One of the reasons I feel lucky to be working at ALA right now is that there are some pretty big discussions happening, both internally and externally. Today I am in Washington D.C. for ALA President Leslie Burger's National Library Agenda summit. Folks here will be discussing a coordinated, national strategy for talking about libraries with legislators, community members, etc. I'll be posting notes from the meeting, which starts tonight and runs all day tomorrow. I think I'll probably put the notes on the NLA wiki, and the tag for the event is nla2006.

The following Monday, December 18, I'll be at the all-day Web Planning Retreat in Chicago. The results of the usability study done on the ALA website are back, and you can view the PDF here. This document will be discussed at the meeting on the 18th, but the focus will be on how the ideal ALA site would look and function. It won't be "what can we change about the current site to make it better," but rather how do we provide the best site possible.

If I could change any one thing about the web planning retreat, it would be to make the group more diverse and include a wider range of member representatives, but I am heartened that the discussions will be open and transparent. There is already a wiki where anyone can contribute or ask questions, as well as a blog. I'm counting on all of you to continue providing feedback as the discussions move forward.

Finally, we had a very interesting meeting internally last week where the division heads and other interested parties spent a couple of hours discussing two reports, Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century and Participatory Networks: The Library as Conversation.

I have notes from that meeting, which I will be posting soon. Luckily this wasn't a one-shot meeting, but will be an ongoing conversation that I'll keep you updated on.

tags: nla2006