association was held November 10 to 13. According to the conference newsletter, The Daily Planet, the conference featured a "record-breaking 823 attendees, the largest Banquet attendance, maybe the largest business meeting, bustling exhibits, crowded presentations, and many, many smiling faces." One reason there were so many smiling faces could be the locale: Hershey. As would be expected, the conference focused on chocolate. The Hershey characters Hershey Bar and Hershey Hug were on hand to welcome conference attendees at the grand opening of the exhibit hall. Attendees also had the opportunity to visit Chocolate World, as well as other local attractions such as the National Civil War Museum, Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire, and Wert Bookbinding.
The conference was not all chocolate and tours, however. Attendees were able to choose from workshops on everything from making a website to evaluating old books to writing youth fiction. Anita Shreve, the celebrated novelist, spoke at the annual awards banquet Sunday evening. In addition, Olga Conneen delivered the Presidential address, which focused on the importance of marketing and communication. Additional addresses were given by such people as Glen Miller, the PaLA Executive Director, and by Gary Wolfe, the Commissioner of Libraries. The conference marked the closing of the term for PaLA President Mary Elizabeth Colombo. She was acknowledged at the President's Open House on Tuesday evening. In-coming president, Olga Conneen, will assume the office in January 2003. For additional conference highlights, visit the PaLA homepage at www.palibraries.org/ .
Mark Wolfe, chair of SCALA, attended the conference. Bibliofile asked Mark to reflect on the experience. Here are his responses.
Bibliofile: Was the November PaLA conference the first conference you have attended?
Mark: It was my first PaLA conference, but my third conference since coming to Pitt. I attended the ALA conference for about five days in Atlanta this past summer. I also went to a one-day PAEYC (Pittsburgh Association for the Education of Young Children) conference downtown several weeks ago.
Bibliofile: Why did you choose to attend this conference?
Mark: I'll be looking for work soon and was hoping to get some insight into places where I might look for jobs. Also, I'd hoped to make a few connections--the whole "networking" thing.
Another reason I think I go [to conferences in general] is to attend some of the sessions. A lot of our classes [here at SIS] seem to target academic and school library tract folks. I wanted to supplement what I know about issues that are unique to the public library setting. You can do this if you pick the sessions you attend with a goal in mind.
Bibliofile: What events/exhibits/workshops made the best impression on you?
Mark: I went to one workshop presented by two librarians who do outreach for their counties. I had never really heard from anyone whose entire job was outreach. A good number of job postings for Children's Librarians include outreach as an extended duty of the position. This workshop focused on how the two speakers started their relationships with the sites that they currently visit. They also gave some insight into "a day in the life of the outreach librarian," discussing how they structure their visits to centers that are close to one another on the same days, and what prep time they put in at their home library to get ready for the next day.
Bibliofile: What was the daily schedule like?
Mark: The sessions were pretty much scheduled in time slots. Some were extended sessions that would occupy almost two time periods. Most were about an hour or so. You would have about three normal-length session slots a day, with time built in around lunch, and some free time to allow folks to visit the exhibits. There were a number of opportunities to meet and mingle with people. The first night there was a new members' reception with some food for about an hour. Following that there was another event (I didn't attend that latter one). There was a tour of Chocolate World one night--they bussed us there on yellow school buses. There was a reception there and some award presentations. Another evening they had a mystery author speak. Throughout the conference there were occasional meals and award lunches. Some were for an extra charge and had authors or other speakers in attendance. Often in the mornings or during the free exhibit time some vendor or other would sponsor a coffee break or light breakfast.
Bibliofile: Would you attend another PaLA conference? Why or why not?
Mark: I will attend next year for sure--it's in Pittsburgh. Marilyn Jenkins, an adjunct faculty member who teaches the Public Library Management Class, is organizing the event. I believe her title in the process is "Conference Chair." I don't know that I'd go "on my own dime" again if it weren't local for me. I'll be applying for conference funding from SIS, but I'll be waiting to see if they're able to give me anything. I've already paid for it all up front. This is a good example of why anyone who wants to get funding from the school should plan ahead of time and pay attention to the deadline for submission!
The conference wasn't as job-hunting driven as ALA seems to have the reputation for. I'm not aware of any interviewing or recruiting that went on at PaLA.
Bibliofile: What advice do you have for people attending their first conference?
Mark: Take notes! I don't mean the notes you might be thinking about. Pretty much every session you attend will have handouts detailing practically everything they cover. If the presenter makes some mention of some error or something exceptional about something that may have been overlooked in the preparation of the handout, maybe jot down some stuff about those aspects of their talk.
What I mean is that you should write down names and where people you meet work or are from. You WILL NOT remember moments after you part what company they mentioned might be hiring soon or what their title was. An obvious inclination for everyone is to just grab business cards. That's better than nothing, but write on the back under what circumstances you interacted with the person: whether you met them at a shared table over lunch, or interacted with them at a vendor demonstration, or kept running into them at the bar you went to every night. Remembering the circumstance will make it easier for you to remind the person who you are when you are trying to initiate contact with them in the future. For example, if I ever write to Jane Doe, whom I met at PaLA, I want her to remember that we got to know each other at dinner the night her party invited me to sit with them at Lebbie's Buffet at Hershey Lodge. We all enjoyed crab legs and steamed oysters together, as well as some good conversation. She just happens to be the head of Children's Services at her Library. Maybe someday...
Bibliofile: Anything else you want to add?
Mark: Basic rules apply:
* Plan a back-up for each session time, in case the session you wanted to attend is cancelled or mind-numbingly dull.
* Have a business card with your contact info on it to hand out.
* Take several pens, and gather as many as possible from vendors. (They're free after all!!)
Bibliofile thanks Mark for agreeing to answer our questions and lending us a copy of the conference booklet.
Publication of the Department of Library &
Information Science
University of Pittsburgh
135 N. Bellefield Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
Last updated October 30, 2002