SWALL Bulletin Summer 2001

SOUTHEAST MEETS SOUTHWEST,
A LIBRARIAN’S PERSONAL ODYSSEY
by Carol Arnold
Interlibrary Loan/Access Services Librarian
University of Tulsa College of Law

I hope everyone enjoyed the Atlanta meeting as much as I did. The hotel and meeting arrangements were very good. Of course the usual hot and cold issues existed but what would a meeting be like without them? The opening reception at the C. Carlos Museum provided good food and drink and an interesting exhibit on ancient Egypt. Members were shuttled to the Emory campus on Emory buses. I don’t think the Emory shuttle I was on will be the same again. There was a faint smell of burning rubber as we exited off the bus at our hotel at the end of the evening.

The next day began with the SWALL breakfast and a short business meeting. Barbara Bintliff teased us with a few hints about the AALL meeting in Florida. She has proclaimed this meeting as the 2002 "fun" meeting with a theme of creating connections. I believe the motto will be "See ya later alligator." Florida here I come!

After breakfast there were several interesting sessions. My very first session, Managing People: Leadership Strategies throughout the Organization, involved some interesting characters, the wife of our own Melvil Dewey, Melvina, then there was Anxious Alice and Constance Cratchett and of course Futuristic Fred. I believe Herb Cihak’s very own staff were the cast for the characters. All of them were great examples of staff personalities that one could face in a management position.

Continuing on I decided to next attend the session on delegation. We were introduced to the Nuts and Bolts of Delegation. Specific pointers on what not to delegate; staff problems, morale problems, pet projects and planning, were explained. Discussion continued with the common mistakes made when delegating. Some were micro- managing, having to have things done "my" way, or helping too much. One of the best points made in this session was to empower your people, setting them up not to fail, but rather to succeed. Delegation can build teamwork, raise morale and boost productivity. One of the biggest hits was the session on listening. The Microsoft trainer was apparently well experienced in the hard cases of teaching "geeks" to talk to the rest of the world and probably found us an easy sell. The audience was divided into two concentric circles, and he directed the two groups in practice sessions of both horrendous and good listening techniques, as we switched partners upon cue. This session was a good mix or prepared lecture, group discussion, and technique practice. All the sessions provided many interesting tips for all librarians.

The Friday evening entertainment was a huge success, trivia and librarians. Need I say more? Did anyone get all 5 names from the Paul Simon song? A big thank you to West for providing the appetizers and DJs not to forget the drawing for the airline tickets. Tulsa’s very own Lou Lindsey will be representing SWALL in the ping pong tournament at AALL having won the beginner’s level in Atlanta. We wish you the best of luck, Lou! Lets see, how many games did you play? Dining out in Atlanta was a treasure and the shopping, wow!

The Atlanta experience was a good one. It all exceeded my expectations! Thanks again for awarding me a travel grant.