Urban Librarians’ First Conference Is a Love-In
By on April 8, 2013 Leave a Comment
“Out of the stacks and into the streets” was the rallying cry for the first Urban Librarian’s Conference that attracted 120 librarians from around the country to the Brooklyn Public Library on April 5. It was organized by Urban Librarians Unite, a grassroots advocacy group that encourages new developments in library science and advocates for libraries and librarians in urban areas.
The mood for the day was set by Peter Bromberg, associate director of the Princeton Public Library (NJ) and a 2008 Library Journal Mover and Shaker, who focused on love in his opening keynote. He spoke about his Russian immigrant aunt, who wrote as a young woman that “the library saved my life” as a librarian taught her to read and speak English. He also spoke about librarians having a “caring gene,” our love for the profession and the people we help.
“Peter Bromberg’s talk was genuinely inspiring,” noted attendee Amy Martin, children’s librarian at Eastmore Branch of the Oakland Public Library. “It is interesting to see how similar the challenges are in urban libraries, even on opposite coasts.”
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