Reps of Small and Rural Libraries Meet in Sacramento

Maybe it was the shift to Sacramento, CA, after years in Columbus, OH. Maybe it was the deep engagement of the state library, including the tireless and inspired Carla Lehn. Maybe it was the new leadership inspired by the old, after the recent retirement of Clarion University's Bernard Vavrek, who directed the Center for the Study of Rural Librarianship.

Whatever the cause, the Association for Rural & Small Libraries (ARSL) meeting held in the California capital September 19–21 was reinvigorated, involving some 260 attendees from 31 states.

ARSL organizers have made great strides since rural library leaders met to map the future of the organization in Clarion, PA, in February 2007. Participants benefited from a challenging program and an organization with a stronger voice bolstered by WebJunction's Jim Malzewski's work on the new ARSL web site.

Among the topics: fundraising, advocacy, collaboration for improved programming, collection development, and the savvy application of technology, including Infopeople's “technology petting zoo,” part of which is pictured at right.

Bill Harmer, head of adult services for Chelsea District Library, MI, LJ's 2008 Best Small Library in America, roused participants with his descriptions of the library's programming for seniors, an area in which he predicts growth comparable to the proliferation of teen services.

Stating that one in eight Americans in 65 or older, he noted that the 85 and older crowd is the fastest growing population in the country. “We will need more than just a large-print collection to address their needs,” he stressed. Luckily, he had a roster of great ideas, including a senior lock-in (more common with teens), complete with a Hawaiian rib dinner, and oral history projects focused on both World War II veterans and alums of one-room schoolhouses in the region.

The tech talk at the conference might have made some participants antsy, but then Jessamyn West (Vermont librarian, LJ Mover & Shaker, librarian.net blogger, and more) put it all in perspective in her funny and smart “Tiny Libraries, Tiny Tech.” “We're still living on a planet where half the population still hasn't ever used a telephone, so it's great to think that we're all going to a big Internet party,” she said, but librarians have to remember “everyone.” including all of those who read the print paper in the library every day.

Connectivity is still a real issue for rural communities, she pointed out, noting that most of the people in her Vermont town live without any kind of connectivity. With that in mind, she said, the ongoing trend to move more online, including e-government, puts big pressure on libraries.

Apologizing for the term Web 2.0, stating that it was created to sell technology conferences, West said, “so don't feel bad if it doesn't seem to mean anything to you!” She advised reaching out when implementing new technologies: “We need to trust people as volunteers with technology and manage it like we do volunteers in the rest of the library's services.” She stressed that the library is a great place to help patrons connect to the outside, because, in some towns, it's the only public space beyond the post office.

For more, including video interviews and discussion of technology and marketing issues, go to ARSLreport.notlong.com