I attended the Iowa Library Association conference, which was October 1-3 in Sioux City, IA. The main day of the conference was October 2. The day began with opening keynote speaker Dorcas Hand, who is a retired school librarian from Texas. Her presentation made an analogy between libraries and squares of a quilt. Each library [...]
I attended all the live online sessions and completed the assigned homework for this class. I learned many tools for creating story times that embrace early literacy skills. The session on the importance of play resonated with me, and I have been encouraging parents to embrace play with their children. I found the speakers to [...]
I primarily went to MLA this year because I was a presenter on doing Virtual Reality programming for senior citizens. Our program was given many positive reviews and I was told in-person later in the conference that it was extremely valuable to them. Outside of my presentation, I learned quite a bit about the demographics [...]
Another chapter of the MLS annual conference is complete. This year we were in St. Cloud and it was gorgeous. The hotel was right on riverside and that small market area had so many fun places to eat, shop and enjoy the arts. This year the MLA conference had a heavy air about it, but [...]
My MLA Experience When I first considered attending the Minnesota Library Association’s annual conference, I reviewed the schedule of featured speakers and various sessions that I would like to attend. As the event approached, I looked forward to immersing myself in all things related to libraries and being surrounded by people who share a passion [...]
I was able to attend MLA this October which was inspiring and informative. While there I attended a variety of workshops. I will provide a brief overview: Merchandising: Using Sales Techniques to Enhance Your Collection. This was such an eye-opening session about the visual aesthetics of arranging books on the shelves as well as within [...]
I attended the webinar "Difficult Discussions with Patrons: Using Jefferson Fisher's Book the Next Conversation" by Steve Albrecht Nobody likes to hear bad news and most people hate being told what to do. How we tell people what they can and cannot do in a library has an effect on how people react. I was [...]
I was able to attend the Minnesota Library Association Conference in St. Cloud, Minnesota on October 9 and 10, 2025. It was wonderful being able to see fellow Minnesota librarians that I don’t often get to see outside of Zoom meetings. Having this time set aside to get together and collaborate is invaluable. The MLA [...]
I got the opportunity to go to the 2025 MLA conference because of Prairielands! At this event I listened to multiple different speakers about different topics. I learned about book bans and how it makes an impact to library users, understanding the importance a library has in a community, and how to bring more patrons [...]
MLA 2025 Cultivating Connections: Stronger Together MLA 2025 sent me back to my library energized and full of new ideas. This year I think the topic of Cultivating Connections was perfect. The Stronger Together component reminds me that we are only better when we work together. I truly believe this, and it is a common [...]