Between the Stacks: 4/24/2024

Last week was a plethora of learning as Zoa, Brandi, and I attended the Montana Library Association conference. I attended some amazing sessions, one in particular on AI (Artificial Intelligence). More and more, our students, businesses, and others are using free AI sources to edit and write first drafts of documents and educational papers. The session not only covered the different types of AI available on the internet but also the ethical concerns, problems with the programs, and costs of incorporating AI into libraries.

I also attended sessions on intellectual freedom, services for veterans, the author luncheon, and more. I met the director of Montana's veteran services, and we discussed having someone from their office come to Whitehall to inform our veterans about what services they offer, how they can help with problems, and other things our veterans have to deal with. I also learned that the state office is separate from the Federal services and covers different things.

Brandi covered all of the children’s courses, STEM, and programming sessions she could cover. At the same time, Zoa attended sessions on Blue Cloud Analytics, how to organize library resources and the Montana Shared Catalog. It was a wonderful chance for the staff to network with other libraries and share information and concerns. Because it was in Butte this year, I saved enough money on hotels and meals for the staff to attend this amazing conference.

The Holocaust Book Discussion group will meet on Thursday at 6 PM. Anyone is welcome to come and join this group of teens and adults who desire to learn about the Holocaust.

On Thursday, April 2, at 6 PM, our friends from the Lewis and Clark Caverns will be here to share information about fossils in the area. Lauren is one of their new AmeriCorps volunteers, and this will be the start of many programs for children and adults. This program will be fun for those who love anything to do with geology, this includes the Rockhounders!

History Book Club will meet at a special time, 5 PM, on Monday, April 29th, due to the county Library Board Meeting here at 6:30 PM. The date was moved because the MLA conference was on their regular meeting date.

Storytime will celebrate Arbor Day with stories, crafts, and a special book display on plants, trees, and flowers. Join the fun on Wednesday, April 24th, at 10:30 AM and 1 PM and again on Friday, April 26th, at 10 AM.