Introducing Heather O’Leary! She is Head of Reference and Adult Services at Ames Free Library. Recently we asked Heather to share her Project SET experiences.
How did you become aware of Project SET, and what elements drew you to the program?
I had seen the email announcements about SET for a couple of years and had kept it in the back of my mind as something I would like to do. I liked the idea of meeting with and learning from librarians from all over the state.
What are your first impressions of the program and its intended outcomes?
We dove right into exploring trends and crafting our talks. I’ve learned so much from the SET crew and my fellow SET participants both in person and on the online discussion groups. It’s amazing to see what a roomful of librarians can accomplish!
Project SET begins each year with a study of trends currently impacting libraries. Of the trends you’ve learned about which one do you feel will have the biggest impact on your library and why?
Short reading is the trend that captured my attention right away. I think a lot of public libraries are seeing declines in circulation rates and the statistics back up the fact that adults are reading less than before. As an adult services librarian, I am interested in exploring this phenomenon further and I see short reading as one trend that might draw adults back into reading for fun.
Want to know more about Project SET? Visit our LibGuide!
