Alaska Library Association

Originally published in the Ketchikan Daily News, March 2015; written by Tammy Dinsmore

Last weekend I had the opportunity to attend the Alaska Library Association State conference in Juneau. It was so neat to meet with so many of my Library colleagues from around the state. I was finally able to put a face to the names of Library folk who I’ve either spoken with on the telephone or had contact with through email but had never met in person.

There were so many sessions and meetings that it was very hard to choose which ones to attend.

Some sessions that I attended were more geared toward better searching techniques for the Statewide and local databases that are offered through our website, http://www.ketchikanpubliclibrary.org. I found these to be most helpful in that I am more able to find articles and other resources for you, our patrons, whether it’s a research project for a class or just because you want to know something about a specific topic. Also talked about were the changes that are in the process of being made to how these databases will be accessed and how much easier it will be to find information.

A session on the “QR Code Revolution” was fun and I learned more about how those barcode-like codes are used and created. QR Codes or Quick Response codes were originally created for the automotive industry to keep track of parts during the assembly process but have since evolved to include advertising, text, or even to take you to a specific website. With so many Apps available for smartphones and tablet computers it is easy to scan and create your own codes.

A highlight of the conference was listening to author Marissa Meyer, who has written several Young Adult science fiction novels based on fairy tales. The “Lunar Chronicles” series has been very popular and includes “Cinder”, “Scarlet”, “Cress”, and the newly released “Fairest”. Ms. Meyer was very engaging and fun and it was interesting to hear about her writing process. And listening to a couple of classic fairy tales was fun too!

It was very interesting to learn about the different libraries around the state and some of the programs they have created and technologies they have implemented to keep up with ever changing times. And, as we will be hosting the 2017 conference here in Ketchikan, we were especially alert to how the conference was put together, what worked and what didn’t.