On the way to the conference, my colleague and I visited 3 libraries:
And on the way home we visited Tomaree Library and Community Centre, and Tea Gardens Library. I took heaps of photos but am yet to load them to Picasa. Once I have, I will share them on this blog.
The library visits were great. It is always exciting visiting libraries and getting ideas to take back to your own branches - well I think so.
The conference was well worth attending. The theme of reading brought me back to our roots - well what I believe a library's roots to be. Although, Marcus Bauber did get us thinking more about the role a librar has of developing wisdom. The bottom line, I think, is that we are about reading - be it for gaining information or for leisure, it is what we provide.
I think sometimes we get lost trying to be too many things for our community. I do believe we have a roll to play in providing access to and instruction on how to use new technology. I really think we have to focus on what new technology we are going to be good at - what new technology our community will be wanting to use. Because that is what it comes down to - what our community wants and sometimes I think we all get carried away focusing on what we want.
What I would love to see at a conference is more of someone telling us what we are doing wrong. It's great to have speakers from outside our industry but often they spend all the time tellings us how good we are. I don't really want to hear that - although it is nice. I want to hear where we are going wrong and how we can change that to going right!
Having a chance to talk to the trade exhibitors is also a great thing at a conference but I felt rushed. I love that many conferences I have attended have the exhibitor passbook to get stamped to go into the draw to win prizes - it does get delegates out there visiting the trade. But it also gets delegates to the trade without having any questions to ask other than "please stamp my book."
In a past life I was involved in a conference committee and I realised then the importance of making the trade feel that it has been worth while attending the conference. I don't think they want delegates just asking to stamp a book and then running off. They want to have a conversation about their products - what's new, what's working, what isn't working.
While some delegates believe that they shouldn't talk to trade because they don't make purchasing decisions - they are often the end users of the product or the one's showing our users how to use the product. Therefore, they are the most important person, apart from our users, that can talk to the trade about any issues we might be having at the end user end. They are also the staff member who is hearing what our users want. So again, they should be talking to the trade about those things!!
On a social note, I have found that the last few conferences I have been sticking to the people I know - which is very unlike me but I think I'm going through a few confidence issues at present, and really have been since moving to a different state. So I don't feel as outgoing as I used to be and as confident to go up to people I don't know and introduce myself. It's something I will be working on at future conferences.
The venue was excellent - who can complain about staying at a resort. The costs of registration and accommodation was very economical. I would have loved more time to explore the area but it did get me out and about at early hours of the morning to take it all in.
Well that should be all the PLNSW conference blog posts I have. Till the next blog challenge or till the urge hits me again...
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