The Public Library Association’s National Conference in Boston was great—my thanks to NWILS board for supporting this opportunity. You may have already seen some conference photos taken by Tena Hanson @ Milford, our gal-on-the-scene reporter! Tena was one of 2 library directors from Iowa selected to attend the PLA conference with funds from the Gates Foundation. While there, Tena attended sessions on the Gates initiative called “Rural Library Sustainability,” an effort to help maintain public access computing in small, rural libraries across the country. Take a peek at her pictures: www.milfordlibrary.net/Today.at.PLA.htm (Tena opted for the Concord Literary Tour, I took the Boston City Tour one day and the Harvard/JFK Presidential Library Tour another day. The PLA planning committees organized some of the best tours ever—oh sure, the sessions were good too!)
One session I attended was called “Building a Community of Learners,” wherein the panelists stressed that it’s more imperative than ever for public libraries to be seen as partners in education. One speaker said “…a library’s best event can no longer be stand-alone story hours…public libraries need to be an education partner and reach out to others in the community in cooperative efforts.” Other speakers encouraged libraries to transform their children’s and YA spaces into deliberate homework help centers, complete with tutors, booktalks, online assignment messages from teachers, library instruction—and snacks J The idea was to formally recruit TAG students, college students, and grandparents as tutors, all volunteering in the public library’s homework center consistently throughout the week.
For follow up research—and some great statistics on the impact that public libraries have on childhood education—here are some recommended websites:
http://www.niost.org/ (the National Institute on Out-Of-School Time)
http://www.afterschool.gov/
http://www.partnershipsforlearning.gov/
http://www.imls.gov/ (Institute of Museum and Library Services)
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