Highlights of this year's conference for me were the lunch keynote by Minnesota's Secretary of State Steve Simon and a session on the 2020 Census. Mr. Simon focused on the important role libraries play in helping patrons get accurate information about candidates and issues, as well as practical information such as how to get registered [...]
I attended the Minnesota Library Association Conference on September 19th and 20th at Mystic Lake Center. The first session I went to was The Interlocked Library and I heard all about Waseca's Public Library and how they became such an integral part of their community. I learned some great tips to try in my community. [...]
This year's conference once again offered a great opportunity to gain new ideas and network with other library staff. The presenters were very competent. The presentations at this year's conference seemed heavily skewed towards information for library system administrative staff, rather than librarians and library staff, which was mildly disappointing, but the presentations were still [...]
This was my second time attending MLA and my first time presenting. Jody Wacker and I did a DIY Escape Room Workshop session and since it was interactive I had the opportunity to connect with many of the participants. I attended a couple sessions about planning large-scale events--a Harry Potter Yule Ball and Teen Lit [...]
Surprisingly, one of my most valuable moments at MLA 2019 was the vendor connections in the exhibit hall. I'd had my eye on the Paper Plains art cart through Springboard for the past few months, but had decided I wouldn't be able to afford bringing them to our library. However, after meeting Hannah and seeing [...]
The MLA 2019 conference at Mystic Lake Center was great. The session I enjoyed the most was Effective Summer Library Programs for Youth. We divided into 3 groups and talked about different programs or ideas that worked or didn't work. It was nice to be in a smaller group because everyone had a chance to [...]
Thank you Prairelands for helping me go to MLA in a way that is more affordable to my libraries. This year's conference took place at a new venue, Mystic Lake Convention Center in Prior Lake, and I was pleased with the venue and the amazing food. There are two sessions that stand out to me. [...]
Having the chance to attend this year's MLA Conference was truly beneficial and I am very grateful for the opportunity. The full cost of the conference plus travel expenses make it cost prohibitive without the scholarship that I received from Prairielands and that is very much appreciated. The sessions that I attended on the first [...]
Libraries: Stronger Together 2019 MLA Conference at Mystic Lake Center was great. My first session was 40 in 50 Non-fiction Book Blast, it was great to learn about some non-fiction books that I might not be familiar with. From Good to Amazing? Evaluating and Improving Library Programs gave us information on how to evaluate our [...]
I attended the Minnesota Library Association 2019 Conference on September 19th and 20th. I attended classes on library advocacy, summer reading programs, graphic novels, diversity, professional development opportunities as well as the keynote speakers. I gained many new perspectives, ideas and the locations of resources that could be utilized for future library programs and collection [...]