This year the Montana Library Association celebrates its centennial. MLA had its beginnings in Missoula in 1906, so it is fitting that this centennial conference also be held in Missoula. Gertrude Buckhous, University Librarian, chaired the group's organizational meeting. The next day she was elected Vice President, with Granville Stuart elected as President. From then on, Montana librarians have been "proceeding on" with all the things librarians and libraries do, growing and changing with the times through the years.
We believe we have put together an exciting centennial conference for you, with something for just about everyone. Please come and help us celebrate!
Proceeding on ... Our conference motto is adapted from the frequent phrase in Lewis and Clark's Journals, "We proceeded on." We anticipate that MLA and the state's libraries will continue to serve our citizens for the next hundred years and keep "proceeding on."
| Registration Information | Preconferences | Keynote | Programs and Workshops | Meals | Events |
Fill out the registration and interest form (PDF) and return to Gail Hanowell, Missoula Public Library, 301 E. Main St., Missoula, MT 59802 (Fax: 406-728-5900).
Register by March 17th and save up to $15 off your registration rate! See the form for cost information.
The hotel for the conference is the Holiday Inn Parkside, located at 200 S. Pattee St. The conference rate is $89/night. More information and reservations will be up shortly.
Funny Bones for Customer Service,
Presented by Jan Fandrich. May 3rd, 9:00-12:00
Jan Fandrich, M.L.I.S., is currently the Technical and Access Services Librarian at Montana State University-Billings Library. She has also worked as a children’s librarian in a large public library, and as a researcher and serials specialist in a corporate library. What do all these jobs have in common? The need for great customer service! Working with an ever-changing population of part-time student employees led Jan to explore ways of training new and returning workers for continuous improvement of customer service. Working with students also pointed out the need to make this training fun for the participants! To date, Jan has given presentations on customer service training at the local and statewide level, in addition to training each semester at the MSU-Billings Library. Her program will energize your staff and/or yourself and help you
impress your customers! Participate in humorous skits and role-plays designed to sharpen your customer service skills.
Here Jan is shown putting one of her favorite mottos into practice: “Smile when you’re on the phone, the patron can hear it in your voice!”
Catalogers' Use of MARC & 21st Century Library Cataloging: Challenges and Opportunities,
Presented by Bill Moen. May 3rd, 9:00-12:00
Dr. William Moen is Interim Director of the Texas Center for Digital Knowledge and Associate Professor in the School of Library and Information Sciences, University of North Texas.
He teaches courses on the organization of information, metadata and networked information organization and retrieval, and Z39.50.
His preconference will examine recent and emerging ideas and activities that are already affecting or ultimately affect the work of library catalogers. Key topics that will be addressed are:
Participants will be presented with information to help them thoughtfully consider the issues and opportunities. The workshop’s goal is to help information professionals participate in shaping 21 st century cataloging and information organization.
The Accidental Library Manager,
Presented by Rachel Singer Gordon. May 3, 1:30-4:30
Rachel Singer Gordon is Consulting Editor, Information Today Books, and
former Head of Computer Services at the Franklin Park Public Library, Ill.
She runs the library career site LISjobs.com, publishes the electronic
newsletter Info Career Trends, and co-authors Beyond the Job, a
professional development weblog for librarians.
Her preconference, The Accidental Library Manager, takes a practical look at the skills and background new and potential library managers need to succeed in their positions. It reassures those with little preparation for their management roles, who never realized they would be going into management (or never intended to do so), or whose library school coursework failed to prepare them for the challenges of management. In an era where younger and potential managers are told what their elders think they 'need to lead,' find out what library staff really want from their managers, how to use your current background to succeed, and how to reduce the fear inherent in common concerns.
Keith Michael Fiels
Meeting the Challenge: Key Issues for Changing Times
Libraries and librarians face incredible challenges as we struggle to grapple with an information explosion, a new global society, and incredible technologies that are transforming the way we live and work. How will we fit into -- and shape -- the future world emerging all around us?
How can we continue to play a vital role in our society and democracy? What are the most important things we can do to improve library services in America -- and the world? What can we do about library funding? Can we really improve the salaries of library workers? Can libraries even survive?
American Library Association Executive Director Keith Michael Fiels will discuss some of the ways in which we can work together to meet the challenges that we face today: funding crises, threats to first amendment protections, poor salaries and a lack of public understanding of the critical role that libraries must play in a global society and information age. Find out how you can make a difference!
Keith Michael Fiels was appointed Executive Director of the American Library Association in 2001.
Prior to coming to ALA, Keith served as Director of the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. He has served as President of the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA), as the director of a library network, and as a staff consultant for the New York and New Jersey State Libraries.
Keith has also worked as a public and school librarian and as an independent library consultant. He has been active in ALA committees and Divisions, as well as a succession of state library associations. He is the recipient of the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA) Leadership Achievement Award and a Library Public Relations Council Award. He was named to the ALA Association for Library Trustees and Advocates (ALTA) National Advocacy Honor Roll in 2000 and the Massachusetts Library Association Hall of Fame in 2002.
He is also co-author of a number of books on planning and technology.
Author's Luncheon Speaker: Janna Nickerson, author of Eyes of War.
Janna Nickerson is a 17-year-old author living in Missoula, Montana. Growing up in a world of Harry Potter, Lord of the rings, Eragon and Narnia, Janna has developed a keen sense of the fantasy genre. She has created a story of incredible depth and color. The world she has painted has the power to transport the reader from their house into a land of power, darkness and hope where anyone can become a leader. She explores the meaning of being yourself and sacrificing personal dreams for the greater good. Examining the power of youth and the amazing potential it has, Nickerson takes the reader on a journey of good and evil.
Janna Nickerson’s passion for writing began in the 6th grade inspired by her teacher, Maribeth Rothwell. Janna’s love for fantasy books fills her bookshelves and has provided the background for her first novel, Eyes of War. This novel, the first in a trilogy, became her senior project at Hellgate High School. Her first publication, a poem commemorating the 9/11 tragedy, was printed in her high school newsetter. She currently lives in Missoula, Montana with her family. Her plans for the future are to attend college and finish editing her second novel in the Fifth Battle Trilogy.
Conference Schedule or by day: Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday
Printable version of the final conference schedule (PDF)
MLA Night Dine-Around, May 3rd, 6:00 p.m. -- Here's a chance to try out some great Missoula restaurants with fellow library folks! Fill out the linked form and return it with your registration information.
MLA New Members Breakfast, May 4th, 7:15-8:15 a.m. -- New members and first-time attendees continental breakfast: Open to all members: free to new members, $4 for all others.
Exhibitor’s Luncheon, May 4th, 12:00-1:00 p.m. -- Boxed lunch. Choice of turkey, beef, or vegetarian. Free!
ASLD Section Dinner, May 4th, 6:15-7:30 p.m. -- Join with your fellow division members for an evening of great food and conversation! We will be enjoying a buffet dinner at the Bridge featuring pesto chicken, flank steak and grilled salmon. Click on the link and send the form to Samantha Hines (samantha.hines@umontana.edu) to reserve your spot. $23
Division Breakfasts, May 5th, 7:15-8:15 a.m. -- All American Buffet. Juices, fruit tray, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage links, breakfast potatoes, pastries and muffins, coffee, decaf, tea. Indicate when registering which division: ASLD, PLD, SLMD. $12.
Awards Luncheon, May 5th, 11:30-1:00 -- Lasagna, tossed salad and house dressing, fresh seasonal vegetables, rolls, butter, coffee service, and dessert. Choice of meat or vegetarian lasagna. $10.
Membership Dinner, May 5th, 7:30-10:00 p.m. -- Past MLA Presidents are encouraged to attend. Choice of: Prime Rib of Beef, “seasoned and roasted to perfection, served with horseradish sauce,” Stuffed Breast of Capon Chicken, “Stuffed chicken breast with herb cream cheese and avocado and topped with a raspberry sauce,” or Vegetarian entrée (details forthcoming). All entrees are served with tossed salad, rice pilaf or potato appropriate to the entrée, fresh seasonal vegetables, rolls, butter, coffee service, and dessert (New York cheesecake with fruit topping). $22.
Authors Luncheon, May 6th, 12:15-1:45 p.m. -- Choice of: Roast turkey with garlic mashed potatoes, or vegetarian mostaccioli pasta. Choices are accompanied by tossed salad and house dressing, fresh seasonal vegetables, rolls, butter, coffee service, and dessert. $10.
Birding: America's latest craze, Missoula Style, May 3, 8:30-10:30 am -- Birdwatching right from the conference center. Robin Anderson, former ornithology teacher at Big Sky High School will lead a birding expedition up the Clark Fork River across to the UM campus and the Kim Williams Trail or up Rattlesnake Creek to Greenough Park to look for dippers and other spring birds. Bring binoculars, bird books, and spotting scopes if you have them. Wear appropriate foot gear for a few miles of walking. Limit: 15 people. Please pre register. This event is free.
Wednesday Afternoon Excursions, May 3rd, 1:30 p.m.-4:00 p.m. -- Choose between two tours in the Missoula area. A van will pick up those preregistered at the Holiday Inn Parkside Hotel at 1:30 pm and return by 4 pm. The cost of each of the tours is $7.00, which includes transportation. The choices are:
Missoula Smokejumper Center & Missoula Technology & Development Center
This tour includes visiting the Smokejumper Museum as well as the retardant and textile labs, testing area, and publication room.
Fort Missoula Museum
This tour includes the new Missoula County Exhibit and Lewis and Clark Exhibit. When you finish inside you can complete a self-guided tour of the Drummond Depot & Railroad Exhibits, Grant Creek Schoolhouse, St. Michael’s Church, World War II Internment Camp Barracks, and Potomac Valley Homestead Cabin.
Opening Reception, May 3rd, 4:30 - 6:30 p.m. -- Mansfield Library, UM. Details TBA.
MLA Night Dine-Around, May 3rd, 6:00 p.m. -- Here's a chance to try out some great Missoula restaurants with fellow library folks! Fill out the linked form and return it with your registration information.
One Conference, One Book, May 3, 8:30 - 10:00 p.m. -- Come discuss The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger.
Walking Tour of Historic Missoula, May 4th, 4:45-5:45 p.m. -- Leaves right from the conference site. Allan Mathews leads this tour that he developed in writing A Guide to Historic Missoula (c 2002), vol. 6 of the Montana Mainstreets series published by the Montana Historical Society Press. This tour has had rave reviews from locals. Please pre register. Limit: 25 people. Cost is $8 per person.
ASLD Section Dinner, May 4th, 6:15-7:30 p.m. -- Join with your fellow division members for an evening of great food and conversation! Details TBA.
Reception, May 4th, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. -- Missoula Public Library. Details TBA.
Cates Trivia Mania, May 4th, 8:00-10:00 p.m. -- Join your friends and colleagues for a couple hours of hilarious fun and contribute to a very worthy cause at the same time. Dress in costume (or not) and join a team of trivia players for Montana Trivia and more! Form a team of up to 8 people ahead of time, or just come and join a team at the event. Costumes are optional: This is our Centennial, so we’re promoting fashion through the decades. Pre-formed teams as well as individuals are encouraged to dress up in one of the decades' attires: 1906-1916 through 1996 - 2006. Who was Sheila Cates? Sheila was an inspirational librarian who cared for the development of every librarian and library in Montana; she died of cancer in 1993, but we carry on her passion for libraries and librarians by raising money for the scholarship fund created to honor her. While pre-registration is strongly encouraged to help us gauge a headcount for this zany event, walk-ins are welcome; $10 in advance or $12 at the door. A cash bar will be available, along with complimentary snacks. Prizes will be awarded for best period costumes and winning Trivia team.
State Library Commission Reception, May 5th, 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. -- Details TBA.
Beers with Peers, May 5th, 10:00 p.m. - ??? -- Gather with friends from ASLD in the hotel bar for informal conversation and networking.
Logo created by Erika Mann, Reference Technician, University of Montana.
Website created by Samantha Hines, of the
Conference Booklet Committee, chaired by Stacey Gordon.
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