21st Century Literacies

Thursday, November 17th

Registration begins at 8:00am in the Doubletree lobby.
Coffee and pastries will be served near the Registration Desk until 10:30am.
Exhibits Open: 1:00pm – 4:30pm & 5:300pm – 6:30pm

9:00am-12:00pm

Build Literacy @your library: How to Use the Literacy Readiness - Literacy 101 Track
Inventory for Assessing and Building Library-Literacy Service
www.BuildLiteracy.org, responds to the assets and issues of libraries, literacy programs, and communities. The Literacy Readiness Inventory (LRI) helps you assess how your library approaches literacy. The LRI is divided into six sections: Meeting Community Literacy Needs; Demonstrating Financial Commitment; Supporting Literacy Partnerships and Advocacy Efforts; Providing Literacy and Outreach Services; Collecting books, materials, and resources for literacy students; Offering Literacy Programs. Examine your library’s literacy readiness and plan for future literacy services. Community refers to school, special, public, and academic libraries. You customize the tool to fit your planning needs.
Speaker: Dale Lipschulz, ALA’s Office of Literacy Outreach Services Literacy Officer and President, National Coalition for Literacy; Suzanne Knell, Content Specialist, Literacy Readiness Inventory and Executive Director and founder, Illinois Literacy Resource Development Center.

9:00am-10:15am

Reading and Writing in a Gamer’s World: The Positive Connections Between Gaming & Literacy
Games get a lot of bad press. People think they are passive forms of entertainment that rot the brains of children, teens, and adults. That’s really not the case. There is new research that looks at the positive aspects of gaming, which is developing a wide array of literacies including information, reading, writing, and speaking.
Speaker: Linda Braun, Project Management and Consulting Coordinator, LEO: Librarians and Educators Online.

Sweat the Small Stuff: An Overview of Phonemic Awareness - Literacy 101 Track
Learn how the smallest sounds impact reading readiness. Phonemic Awareness is the ability to notice, think about, and work with individual sounds in spoken words. It differs from phonics which links sounds in spoken language to print. Phonemic awareness is a crucial component of reading instruction that improves a readers’ abilities to decode and read words.
Speakers: Sally Grimes, Educational Consultant, Reading Specialist and Founding Director, Grimes Reading Institute.

9:30am-10:30am

Hey Jack Kerouac! Special Lowell Event
“That which is more personal is more universal.” Jack Kerouac aspired to write epic novels telling all that he had ever seen and done. Born and raised in Lowell, Massachusetts of French Canadian parents, this walking tour will take you to places that Kerouac wrote about while growing up in 1930’s Lowell. Join a National Park Ranger for a brief walking tour of downtown Lowell. We will end the tour at the Kerouac artifacts on display at the Working People Exhibit. Tours meet at the Middlesex Community College Trolley Stop behind the Doubletree Hotel.

10:30am – 11:45am

New & Non-Traditional: Reader’s Advisory for Young Adults
Are you looking for contemporary, cutting edge formats to meet the needs of the Young Adults and Tweens that you strive to serve? Do you need new ideas to help those teens select quality materials that keep them engaged and excited about your library collection? Join us and hear about the success Massachusetts professionals are having guiding customers to materials like gaming, graphic novels, audio books and the hot new releases they cannot wait to read. Sponsored by the MLA Youth Services Section.
Speaker: Robin Brenner, Library Technician, Cary Memorial Library, Lexington; Beth Gallaway, Trainer/Consultant, Metro-West Regional Library System; Martha Parravano, Executive Editor, Horn Book Magazine,; Mary Puleo, Assistant Director, Everett Libraries.

Getting to the Head of the Class with Harvard Universities - Literacy 101 Track
Maze Busters
Hear how the librarians of Harvard College Libraries Instructional Services empower learners to be active participants in the Information Age as they find, read, use and respond to information gathered from a variety of resources. Through team-based instruction and service librarians are motivating the next generation to be critical thinkers and avid library users.

12:00pm-1:00pm

Buffet Lunch served in the Junior Ballroom
The Mayor of Lowell will welcome Massachusetts Libraries at this informal buffet luncheon in the Doubletree’s Junior Ballroom. Take this opportunity to catch up with your colleagues from across the state. Prepaid ticket required.

1:00pm – 2:30pm

Dessert Reception in the Exhibit Hall
Enjoy coffee, tea and delicious desert while chatting with our generous exhibitors who make this conference possible. This exclusive time is your chance to let your vendors know what your libraries need.

2:30pm – 3:45pm

Reader’s Advisory on the Web: Resources, Case Studies, and Community Involvement
Based on his column that appeared in the Jan/Feb 2005 issue of Public Libraries Magazine titled, "Reader's Advisory: A Community Effort," the presenter discusses ways in which libraries can utilize the collective knowledge of their constituency to bring reader’s advisory to a new level online. Cohen will present examples of online reader’s advisory initiatives currently in place as well as ideas for future implementation. In addition, learn about possible pitfalls that may arise when presenting a community based reader’s advisory program.

Steven M. Cohen is the senior librarian at PubSub Concepts, Inc. in New York City, where he works on various projects within their prospective search software. He is the creator of Library Stuff, http://www.librarystuff.net (published by Information Today), a weblog dedicated to keeping current and to professional development for librarians which has been online since August 2000. He has been the contributing editor of the Internet Spotlight column for “Public Libraries” magazine since 2001 and Resourceshelf.com since June 2004. He is also co-manager of the PLA Blog, the official weblog for the Public Library Association.
Speaker: Steven M. Cohen, Senior Librarian/Writer/Consultant, PubSub Concepts, Inc.

Time to Read the Research: Know Your Literacy Ps and Qs - Literacy 101 Track
Fuel your passion for the library-literacy connection with facts from renowned researchers and practitioners. This is the session where you give yourself the time to read and digest the impact of findings from important reports and studies as they relate to library services and patron success.
Speakers: Dinah Smith O’Brien, Director, Plymouth Public Library; Gwen Arthur, Director, Goddard Library, Clark University and President of ALA RUSA.

How Libraries Put Literacy First: An Overview of the Massachusetts - Literacy 101 Track
Department of Education’s Reading First Initiative
Learn how Reading First initiatives are helping parents, educators and librarians work together to support the Commonwealth’s literacy goals for the reading achievement of K-3 students. The presentation includes an overview of the scientifically based reading research that is the foundation for developing effective models of teaching methods for reading. Hear how Lowell schools are implementing the program and working with librarians and parents. Review the materials prepared by the RF Outreach Group for use in local communities working towards improving the reading proficiency of Massachusetts children.
Speakers: Cheryl Liebling, Coordinator of the Reading First Initiative, Massachusetts Department of Education; Lowell School RF Implementation Facilitators, Elia Marnik, Literacy Consultant, and Katie Baxter, Library Representative to the Massachusetts Reading First Leadership Team.

4:00pm – 5:15pm

Readers’ Advisory on the Fly for Paralibrarians
Come learn a practical and humorous approach to advising patrons on their reading needs. This session is designed especially for circulation and children’s room staff, pages, and anybody else who may be collared at the desk or in the stacks with a request for a good book. You’ll get a general sense of what Readers’ Advisory is, learn some simple strategies, and take home eminently usable handouts. Sponsored by the MLA ParaLibrarian Section.
Speakers: Leane Ellis, Reference and Readers’ Advisory Librarian, Lucius Beebe Memorial Library Wakefield; Diane Young, Library Staff Development Consultant.

Earth Literacy: The Newest Oldest Literacy on the Planet - Literacy 101 Track
Be inspired about how you can read the Earth in new ways and incorporate themes of sustainability and environmental conservation into collection development, earth awareness programs, and storytelling for all ages.
Speaker: Marya Grathwohl, OSF, MA, Cosmology teacher at Chief Dull Knife Community College in Lame Deer, Montana.

Literacy 101: Building Staff Awareness of Literacy Needs - Literacy 101 Track
The success of what we do is dependent on knowing who we serve and how we can best engage with them. Learn tips for helping staff be aware of patrons’ literacy needs. Wrap up the day with a consideration of how we work with our colleagues and peers to promote an understanding of literacy among co-workers and staff. Identify ways to keep literacy goals and objectives in the forefront and on the frontline of library services.
Speakers: Robin Osborne, editor, From Outreach to Equity: Innovative Models of Library Policy and Practice (Chicago: ALA OLOS, 2004), Past-Chair, ALA Literacy Assembly, Chair of ALA’s Advisory Committee for OLOS.