MLA 2011 Annual Conference Report #1

Scholarship recipient Sally Peterangelo (Mountain Iron Public Library Director) offered the following report for her conference scholarship:

"First of all, I would like to "Thank You" for providing me with the opportunity to attend the 2011 MLA Convention that was held in Duluth on October 12, 13 and 14th. Without this scholarship, I would not have been able attend this yearly event.

On Wednesday, Oct. 12 I listened to keynote speaker Anita Silvey, author speak about the benefits of children's books and how they shape adults into leaders. She gave many examples of that during her speech.

The afternoon I attended 3 various sessions

A1. New to the Game? This was a great session that provided tips and tricks on how to navigate and get the most of the convention. it was excellent and glad I chose this as it really helped me decide what sessions to attend, what not to miss, etc. I left this a bit early to also go to "Why Should We Use Social Media to promote the library?" I wanted more tips and ideas for using Facebook/Twitter/You Tube, Google to market the library. This was an excellent session. One of my favorites!
From 4-5 p.m., I attended Summer Reading Programs for 1/2 of the session and Organize your ordering. I learned some valuable information from both of these. I didn't intend to split sessions but since they were only offered one time,k I opted to go to both and I managed to get plenty of handouts, etc to use for my library needs.

Thursday, October 13:
Everyone is a Library Advocate! I really enjoyed this session. They broke us up into small groups where we could discuss various ways we promote our library. Always be an Advocate. They gave many examples how to work with the community, contact funders, policy makers. It was a very positive session.

Dessert Keynote: Engagement Through Games: Dr. Scott Nicholson. Enjoyed this speech. Much of this I wouldn't use for our library but it was interesting.

Afternoon Sessions: I listened a bit to E-books..what's all the excitement about and also Positively Friends. Joe Owens spoke on behalf of the Ely Friends of the Library group and he was incredible. He presented all the ways their group has raised money and awareness of all they do for the Ely Library. It's too bad every town doesn't have a Joe Owens running their Friends group. His energy, his creativity, his passion and his ideas were inspiring. I felt this was beyond valuable that I attended this session. He gave me so many ideas for our Friends group.

Last Thur Session: Things in a Flash: I loved this session. They had "6" different presenters and each one had 10 minutes to talk about technology and favorite apps, downloads, and ideas and things they like for their libraries or personal development. This was my personal favorite of the conference. So many great ideas that were shared by the six Library staff from all over the state. Thumbs up on this class!!

Fri, Oct 14:

"50 in 60" Book Blast: Outstanding Reader's Advisory session. 50 books discussed in 60 minutes. Love this!

Finale: Luncheon Keynote: William Kent Krueger, mystery writer was our final speech. Excellent as always! He spoke about going out and making a difference. Great speech toe nd and wrap up an outstanding MLA.

Again, my most sincere thank for this gift. I will use the information and ideas and use them at the Mt. Iron Library."