South Dakota Library Association: Highlights from the 2017 conference

Several staff from Minitex attended the South Dakota Library Association Annual Conference in beautiful Chamberlain, South Dakota, September 27-29. 2017. Patrick "PC" Sweeney from EveryLibrary was the opening keynote. EveryLibrary is the nation's first and only Political Action Committee for libraries. In this talk, he discussed how libraries can move from being advocates to activists. One key takeaway: when it comes to an issue like library funding, there will always be a group of people that will always vote yes to library funding and and a group that will always vote no that you will never reach. Focus on those who are in the middle and undecided. They are also trying to get 1 million likes on their Facebook page to increase the number of people who say they want to support libraries. The speaker encouraged everyone in the audience to like them on Facebook, and to invite friends and family to do the same.

Another featured keynote was Shannon McClintock Miller, a 2014 Library Journal Mover and Shaker, who worked at the Van Meter Community School District in Iowa for eight years and is now an international speaker and consultant. She gave examples of how she integrated technology in the library and worked on projects with children, asking them what they are interested in, engaging them, and making a difference in their lives. In one story, she spoke about inviting several famous children's literature authors and illustrators to Skype with her class, and many of them accepted, connecting children to their favorite authors. She won a Connecting People Shorty Award, (an award given to a person who is genuinely bringing people together through Twitter and social media), nominated by a 14 year old student who said she changed her life. Read more about Shannon's work on her blog, The Library Voice.

Dr. Craig Howe, Director of the Center for American Indian Research and Native Studies (CAIRNS) was the third featured keynote presentation at the conference. CAIRNS is a nonprofit research center committed to advancing knowledge and understanding of American Indian communities and the issues important to them. His presentation "Seven Things All South Dakotans Should Know about American Indians" was the topic of the presentation, intended to give the audience the foundational knowledge to include American Indians in South Dakota's institutions. Take a look at the work that they're doing by visiting their website.

The closing keyonte was Lee Ann Roripaugh, South Dakota State Poet Laureate. She read selections of poetry, and discussed themes in her poetry that emerged from navigating her own hybrid identities (bi-racial/bisexual). It was a great conference, and we had fun presenting, attending, and talking with South Dakota librarians this year! We also had the chance to see Dignity, a new 50-foot high stainless steel statue. It can be seen at the top of a bluff that overlooks the Missouri River near Chamberlain, and it is also the cover image on this article.