by Sara Ring
Quick Summary
The Minnesota Library Association (MLA) theme this year was Radical Librarianship - the power of libraries to provide access to the truth, strengthen our community voices, create opportunity for exploration and innovation, and assist our patrons to build a better future. Just by browsing the titles of the sessions in the program, I could tell it was going to be a great conference. After it was over, I left in awe of many of my colleagues and the work that they do.
The Minnesota Library Association (MLA) theme this year was Radical Librarianship - the power of libraries to provide access to the truth, strengthen our community voices, create opportunity for exploration and innovation, and assist our patrons to build a better future. Just by browsing the titles of the sessions in the program, I could tell it was going to be a great conference. After it was over, I left in awe of many of my colleagues and the work that they do.
As just one example, I attended a session called 100 Years/100 Stories: How Saint Paul Public Library used new storytelling tools to advance community engagement. For the 100th Anniversary for four of their buildings, Saint Paul Public Library put together a campaign to gather stories from their community. They created a Digital Scrapbook, an online resource where people can look at various stories told through photos, audio, video, and the written word. Another tool they created for collecting stories they named the StoryPhone. Using Google Voice (free), patrons can call in to a designated number and share a story on their own time (from the comfort of their own home). Here's just one example of a story submitted via StoryPhone, reflecting on the value of seeing the world through the eyes of children. Another tool they developed is called StoryKit. The kit contains several tools that patrons can check out from the library for up to three weeks. It includes a sketchbook with art supplies, a recorder one can use to interview friends or family, a magic wand scanner for scanning photos and documents, and a Polaroid Cube to record video.
I also had the pleasure of presenting a session with two colleagues from Metronet, Ann Walker Smalley and Olivia Moris, Radical all along: A historical look at Minnesota librarianship. We highlighted early examples of radical librarianship in Minnesota, including the founders of MLA, the Public Library Commission, and the Twin City Library Club. There was so much we didn't have a chance to cover, but we hope to expand on the presentation in a number of ways, possibly writing a regular Minnesota library history column in the future, as just one example. View our slides here. The other presentation I gave about hosting a digital preservation day at your library was co-presented with Jolie Graybill, Minitex. You can access the slides from the session description here.
Many other excellent presentations have been posted online via Sched.
