In three days at the Association of Rural and Small Libraries (ARSL) Conference in Fargo, ND, I attended break-out sessions with subjects that varied from library programming suggestions to new book titles for children and teens, from tech issues and medical reference to intellectual freedom and diversity in our libraries, from keeping our patrons and staff safe in, and around, our buildings to the financial resources provided by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
The reader’s advisory for upcoming teen and children’s titles will be helpful afterschool when our local Middle School students, in 5th to 8th grades, fill the library.
Medical reference and intellectual freedom and diversity, though separate sessions and subjects, require library staff to be active listeners in order to provide information free of judgment and censorship.
And as some of our patrons struggle financially, the CFPB’s free resources will help us to find them the information and organizations they need.
Thanks to SAMMIE for the opportunity to attend a national conference…to meet library staff from around our Country, to enjoy keynote speakers and to learn things that can be applied locally in our Library.