January 17, 2019 ASRT Meeting at Springville Road, Topic: Alabama Bicentennial

Attendees:
Shannon, Hoover
David, BPL Central
Sunni, Gardendale
Samuel, Springville Road
Teresa, Southside
Holley, Mountain Brook
Leslie, Avondale
Deidre, Bessemer
Terri, Vestavia Hills
Jon, Avondale
Ginny, Leeds
Jiemin, BPL Central
Allison, Pinson
Leslie, Homewood
Maura, Trussville

First of all:  THANK YOU for a fabulous attendance number to start off our year!  Adult Services Roundtable is focused on adult services but EVERYONE is welcome to attend, post, suggest, stalk, etc.  And thanks go out to Springville Road for accommodating us!

We first talked about some issues that have been brought up recently.  As far as foreign language collections, i.e. collections in another language for adults, Hoover and BPL Central both have Spanish collections.  BPL Central also has a substantial Chinese collection.  Other libraries have smaller Spanish collections such as Bessemer and Trussville.  Don't forget to tell your Spanish patrons about our Overdrive collection too!

The State Library's Alabama Bicentennial touring exhibit will only be shown/exhibited at one library per county.  For Jefferson County, that will be the Hoover Library during the month of May downstairs in our Theatre gallery.  Please direct interested patrons to this wonderful exhibit.

Before Leslie got down to business (she has been researching and planning AL Bicentennial programs for over 6 months!), we discussed what others have been able to plan or suggest for programming:  

• https://www.makingalabama.org/bicentennial-scholars/ - Alabama Humanities Foundation has set up a scholars list that you can have come and speak.  There are guidelines on this site but the main thing is that any library can request one FREE speaker, then they start costing! (You do have to pay travel costs for speaker)  Book now though!
• http://alabama200.org/educators/primary-sources/ - The Alabama Bicentennial Commission has programs all over the state during this year.  Several are located at libraries: 1/8/19 Hoover, AL Geology; 1/30 Hoover, AL's Political History with John Archibald; 4/18 Vestavia, "Crooks, Scoundrels, and other Politicians".  At their "primary resources" you can find great resources to conduct your own programs!
• Alabama Historian, Jim Phillips has several AL-centric programs that he is putting on throughout the state (Contact: 205-991-8868).  For instance, at the Bessemer Library he will be presenting "Old Wagon Trails and Villages of Alabama Statehood".  Here's an article about one of his presentations: https://bit.ly/2Tarpzw
• Through Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at University of Alabama, there are some FREE speakers.  For example, Richard Rhone, retired History instructor, has some interesting programs available.  Contact Lois Strachan, Program Coordinator
  loiss.bama@ua.edu, (205) 348-8591 about becoming an OLLI site location.
• DON'T forget the Southern History Department downtown!!! They have already developed programs that will come to your library such as "Exploring your Alabama Roots".  Updated info:  "We do offer numerous genealogy programs that we are happy to offer to libraries throughout the county. See the attached for an updated list of our programs. Please note that some of the database classes are specific to BPL libraries only."  Thanks for that correction, you guys!!!  See the updated program offerings below:
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Not to be selfish, but my husband, Dr. Randall Haddock, has studied the Cahaba River for 30 years and he does a mean program.  You can contact him at the Cahaba River Society at 205-322-5326 (X412) or randyh@cahabariversociety.org.
• Consider an Alabama-centric film series!
• Since I got away with name-dropping, Holley suggested getting in touch with the Alabama Auto Racing Pioneers group (her dad is featured!)  That might be a unique program! (Check it out here: https://aarpinc.org/)
• Maura suggested a wonderful speaker, Bill Deutsch author of Alabama Rivers:  a celebration and challenge.  His contact information is wdeutsch@acesag.auburn.edu, 334-844-9208.
• Author Glenn Wills, Forgotten Alabama, is also an invaluable resource for programming.  Here's a link to his blog: http://forgottenalabama.blogspot.com/.
• There is also Dr. Larry Davenport and Ken Wills, authors of Exploring Wild Alabama that might be available to speak.
• For more ideas, here is a schedule for Montgomery's AL Dept of Archives and History's 2019 Lunchtime Lecture Series "Food For Thought" : https://visitingmontgomery.com/calendar/event/food-for-thought-lunchtime-lecture-series.
• Here's an interesting article on artist Amy Peterson's traveling exhibit "Alabama Then and Now": http://www.hooversmagazine.com/alabama-then-and-now/
• Why not ask a local farmer or Co-op to come and speak?  They probably have tons of interesting things to talk about!
• Holley had Kelly Mason Wood from Grace Gardens come talk about Holiday decorating -- she can probably tailor an AL-centric talk!
• Michele Reynolds, a local expert on native plants *and* a phenomenal quilter, would be an excellent speaker on either topic!

Leslie shared a 9-page handout of her collection of AL-centric programming ideas that we discussed for much of the rest of the meeting.  That handout is available through Dropbox at https://bit.ly/2DvyHIQ.  ENJOY!!!

If your library has any other ideas/programs/suggestions, please share them!!!!!

Our next meeting will be Thursday, March 21, 2019 at the NEW Pinson Library.  Beginning at 10 am, we will discuss POPULAR CULTURE IN LIBRARIES.  This may mean collections, programming, movies, technology, etc.  How is popular culture challenging our library budgets?  What can you do to provide resources with such a high demand?  Come and find out!!!