Votes Needed! - ALA Conversation Starter

Pixabay Image

Mel Depper and I have a Conversation Starter proposal in for the upcoming Orlando ALA conference. Each Conversation Starter proposal goes up for a vote by the public which accounts for 30% in the selection process. ALA staff votes account for 30% and 40% is decided by an advisory group of ALA members.

We hope you - our public - will read our proposal and consider voting for it.

Our program, You Say Yes, I Say No: Achieving ALL.THE.THINGS. will be full of tips on finding the space and time to serve our local and professional communities and still leaving time to have a rich non-work life. It's easy for all of us to be overwhelmed with all the great new shiny services and opportunities to create real change in our libraries as well as spread the word to our peers. This session will address those issues as well as savvy strategies to create realistic outcomes.

You can read all about it at here.

Voting is easy; just click the Thumbs up! But hurry, voting closes on Wednesday April 20!

And don't forget to look at all the amazing Ignite and Conversation Starters you can vote on too!

Exhibits Power

ALA is many many things to librarians - a place to effect solid innovative change for librarianship; an opportunity to work on behalf of all librarians to fight the good fight on legislative issues, universal access, bridging the digital divide, IF and advocacy. It's a place to learn, to share and to network. Warm greetings and hellos from colleagues old and new, a chance to discover a little more IRL than we have time to on our social media accounts. There is time for committee work and attending Notables, leadership opportunities and division board meetings. Informal lunches, after hours get-togethers and hallway convos keep the crazy days interesting.

One of my favorite parts of the conference is always the exhibit floor. While some spend time queuing up for author's signatures or advanced reader's copies - and I've snagged my share - I like to spend some quality time really looking at everything children's publishers have out AND up and coming in the next publishing cycle.  I like looking not just at the large publishers but also smaller publishers that publish for a smaller niche market or larger publishers that publish primarily in countries outside the US. This is where you can often find hidden gems of diversity that celebrate different cultures and countries.

In the past,  these presses and publishers were often relegated to the last two or three rows at the end of the exhibit floor. But this year at ALA, there is a welcome change. The small press tables can be found at the end of rows - rows that put them next door to some of the biggest names in publishing, ILS systems and other national vendors. You won't have to go far to find a first time exhibitor like Karadi Tales, a publisher in India who has two books recently honored by the South Asia Book Awards - The Rumour won the young people's award in 2013 and in 2015 A Pair of Twins was on SABA's Highly Commended list. The books that are on exhibit from this publisher are delightful and easily open up our collections to needed diversity.

This new juxtaposition of large publishers near smaller or more diverse publishers means that it will be easier than ever to take a few steps and discover presses outside the mainstream houses we know and love. So if you are coming to ALA, take some time to chat with these publishers from smaller presses or publishers from different countries and discover the true richness of our publishing world. Your community will thank you!

Reflections on the Return from ALA

My Vegas anxieties were well-founded. Ick, I do not like the strip. But....

THE HOTEL
I stayed at a small conference hotel with a favorite old friend and colleague about a five minute walk from the convention center that was a normal, slot machine free space.  Cool iced water with slices of strawberries, lemons, limes and oranges made the walk worth it. A free breakfast with omelets made to order, healthy fruit and cereal choices and some fine evil bacon and sausages greeted me in the morning; at night the "manager's special" meant bottomless free drinks and fresh tasty veggies as well as the usual munchy chips. Two blocks away was a delightful tapas restaurant with extraordinary and inexpensive food. I felt renewed every day.

TRANSPORTATION
The shuttles done good. I never waited long, got to meetings on the strip on time and was kindly deposited in front of my far-from-the-strip hotel after receptions and evening events (despite printed info that indicated I would only be dropped off at a hotel four long blocks away). Each trip also = great conversations

Blogging tweeps selfie thanks to @berasche. How many can you name?

THE MEETINGS/THE PEOPLE
For the first time since I got on ALA Council three years ago, the council meetings got out early so I could actually participate in a few ALSC meetings and events. Niiiiice. My favorite meeting was the one talking about experiential SLPs and no prizes - right up my alley. And my next favorite was the ALSC membership meeting where I chatted - if even for a minute - with colleagues new and old.  I think the ALSC board, office and leadership are doing an outstanding job. It was good to be able to see that again after three years away from my  board service. The Newbery Caldecott banquet (SLJ editors invited me to sit with them and reviewing collegues) had great speeches, great food and great fun. And I was energized and renewed with the chance to meet, talk with and re-connect with many old and new friends. That ALWAYS is the best part of IRL conferences.

THE ELVIS WEDDING
A friend and her hubby renewed their vows at an Elvis wedding chapel in some of the most fun moments of my conference. Late arrival but still making it for the vows, Elvis singing "Viva Las Vegas" while we all danced, a rainbow, funkadelic bridal party, being hustled out the side door after to make room for the next happy couples, a long wait to return in windy dry downtown Vegas with good dear friends made this as memorable a conference experience as I will ever have. I mean, Vegas.

ALA COUNCIL
I have always prided myself on being a process junkie but Council truly challenged that perception over the past three years. It was not an easy assignment for an action person like me but I was proud of my service. Here I am with my "diploma" certificate proving I sat through many meetings.

I can't say I was a change agent but I welcomed the opportunity to serve WI as a chapter councilor. I got to know some wonderful colleagues from many different kinds of libraries and was graciously welcomed over to the twitter crowd by microphone 7 to wrestle with angels that danced on the head of the Council pins. Mixed metaphor VERY intended.

FINALLY
Council and the ALSC board always meet on Tuesday (or the last day of conference). For the last six years I have had the rare opportunity to wander the convention center halls after the glitz and conference glamour has been packed and people have left the conference site a ghost town. It makes me ever eager to leave and find my way home. So let me leave you with those last few images that we "left-behind-to-finish-ALA-business" get to see:

Hallway to meeting rooms

Darkened food court

ALA Store

Reflections on the Journey to ALA

I am not a fan of Vegas.

There I said it.

I usually look forward to ALA conferences despite any particular location. But this time....

This time the location had me dreading what I usually look forward to. I hate heat. I hate venues where I can't walk easily between meetings and events. I hate hype.

So I sucked it up to get ready for #alaac14. Did an awesome job prepping my materials (flights, parking, hotel, shuttle, ALA schedule, like that). Maybe did best best packing ever - EVER - and had the luxury of being able to leave at 10:30 am to make my direct flight between Minneapolis and Vegas.

On the drive I was teary-eyed. Was this my last ALA? Why was I so sad? I look forward to seeing my good friends and colleagues both new and old - those whom I have shared trenches with and those whom I stand back and watch fight the good fight as young turks ready to take on the world and teach us ALL. THE.THINGS. But I know I am stepping back and away as my time as an active librarian winds down.

Amidst this melancholy on my two hour drive up to Minneapolis I suddenly jolted. WTF?!?! In my perfect packing, had I put in my powercord for the laptop the library provides for conferences? I pulled off the highway in Rochester MN and no, I had not. A quick call to a colleague to see if she was still in town (nope on her way to ALA), a thought to ask my partner to overnight the forgotten cord, and a request of my iphone's Siri to find a computer store were my action plan. Siri got me to Office Max to a mobile Best Buy and then to a big box Best Buy where I found a cord to buy.

I was re-energized. No more tears, no more sad self-reflection. I like action and solving problems and here was another one conquered. Time to get back on the road and to the airport after that unexpected delay. I was focused, driven and needing to hit the boarding deadline. And I did.

Once in Vegas, I was delighted to see familiar friends at the airport - greetings, hugs and the joy of unexpected and always welcome reconnections. My roommate got in touch with  Vegas relatives and we shared a sweet and lovely evening of what Las Vegas offers beyond the glitz, gambling and glamour.

And I am reminded again of how every place is really home. We are never really far from the familiar. It brings me contentment and a great deal of joy no matter how far I am from my own hidey-hole home.  I come to Vegas today ready to conference thanks to the connections I find that make ALA so vital. It's all good.

Guerrilla Storytime - the Real Meaning

When the idea for Guerrilla Storytime first started birthing in the late spring/early summer 2013,  part of the conversation was doing the storytimes in a public venue that showed people the importance of storytime work.  That's why the Networking Uncommons at ALA was booked. It put the storytime ninjas front and center among non-youth librarians. It was a huge success and created a buzz-worthy atmosphere at the conference.

Youth librarians gathered again at ALA Midwinter at the Networking Uncommons and again had a great turn-out and created a stir.  Probably my favorite write-up about the event is one that bystander Kate Kosturski just shared on INALJ.  It is a wonderful view of a non-youth librarian recognizing the magic of the Guerrilla Storytime moments.  She filmed a number of ninjas that day and shared those videos at ALA.

I got to know Kate a bit last year when discussions of feminism in librarianship started to pop up into conversation. She hosted a Circulating Ideas podcast panel with Coral Sheldon-Hess and me that addressed some of these issues. It was great for me to listen to these interesting people and to think outside my youth librarian bubble. I got more interested in LITA at ALA because of that conversation.

For me, this IS what librarianship is all about - each type of librarian sharing the power and joy of our passions with folks outside our more narrow library-interest tribe.  I think librarians are willing to hear from each other and discover. We just need to listen, to talk to them - not just at ALA or our state conferences but at our institutions. We learn, we create powerful connections and we strengthen ourselves.

I thank my deep-thinking pals Cory, Amy and Kendra for bringing our part of the conversation front and center to conferences where librarians of all types and stripes gather. And I thank my non-youth librarian colleagues for the warm embrace!

Here's to Good Friends

I don't know why I am so lucky, but each year at ALA conference I am privileged to get an invitation from Holiday House to join them on Friday evening to launch the conference. I am, of course, not the only attendee. Many, many, many ALSC, YALSA and AASL peers stop in - some before the USSBY program , some between sessions of award committee discussions, some just to start our conference. We hug, we high five, we kiss (I know!!!).

We see the newest books from Holiday House. We get  chance to chat with book creators. We see our colleagues. We ask how are you? What committee are you serving on? What should we change ? What are you thinking? Are you happy? How is your family? Let's make a difference. Let's have lunch.

One or two are a little distracted, a little harried, a little shy. But that is the very rare exception. Most of us are genuinely glad to reconnect. We dish, and laugh and share our dreams and plans and failures; our families and friends and favorites. Our news and views and happiness to reconnect IRL.

That is conference in a microcosm and why I love the immediacy and work to get here twice a year. To be with so many of my tribe. To hug and say hi...and then, to get to work!

Graphic courtesy of Pixabay

#ALA2013 - Youth Librarians Win!

I've been conferencing a loooonnnng time at ALA.  I agree with colleagues posting and tweeting, this conference was a win in every way for youth librarians.

Maybe because this is the first newly compressed conference - fewer days and fewer sessions sponsored by units and almost all programs held at the conference center itself. This seems to make it possible to attend more events than ever before.

Maybe the addition of and continued support for member-driven content (ignite sessions, uncommons, conversation starters) that resulted in great youth presentations. The unit-supported content was pretty amazing as well.

Maybe because groups of librarians connected through blogs, the twitterverse and groups like EL, ALATT and Flannel Friday reached the perfect storm of connectivity creating kismet meet-up moments and IRL chat.

So, despite substantial time spent fulfilling responsibilities as ALA chapter councilor for my state, I have to say that this conference was an amazing, robust and energetic one for youth librarians.

A few highlights:

• Caldecott 75th Anniversary Celebration with astounding speeches and delightful pre- and post- banquet fun thanks to the hard working planning committee 
• ALSC Caldecott Preconference!
• Guerrilla Storytime!
• Declaration on the Right to Libraries! 
• Youth Librarian Meet-ups  including Kid Lit Drinks Nite on Friday and Karaoke on Saturday!
• Home-made-pitched-by-individuals-and-voted-on Conversation Starters filled with Youth content!

This doesn't even begin to address the ALSC and YALSA supported programs, the exhibits, committee work, the auditorium speaker series...and just everything.

There was energy and innovation and excitement - not just to see each other but to strategize what else we can do to be uber superhero librarians back in our communities and looking at the future. I talked about this kind of collaborative energy here and here.

And while I celebrate attending conferences, I also think we do so much outside of conferences to stay fabulous and tuned in and inventive. So whether you were at ALA or not, the doors are open for you to walk through!

Mel from Mel's Desk gets at the core of what I LOVE about this at-conference-and-not-at-conference paradigm in what I believe will be THE blog post on personal learning, connecting with those who share your passion and empowerment for the next decade. Conferences like ALA are one way to connect and learn - but there are so many other ways too that happen everyday when we reach outside our workplace and connect.  Let's go and let's do it.

WIN!!!

Unprogramming - Can We Talk?

The concepts of creating school-age programs that take a reasonable amount of preparation time, are engaging and lead to literacy, and allow kids the freedom to explore within the program have been buzzing around in my conversations with colleagues and tweeps over the past few months. We all are exploring how, in a period of tight budgets and staff time, we can make the fun happen without killing ourselves. How can we "unprogram" ourselves - and our programs?

Program preparation for school age programs is important but where is the line drawn when the time spent preparing is two, three, five, or even ten times more than the actual program length itself?  Are we, as programmers, leading the charge in the program or empowering the kids in their exploration - are we guides or drill sargeants? Is there a way to organically link the books and materials that surround us every day into the programs and then back again to the collections so that kids understand the fundamental amazingness of the library and its resources?

These questions have led to many conversations and ideas. One of the people I have looked to during this conversation is Amy Koester over at the Show Me Librarian. And now Amy and I would like you to join this conversation at ALA in a few weeks. We will be presenting a 45 minute  "Conversation Starter" on Monday July 1 at 1:30 pm at the Mc Cormick Center Rm S102D.

During this time we want to explore with you ideas on making programming more rich while keeping preparation in perspective.  We'll also share resources that have helped us free ourselves and keep programming and preparation in perspective in our necks of the woods.

We think it's high time we start talking about this...how about you?

ALA - Let's Get Together Yeah Yeah Yeah

With ALA slamming up at breakneck speed, I feel the need to make sure I connect to each and every one of you who come to Chicago.  Logistics tell me I'm nuts. But then again, it's worth the try.

Although there are some great social events in the offing, I think another youth services blogger and readers of blogs and twitter -peeps gathering would be fun to do especially if you're thinking of being at the Newbery/Caldecott awards banquet on Sunday June 30 at the Sheraton or the speeches after! It struck me that lots of us would be hanging around this premier youth services celebration, so...

....if you plan attend the banquet or just drop by the speeches after the dinner (there are chairs set up and you can listen to the speeches free and gaze upon the glitterati in the audience!), we can do a meet-up!

Traditionally, at the conclusion of the banquet, a receiving line with the honorees takes place right after the speeches outside the hall. There is always a cash bar. It's a great spot to gather and chat late night (caffeinate early to be up late!).

So consider this for your schedule and say hi!

Post N/C Youth Blogger/Blog Reader/Tweep Meet-up
Sunday June 30
Sheraton Chicago banquet area
10:30-11pm-ish start (or whenever N/C speeches end)
 

Hey, You! We Want to Be Talking with You...

Ok, ok, so I feel a little guilty even bringing this up. As a blogger, I know I have a slightly bigger audience than I would without. But no guts, no glory. I join my colleagues in the blogosophere to invite you to read through the suggested Conversation Starters at ALA and vote for ones you'd love to be involved in.

I hope you consider two I am lucky enough to be involved in with my fabulous colleagues: Amy over at Show Me Librarian; Amy over at Catch the Possibilities and Mel over at Mel's Desk. After some chatting on twitter that moved over to a google doc (more than 144 characters...wow!), we decided to try the conversations even further out with more people jumping in and proposed two programs for ALA this summer. We are excited about the possibilities!

Thinking Outside the Storytime Box: Building Your Preschool Programming
STEM for preschoolers! Dance parties for toddlers! When we stretch beyond storytime, our youngest patrons benefit from richer learning experiences, their parents and caregivers engage with the library in fresh ways, and staff become motivated by new, creative challenges. Jump out of the storytime box and explore active and passive early-childhood programs that are easy to plan and repeat, maximize your staff resources, and enable you to reach more young families. Our panel will share program ideas, planning resources, and early literacy connections to help you leave prepared to build on the core storytime experience.
Presenters: Amy Commers, Amy Koester, Melissa Depper, Marge Loch-Wouters

Unprogramming: Recipes for School-Age Programming Success  
Do you find yourself spending tons of time planning school-age programs that are over in the blink of an eye? Are you ready to challenge yourself to be more efficient with your staff time and department's resources? Discover how to streamline planning and preparation while offering worthwhile literacy-centered programs--where kids help shape the direction of the program! Panelists will share tips for "unprogramming" at your library as well as ideas for helping staff adapt to this new style. Prepare to leave with a myriad of program ideas and resources for unprogramming on your own.
Presenters: Marge Loch-Wouters, Amy Koester

If these topics are ones you would love to chat on and you are an ALA member, please do vote for these...and a host of other good ones proposed by ALA members. Read them and leap!

ALA Wrap-up

Stop on by the ALSC Blog for my conference highlights. I am guest blogging today along with lots of my colleagues on our impressions of conference, reports of programs and events and much more. Be there or be square!

Blogsy - Are You My New Conference Friend?

So I'm fretting about how much digital tonnage I will need to take to ALA conference this week. Iphone - check. Ipad - check. Hulking heavy 5 year old laptop that breaks my back - gulp, check. I always need my laptop because, although I heart my Ipad, it is a bear to post with. Formatting means nothing to it and my posts have to wait until I get a computer at ALA to fix the monkey formatting.

While lamenting this on twitter, tweep @mciszek, suggests Blogsy, an Ipad app that could make my life bright and free at conference. Laptop dog could stay home? Ooooh. Ahhhhh. I have never been an early adapter (still waiting for contacts to be perfected - it's only been forty- nine years since Brian Belisle got his in fourth grade and I'm waiting to hear whether he's gone blind yet). I am always appreciative of friends and colleagues who plunge into the scrum of new tech/apps and etc and find goodies that they share with me to make life better.

Soooooooo. App downloaded. Video how-to guides quickly perused. This test post almost written. Launch!!!

Can Ya Pipe Down Please? True Conference Etiquette

As you prepare to go to ALA conference...or really any workshop, CE opportunity or speech...you need to read and own my friend Ingrid's blog post at Magpie Librarian on badly behaved librarians. And if you see yourself in her post, please, would you keep it down? The rest of us are trying to listen  - and not to YOU!

Image: 'IMG_6851''  http://www.flickr.com/photos/24630636@N03/6976435455

ALA is Almost Here

I seldom miss the ALA conferences. Ever since the days I worked at a small library and sent myself on my own dime (why should folks only from larger libraries be active in professional association work?), I have been committed to being active in my association. To keep costs down, I always room with a bunch of folks - this time we found a condo near the conference center for $48 each a night!  Energy bars, nuts and instant soups are my friends and the Gale shuttle buses my transportation of choice. I now have financial support from my library and state association to cover expenses (finally after 32 years!) but my frugal ways haven't changed. The less I spend, the more money available to others to attend conferences as well.

Although I have been most active in ALSC committees and leadership positions, I am now on Council representing the Wisconsin Library Association and having a great time working in the larger arena. Besides Council work, I plan to check out the exhibits and pore over the upcoming fall books; re-connect in person with friends and colleagues; attend some programs; attend my committee meetings (School Age Services and ALSC Nominations); listen to the Newbery/Caldecott speeches (attending the banquet is pricey; listening is free!); micro-blog for the ALSC blog; stop by a few parties and soak up a little California sun.

Bloggers are beginning to share their tips for conference. Here are two that are getting me psyched. Bobbi over at Librarian by Day has great travel tips and links and Allison at Reading Everywhere shares some strategies on partaking of the conference cheaply. If you don't have plans to be at conference this year, start saving for Chicago next year. That is truly a great conference city and home to our ALA headquarters.

If you will be in Anaheim, drop me a note or a tweet (@lochwouters) and let's get together.

PLA Play

So, as an inveterate ALA attendee, I must admit the same cannot be said for my PLA involvement. I have been a long time PLA member but not as dedicated in heading out to the conferences. I think I know why.

I am a process junkie and committee work and being part of making change happen has always held a great deal of excitement for me. PLA lacks that component. Lots of programs, lots of exhibits, lots of time for hallway conversations with public library colleagues, lots of handouts available that can be downloaded or perused online - plenty of that at PLA. Meetings, not so much.

I like the programs well enough even if, like this year, there was an overabundance of early literacy programs and far fewer elementary school aged stuff (it was there but barely). It stretched me to seek out programs in other tracks and enjoyed those lots as well as enjoying the tweets from sessions I couldn't be at.

Still, though, no meetings. Well, almost. Thank goodness one of the vendors invited a bunch of us to pick our brains on early literacy. I learned alot from my colleagues. And another resourceful colleague pulled together a very ad hoc gathering of youth librarians interested in discussing SLP programs. Hurray!!

So I got my meeting fix after all, got a little Philly history and cheesesteak fix and have had a great time talking to colleagues. Oh, and my good and clever friends who found a loft to rent in Old City that made "going to conference" a little more relaxing and a lot more fun than usual. All in all, not bad.

ALA Bound

I have almost all my pre-conference prep done:

• Mapped Metro routes from airport and around town - check
• Figured out my route to the ALSC Pre-conference Friday morning (can hardly wait - Picture Book Art learning!) - check
• Determined which 2 programs I can attend outside of ALSC board duties - check
• Read and studied all my ALSC board docs - check
• Arranged for a last night crash since my hotel runs out earlier than my conference commitments -check
• Figured out the 3 minutes I can devote to the entire exhibit floor - check
• Re-read my Grace Lin books so I can help out at the New/Cal post-banquet receiving line - check
• Purchased scads of nuts and mini-chip bags to get me through long stretches w/o food at conference -check
• Am entirely revved up to see friends and colleagues again after a long six months away - check

See you there!