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Interesting First Day at My First MLA Conference
November 20, 2008 11:13 AM | General, MLA2008Aimee Lake, SELCO Finance Manager
I have to admit my first day at my first MLA conference was a really great experience. The luncheon keynote by LibraryThing developer Tim Spaulding broadened my perspective and made me reevaluate my initial opinions on the usefulness of the site. I think it offers an invaluable way for readers to share their collections and hopefully widen their scope on materials they choose to read.
The first session I went to was an introduction to RDA/FRBR. As a non-librarian, going to a session on the very detailed inner workings of cataloging had me a little concerned that I’d made a terrible mistake in my choice of sessions (and I was in over my head a good majority of the session). However, I’m still glad I chose this session. This new set of cataloging rules that is being prepared and which could be implemented in as little as two years from now, will have a major impact on the library community. It will require coordination for ILS compatibility, as well as with LC and OCLC for effective training for staff, and a period of testing and evaluation. This is a process I will now be sure to follow to see how things develop.
The second session I attended was a recap of the 23 Things on a Stick program by program participants. They all did a terrific job of presenting what they saw personally as the highlights of their participation in the program and it was fascinating that they each looked at it from such different perspectives. One speaker enjoyed learning the photo sharing tool Picasa and demonstrated some of the functionality of the site. Another discussed how participating in 23 Things together as a library staff affected their working relationships in a positive way. Two other speakers, both from academic libraries, demonstrated how their libraries had implemented an instant messaging service such as Meebo to offer instant internet helplines for their students on their websites. I found this in particular to be a great way to integrate a Web 2.0 tool into library service.
My Day 1 ended at the 23 Things reception where attendees were served ice cream personally from Michael Scott out of an ice cream hand truck complete with umbrella and jingling bells. Can’t get much better than that and I can’t wait to see what Day 2 brings.
