Librarians sharpen skills at state library association conference

Kristen Monroe and Jane Larson updated their information technology skills, learned how to better serve library patrons, and networked with colleagues from around the state at the South Dakota Library Association's Oct. 5-7 annual conferene.

"South Dakota Libraries: a Story Worth Telling" was this year's theme. The program offered opportunities to discuss how libraries are transforming to meet people's needs and using technology to access vast quantities of information.

Monroe and Larson also attended the following presentations and workshops:

? "Extending Children's Literature with Props, Crafts, and Activities" by craft book author Kathy Ross;

? "Library Trustees: What Do They Do? Why Do We Need Them?" by Jim Connor, American Library Trustees and Advocates, a division of the American Library Association;

? "Weblogs: Making Your Web Site Better and Easier to Maintain," by technology guru and blogger Aaron Schmidt;

? "Photoshop image-editing software," by Judith Howard, Augustana College media librarian;

? "Young Adult Reading Program/Teen Reads Book Talks," Shari Kolbeck, Vermillion school librarian;

? "Marketing Strategies for Libraries," by Holly Riker and Bill Fleming, Hot Pink Ink.