Setting Sail for Uncharted Waters: Public Programming in SUNY Libraries

Presenters: Ellen McCabe (Cortland) and Valerie Mittenberg (New Paltz)

Abstract:

With great courage and much trepidation our ancestors set out for unknown lands. In that same spirit, some of us have ventured into the new territory of public programming. Putting on public programs is always a challenge, but this is especially true for academic libraries that are designed to serve a specific population, not the general public. But academic libraries can play a role in fostering cultural communities through public programming. Three of us participated in the American Library Association Let’s Talk About It program on Jewish literature, which involved setting up five book discussions. Come and share some of the challenges and rewards we encountered in putting on such a program.