Points North Newsletters

December 2008

Page 3

Library Assistants Fall Conference In Tupper Lake By Pat Wiley Saranac Lake Free Library Assistant Nearly 30 participants from throughout the North Country attended the Northern New York Library Network’s Fall 2008 Library Assistants Conference held October 23, at the Wild Center in Tupper Lake. There were three morning sessions covering diverse topics. During the first presentation, NNYLN Systems Administrator Tom Blauvelt explained Library Digitizing Projects that greatly increase access to library materials. DSpace, the Northern New York Historical Newspapers, and the North Country Digital History Project are among these exciting digitizing projects. SUNY Potsdam Associate Librarian Marianne Herbert talked about Social Networking. Different and interesting ways of communicating today include wikis, blogs, Flickr, Twitter, FaceBook, MySpace and many others. Ms. Herbert said participants must be savvy, however, about the kind of information they post on various sites where anyone can see their information. During the final morning session, North Country Community College’s Director of Campus and Student Life Bobbie Karp discussed Career Development. She talked about the difference between a job and a career, and encouraged participants to think about themselves in new ways. She gave suggestions for taking charge of one’s career, taking risks and getting started with advancement. Library assistants were able to exchange ideas and meet with peers during lunch, which was followed by a tour of the Wild Center. Following the conference, the Library Assistants Committee met with NNYLN Regional Services Coordinator Bridget Doyle. Plans for the spring conference to be held in April 2009 were discussed, as well as the library assistants web page that is in the planning stages. The Wild Center Marianne Berbert Thomas Blauvelt Bobbie Karp Touring the Wild Center Page 1, Page 2 / Page 4 Back to Newsletters or Home