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The 2008 Empowerment Conference for Library Support Staff will be held during the ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim, CA, Saturday and Sunday, June 28-29, 2008.

Join your colleagues as we in Anaheim! Designed specifically for library support staff and featuring a variety of programs with nationally known speakers like Warren Graham, Jenny Levine, and Michael Stephens, this is a conference not to be missed! Learn about work-life balance, customer service, career paths, ergonomics, safety and security, and more! Enjoy networking opportunities with colleagues from across the nation. Tour the world's largest library exhibition. Get inspired at the opening breakfast, attend an always dynamic ALA opening general session, and gain valuable tips for making the most of your conference experience. You'll come away rejuvenated, refreshed, and ready to successfully navigate the choppy seas at home!

Registration for Empowerment 2008 is automatically included with a full Annual Conference registration, or separate registration is available.

Empowerment Registration Rates:

Empowerment Preliminary Program in PDF format

Schedule at a Glance

Saturday, June 28


7:30 am - 10:00 am

Welcome Breakfast and Conference Kickoff


10:30 am - 12:00 pm

Concurrent Sessions


12:00 pm - 1:15 pm

Exhibit No Conflict Time/Lunch On Your Own


1:30 pm - 3:30 pm

Concurrent Sessions


4:00 pm - 5:30 pm

Concurrent Sessions


5:30 pm - 7:30 pm

ALA Opening General Session


7:00 pm - 11:00 pm

ALA/ProQuest Scholarship Bash (add'l ticket required)

Sunday, June 29


8:00 am - 10:00 am

Concurrent Sessions


10:30 am - 12:00 pm

Concurrent Sessions


12:15 pm - 2:00 pm

Lunch - Interactive Conversations


6:30 pm - 9:00 pm

LSSIRT Night Out (add'l ticket required)

Session Descriptions

Saturday, June 28

7:30 am - 10:00 am


Welcome Breakfast and Conference Kickoff

Join your colleagues as we Ride the Wave to Empowerment in Anaheim! Designed specifically for library support staff and featuring a variety of programs with nationally known speakers like Warren Graham, Jenny Levine, and Michael Stephens, this is a conference not to be missed! Learn about work-life balance, customer service, career paths, ergonomics, safety and security, and more! Enjoy networking opportunities with colleagues from across the nation. Tour the world’s largest library exhibition. Get inspired at the opening breakfast, attend an always dynamic ALA opening general session, and gain valuable tips for making the most of your conference experience. You’ll come away rejuvenated, refreshed, and ready to successfully navigate the choppy seas at home! Keynote Speaker: Disney Institute speakers to be announced.

10:30 am - 12:00 pm


What I Really Meant To Say Was��� (a.k.a Dealing with Difficult People)

Ever left a conversation wishing you’d said something different? This fun and interactive workshop will give you industry specific, real world tips on “what to say and do” when dealing with difficult people. Guaranteed to increase your confidence and decrease your blood pressure!
Speakers: Gail Johnson & Pam Parr, Face to Face Communications and Training


Black Belt Librarians: How to Recognize & Respond To The Four Levels Of Emotion That Any Patron May Be In

Learn how to first recognize and then how to best respond to the different levels of emotion that a patron may be in. From the “normal” patron who may become upset to teens with attitudes towards authority, and even the mentally ill, this program covers them all!
Speaker: Warren Graham, Warren Davis Graham Training & Consulting


When’s My Ship Going to Come In?: Global Trends Affecting Libraries

Change is happening all around us. Some of that change will have an impact on what you do and how you do it at your library. Ms. Pollack will present an overview of current global trends and suggest ways to apply those trends to library service.
Speaker: Miriam Pollack, Miriam Pollack & Associates


A National Certification Program for Library Support Staff: Progress and Challenges

A report on the first year’s activities to establish an LSS certificate program at ALA. The co-directors will talk about the competencies for LSS and plans for the project’s next two years.
Speakers: Karen Strege and Nancy Bolt, Co-Directors, ALA/Western Council Library Support Staff Certification Project

12:00 pm - 1:15 pm


Exhibit No Conflict Time/Lunch On Your Own

1:30 pm - 3:30 pm


Are You Captain Bligh of the HMS Bounty or Julie McCoy, Cruise Director on the Pacific Princess? Dealing With Difference by Understanding Your People Style

Behavioral differences can be vexing no matter whether it’s staff or patrons. Learn to decode behavior and respond positively to the variety of ways we interact with others.
Speakers: Sharon & Dan Wiseman, Wiseman Consulting & Training


Surfing the Net: Google to the Next Level

Google is not only a search engine; it is currently the most popular resource on the Web. While frequently used, the many aspects of Google are not necessarily thoroughly understood. This session will present power searching techniques for Google, familiarize the participant with some of Google’s other tools, and suggest ways in which Google might be used most effectively at the Reference Desk. We all know something about Google; at the end of this session you’ll take your understanding of Google to the next level.
Speaker: Diana L. Bitting, PALINET


“Can I Please Blow Up This Reference Desk?”

This engaging session looks at ten of today’s most important social and cultural trends and how they can and should change the way librarians do business.
Speaker: Tracie Hall, Assistant Dean, Dominican University GSLIS
Preparing For Tomorrow By Looking Back at Yesterday

Interactive and lively presentation that explores “good old fashioned” library service and values. Attendees will explore Ranganathan’s Five Laws of Library Science and see how they relate to library 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 concepts. Find out how to thrive, and survive, in the wave of new technologies.
Speaker: Linda Slusar, Professor, Coordinator, Library Technology Program, College of DuPage

4:00 pm - 5:30 pm


Would You Like an Umbrella With that Beach Blanket?: X-Treme Customer Service

So you think you’re pretty good at customer service? We’ll take you to the next level and show you how to become a Customer Activist! This fun, fast-paced interactive workshop will have you on your feet as you learn what it takes to hear your customers consistently say, “Wow, your service was unbelievable – thank you!”
Speakers: Gail Johnson & Pam Parr, Face to Face Communications and Training


Black Belt Librarians: How to Recognize & Respond To The Four Levels Of Emotion That Any Patron May Be In

Learn how to first recognize and then how to best respond to the different levels of emotion that a patron may be in. From the “normal” patron who may become upset to teens with attitudes towards authority, and even the mentally ill, this program covers them all!
Speaker: Warren Graham, Warren Davis Graham Training & Consulting


Captain Your Own Destiny and See Where It Takes You

You have control of your career path. Listen to this panel of library support staff members as they share their insights into the path that led them to the position they currently hold.
Speakers: Tobi Oberman, Head of Circulation Services, Skokie Public Library; Jennifer Kutzik, Information Technology Technician II, Colorado State University Libraries.


Ready, Set, Go! Racing Toward Excellent Public Service

Feel like you could use a little more training to do your job more effectively? Learn about a paraprofessional training and development program aimed at maximizing customer services and reference interview skills. This presentation details the Ready, Set, Go! Program created by the Orange County Library System (Orlando, FL) and demonstrates how you can turn your own library into a public service success story.
Speaker: Jamie Conklin, Assistant Department Manager, Orange County Library System

5:30 pm - 7:30 pm


ALA Opening General Session

The speaker for the Opening General Session is still being finalized. Please check the Speical Events page for details.

7:00 pm - 11:00 pm


ALA/ProQuest Scholarship Bash (add'l ticket required)

Grab your Mouse Ears, we’re going the Disneyland® Resort!! Every year the ALA/ProQuest Scholarship Bash is a rousing good time and this year will be no different. Your ticket is valid for entry to either the Disneyland® Park (open until 12:00 am featuring full fireworks) or Disney’s California Adventure® Park (open until 9:00 pm). Your ticket is valid at only one park - no back and forth privileges. Don’t delay and get your tickets early!! Remember, proceeds go towards MLS scholarships! Tickets are $40 in advance and $45 onsite, and available through the registration form.

Sunday, June 29

8:00 am - 10:00 am


Man Overboard! Now, What Do I Do? Thinking On Your Feet

Have you ever left work thinking that even your best wasn’t good enough today? This workshop will take you beyond the basics of dealing with difficult people and difficult situations – it will prepare you for the unexpected (well, as much as anything can). In usual Face to Face style the presenters will give you the “what to say and do” in almost any unimaginable situation.
Speakers: Gail Johnson & Pam Parr, Face to Face Communications and Training


Technology Trends

Speakers: Michael Stephens, Assistant Professor, Dominican University, GSLIS and Jenny Levine, Internet Development Specialist & Strategy Guide, ALA


Playing in the Sand With the Proper Shovel & Pail: Ergonomics in the Workplace

As library workers it is very important that we employ proper ergonomic techniques on a daily basis in our workplaces. This in not only for good health, but also to serve as role models for others. Dr. Michael Minieka, M.D., founder of the Chicago Ergonomic Group, Inc., will address the emerging need for a safe and productive work environment. As a neurologist at Northwestern University Medical School, he had patients with Repetitive Stress Injuries who kept returning re-injured, despite instructions on proper work habits. Convinced there must be a reason, Dr. Minieka and his associates have visited people in their offices and watched them work. Through these observations, they have adopted ways to prevent these injuries and he will share his insights with the audience.
Speaker: Dr. Michael Minieka, M.D., founder of the Chicago Ergonomic Group, Inc.


Understanding Your Inner Wizard – Harry Potter and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

Are you a Lord Voldemort, Severus Snape, Hermione Granger? Unlock the keys to the kingdom using the Myers – Briggs Type Indicator. Learn what to do when spells are cast, or your wizard is weak.
Speakers: Sharon & Dan Wiseman, Wiseman Consulting & Training

10:30 am - 12:00 pm


Courageous Leaps: Become a Lion in a World of Sheep

What is the difference between lions and sheep? Lions make their own path; sheep follow the herd. Lions are the icon for courage, sheep for aimlessness. In this session, the speaker will reveal her eight-step method for becoming “You, The Actively Lion-Hearted,” equipped to undertake more and bigger daily acts of courage, at work and at home. You will leave with the tools to identify your personal courage formula and you will want to play bigger in the world. Will you take that leap?
Speaker: Pam Walsh, Owner, Pam Walsh Coaching

12:15 pm - 2:00 pm


"Lunch - Interactive Conversations"
Sailing Away to Dysfunction Junction: Are We There Yet?

Enjoy lunch with Gail Johnson and Pam Parr as they take you to a town where every resident has been pushed over the edge! Just how they got there is the focus of a hilarious comparison of life in the ‘60s versus today; what’s different, what’s the same, and why the town motto is “If you’re not already here, then you must be on your way!” This is a great way to wrap-up our Empowerment Conference – with fun, energy, and laughter.

6:30 pm - 9:00 pm


LSSIRT Night Out (add'l ticket required)

Come join LSSIRT (Library Support Staff Interest Round Table) for dinner and lively conversation with your colleagues. Tickets are $37.50 and are available through the Registration form using Event Code: LS1.