It’s a well-known fact that librarians know a thing or two. The question is, how do they get to know so much?
If Nelson seems just a little more in the know May 12 to 14, it’s because more than 100 librarians and other library-dedicated individuals will be in town for the Kootenay Library Federation Conference.
Representatives from the 19 member libraries in the East and West Kootenays and Boundary will share information on everything library: from the nuts and bolts of building the service to the brass tacks of patron assistance.
From ‘Finding your Zen in Children’s Programming’ to learning the finer points of ‘Teenspeak’ (the better to reach young adult readers), from ‘Library Planting and Weeding’ to ‘Developing Extraordinary Patron Relations,’ the conference addresses the underpinnings of library service.
Nelson’s Mike Stolte, executive director of the Centre for Innovative and Entrepreneurial Leadership, offers a workshop on measuring library vitality and a keynote address on libraries in a changing landscape.
Nelson’s mayor and literacy advocate John Dooley addresses the breakfast crowd. Workshop leaders come from across the region, with special guests from the Ministry of Education’s public library services branch.
This is the third regional conference, and the first to take place in Nelson. It’s set to answer the question of how librarians do know so much: they ask the right questions, look for the answers, and then they share what they learn with one another, and with their communities.
The Kootenay Library Federation was established in 2006 to strengthen individual libraries through advocacy, coordination, and the sharing of resources and information.