I have been a little lax on posting for the past few weeks because of a surfeit of adventures that have left me scrambling to catch up on other work. Last week I attended the best Wisconsin Association of Public Librarian conference ever (in my experience). More on that in a later post.
In early May (which was, shockingly, a few weeks ago already), I attended the Wisconsin Autism Society’s Annual Conference in Green Bay. Jenna Gilles (Fall Creek), Georgia Jones (New Richmond) and Cole Zrostlik (St. Croix Falls and Milltown) joined me for this eye-opening look at autism. People on the spectrum, parents, and service providers all presented amazing sessions.
Don’t worry–we’ll be sharing some of the inspiration and information that came from this experience in a series of blog posts and a webinar–watch for more information coming down the pike. What I want to mention right away is the value of getting out of the library world and fully immersing yourself in another one. Don’t get me wrong–I love the library world and I adore librarians. But going to a conference or meeting outside library-land always opens my brain. It helps me come closer to a true understanding of some of the issues another discipline is facing, changes my perspective, and leaves me inspired to take that information back to my library work.
So if you have a chance to attend a meeting of the social services agencies in town, or get invited to the Autism Parent Support Group, or a workshop put on for early childcare providers, snatch it up! Many times these opportunities are free or low-cost, they almost always provide important chances to network, and they will certainly broaden your perspective and give you some new ideas about how the library might make its services more relevant.
Photo credit: New Perspectives by shannonrachel on flickr.