Core Library Consulting Interest Group

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ASCLA LCIG Annual Conference Program Update

  • 1.  ASCLA LCIG Annual Conference Program Update

    Posted Jul 10, 2013 10:39 AM

    Here is a brief summary for those LCIG members who were unable to attend the Library Consultant’s Interest Group Programs at the ALA Annual Conference 2013, Chicago. We hope you can join us next year.


    LCIG Programs


    06/29/2013         Beyond Brainstorming: Making More Effective Decisions


                                  Joan Frye Williams


    On the ALA Scheduler, there were over 450 people listed. The room held about 350. It was full, with a few seats available in the front, but many people standing or sitting in the back. Joan Frye Williams presented an excellent program focusing on essential steps for communication and involvement for decision making. There were 110 evaluation forms turned in after the program with uniformly excellent ratings.


    06/30/2013         Do Those Evaluation Statistics Mean Anything?


                                  Sara Laughlin, Carlos Manjarrez, Matthew Birnbaum, Laura Stone, William Wilson


    On the ALA Scheduler, there were over 225 people listed. The room held about 144 and I estimated that about 90 people attended. The IMLS staff presented the problems and issues relating to evaluating (and justifying to funders) the IMLS grants and programs, including LSTA. They presented the options, benefits, and shortfalls of evaluation schemes from very individualized custom reporting to very standardized quantitative reporting. IMLS is looking for a balance. At the end of the program, there was a call for those interested to keep the dialogue open in discussing and developing workable library program evaluation templates. There were 21 evaluations turned in after the program, with generally excellent ratings.


    06/30/2013         Consultants Giving Back



    On the http://www.consultantsgiveback.org/ web page there were 20 consultants signed up to offer the free sessions. On the ALA Scheduler, 22 people signed up as interested in the CGB – some of these were the consultants. ASCLA LCIG is a sponsor for the program along with the more informal consultants breakfast group and members of LibraryConsultants.org. ASCLC LCIG serves as host - greeter – welcomer for the session. Unfortunately the assigned room was difficult to find and remote from other conference program rooms. This discouraged “drop-ins.” Most of the consultants attending had appointments for short free consulting sessions. Evaluations by the consultants and the participating librarians will be done after conference by online surveys.