Internet Librarian Pre Conference Day 1

I am attending the Internet Librarian Conference 2009 in Monterey, CA. This is my first conference as a new librarian! I arrived on Friday and walked to the Monterey Public Library to get my new library card. It’s a very comfortable library with a woodsy cabin feeling. I was impressed with all the teens that were hanging out in the library interacting with their friends and reading. Just about every day they have anywhere from 100-200 students using the library! The warm open atmosphere had a real welcoming feeling. Their mini gift shop even provided me with a shoppertunity to buy a beautiful silk type scarf with books on it.

Day 1 of the Pre Conference was spent at the Library Camp at Monterey Public Library. This is truly becoming an international event since I met librarians from as far away as Nigeria and South Africa. Today’s topics included Training Library Staff on Technology- the challenge of keeping up and Open Source Software on public access computers. Participants shared and interacted with others on what worked or didn’t in all types of libraries.

Why call it The Library Tree

Where did “The Library Tree Blog" get its roots? I decided to start a blog as part of the Sacramento Public Library’s “27 Things”. When thinking about a symbol for my blog a tree was the first thing that came to mind and the more I thought about it the more I realized that it had many similarities to a library. Besides I’ve always enjoyed people, libraries, reading, nature, outdoor activities and sports. Also, Sacramento is known as the “City of Trees” and since I live and work here it the library tree name is a good fit. A tree is to a forest what a library is to a consortium. Below I have listed many of the comparisons.

Tree picture courtesy of Dutton Tree Care .

Trees	Libraries
A tree is a growing organism.	..."The library is a growing organism." ~ Ranganathan
A tree is to a forest what a ...	... library is to a consortium.
Trees come in a wide variety of types, sizes & shapes.	Libraries come in a wide variety; public, academic, school, special & private in various shapes and sizes.
Roots are a network that anchor the tree and spread and give the tree strength.	Roots represent the community and taxpayers that support the library. The library serves the community. Win-Win.
Trunk supports the framework of the branches & is attached to the roots.	Trunk represents librarians, staff, Friends of the Library, volunteers & the Foundation.
Bark protects the tree from weather, insects and disease.	Bark represents the librarians that look after the collections.
Branches transfer nutrients to the leaves.	Branches represent branch libraries and/or consortiums. Receive and disseminate transferred materials.
Rings are a layer of wood produced each year showing growth.	Rings represent the archives.
Leaves make the food for the plant.	Leaves represent a multitude of books and materials in multiple formats offered to the community.
Gifts from types of trees: flowers, fruit, cones or seed pods.	Gifts from various types of libraries: free borrowing, classes, downloads, and programs.
Leaves falling off the tree	Weeding the library
Trees prevent erosion.	Libraries offer free resources, especially in tough economic times.
Offers shelter in poor weather.	Offers shelter for the preservation of knowledge.
Vital to the community and the environment.	Vital to the community and the environment.

Setting up my Library-Tree blog