Almost a Week in Library Land! April 11 - 17, 2021

Ah, the Week in Library Land - it used to be a staple of the site before the coronavirus closed so many library doors. We’ve certainly kept busy but it isn’t the same steady beat of library fun that we loved so well. We’re starting to hear about and see more glimmers of hope - and we hope that you are as well in your own communities!

Last  week, we did have a few Library Land activities that were pretty fun. At the top of the list was a presentation we did for an undergraduate public relations class at Boston University. Since we both have long careers in public relations, we love the opportunity to speak with young people considering the profession. We especially love the opportunity to talk about how PR led us (indirectly) to Library Land and how it’s helped us share some of the great stories we’ve seen and heard in our travels. A big thanks to Julie Dennehy, who invited us into her virtual classroom!

A lot of our activities seemed to revolve around education this week as we also had promising conversations with folks at Brandeis University and the University of Rhode Island about potential collaborations. We have a lot of irons in the fire, and finding folks able to help has become important.

And while it didn’t technically happen in the past week, we’re also psyched to share the third episode of Library Land Conversations. This installment features Matthew Oudens and Conrad Ello of Oudens Ello Architecture. Regular readers of Library Land will be familiar with some of their work in Webster, Eastham, Scituate, and - soon - Norwell. The pair share some really great insights into their work and thinking around public libraries. Fascinating stuff!

As always, we’d love to hear from you. What’s happening with public libraries in your community? What are your academic pursuits? Do you have a suggestion for future podcast guests? Do you have a class you’d like us to speak with? Let us know!