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!

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 Members, I'm Talkin' To YOU!!

I often have to listen to people saying that they don't "know enough about candidates" to vote in ALA elections. This, from librarians!?!?!?!  I tear my hair out.

Having run for numerous offices/committees in ALA/ALSC, I know darn well  candidates submit statements, lists of committee work and achievements. Clearly people don't read them.

This is not a popularity contest...although those of us who blog have a leg up in terms of "voter recognition".  This is an opportunity for us to look at what candidates are bringing to the table and deciding whether they have the goods to do a good job on behalf of libraries, on behalf of youth.

Luckily, no one has an excuse anymore.

ALA has produced an election guide to 2012 elections. It's a mere 14 pages and you might learn something. Take a few minutes, ok? If you are voting for Council and you care about youth issues, look for candidates who are members of ALSC, YALSA and AASL. Look for folks with strong IF ties.  If they blog, do they have anything intelligent to say?

If you are voting for ALSC,  YALSA and/or AASL offices, what the deuce have they done?  Have they contributed in a way that makes them seem like they can navigate the bloodsport of board politics? Do they have a variety of experiences in the division?

If you are voting for media award committee folks, do they have reviewing experience or book discussion experience (whether in print or blog)?  Please don't just pick the name you know. Really look and give a chance to the person that may not be on the lips of all but will bring solid experience to the table of book/media discussion.

You can do it. I know you can. Right? Please don't disappoint me.


Image: 'did you?'  http://www.flickr.com/photos/7157508@N04/3002643292

Come On In, the Water's Fine

I joined the ALA Council at this midwinter meeting after being elected chapter councilor for Wisconsin. I found it to be fascinating, and definitely a venue where I will be able to thrive.

I served for the last few years on the ALSC board with my good friend and colleague Rhonda Puntney Gould, ALSC's division councilor. Ever since she started, she told me that I would love Council. I did feel a little trepidation. But I also know I love process, I love working with passionate people from all kinds of libraries and I think that the work that ALA does is vital to libraries.

The reaction of my peers has been pretty funny. I think it's safe to say that they have stayed in a fairly narrow range - "Poor you." " We appreciate your sacrifice." "Better you than me." Maybe I'm being Pollyanna-ish about this but I am puzzled by the reaction.

Although Council has a reputation as a large body that spins its wheels, it is also a large body that is passionate about libraries and library work in our nation. Over the past few days, we passed a resolution opposing restrictions to materials in Arizona and supporting open inquiry in ethnic and cultural studies. We discussed and passed a resolution opposing discriminatory practices of publishers and distributors which adversely impact access to content (think ebooks, audiobooks no longer available to libraries and DVDs that are not released to the library market until a month after general release); resolutions opposing SOPA/PIPA; and resolutions to restore funding to ensure no-fee public access to government information and opposing the Research Works Act. ALA can bring its considerable weight to bear in a way individual librarians and libraries can't.  There are also working groups, task forces and the Washington office working on lobbying and negotiating in many of these areas.

We have had some great ALSC folks on council over the years but right now we are few and need lots more.  I have long felt that many, many of my ALSC sisters and brothers see service to ALSC - and service on award committees in particular - as the be-all and end-all of their ALA work. While of course worthy,  I believe that leadership in ALSC goes far beyond this. I would love more younger members running for Council and contributing their energy, their commitment to youth and libraries and their fresh eyes to the process of supporting all types of libraries.

Just as service on ALSC O&B or Budget committees or priority group consultancy prepares members for service as a board member, so, too, service on Council is a great learning experience and a true path to leadership. The youth caucus councilors (ALSC, YALSA and AASL) play and work beautifully together and the rest of the councilors are welcoming to the new among their ranks. I will be serving my state on Council for the next three years. The nominating committee is always looking for candidates. Why don't you consider joining me. After all, the water truly is fine!

Image: 'Bali Kuta Beach : May their JOY+Embrace+U!'  http://www.flickr.com/photos/32594277@N04

Amelia Bloomer Awards Announced

From the ALA press release:

DALLAS – The Amelia Bloomer Project, a product of the ALA Social Responsibilities Round Table’s (SRRT) Feminist Taskforce, announced the 2012 Amelia Bloomer List at ALA’s Midwinter Meeting in Dallas, held Jan. 20-23, 2012.

The bibliography consists of well written and illustrated books with significant feminist content, intended for young readers from birth to 18 years old. This year’s list includes 78 titles published between July 1, 2010 and Dec. 31, 2011.

Named for Amelia Bloomer, a pioneering 19th century newspaper editor, feminist thinker, public speaker and suffragist, the list features books about girls and women that spur the imagination while confronting traditional female stereotypes.

The bibliography is intended to aid children and teens in selecting high-quality books released over the past 18 months and may be used for a recommended reading list for youth and those who interact with them and as a collection development or reader’s advisory tool for interested librarians. Find the top 10 titles of the 2012 Amelia Bloomer List here.

What the....?!?!?!?!

You know how I posted a few weeks ago about how much I loved the calm days just prior to and during the holidays?

I must have angered the gods and goddesses because this first week of the new year has been rockin' out crazy.  I suspect everyone put off tasks and to-do's "until after the New Year", and man, we've all been busy like little beavers.  My email inbox has been bursting with requests and my own finger over the "Send" button has been tapping feverishly. And stuff around the library...aieee!

What's up?
- ALA annual housing opened up and negotiations needed to happen with my roommate
- a major typo mix-up in a handout precipitated massive negotiation between a couple of departments to create the right solution
- continuing planning on our efforts to bring in every 2nd grader in for a class visit went into high gear
- emailing art teachers with an art contest entry in collaboration with our local Earth Week committee
- helping to oversee the melding of our Youth Dept shelvers into the Circ department
- negotiating a venue for our state library association's Foundation fundraiser
- working with a colleague to suggest ways to move a request through the ALSC board
- continued detail work on eleven upcoming SLP workshop presentations in two states
- helping support a colleague across the state in a touchy situation
- starting to blog on our youth services blog and recruit a posse of colleagues to help create content
- get ready for ALA midwinter: first ALA council sessions; finish writing up cool programs for a "101 Great School Age Programs" for my committee; prep for ALSC Nominations Committee meeting
- empty out my office bookshelves for transfer into colleagues' offices and prep for new bookshelves
- looking over a colleague's resume
- meeting as library rep with our local Storytelling Festival committee to solidify plans
- getting the news that a website is up for an advisory committee I was part of and we need to help provide some good content
- working some desk time

I could go on. Suffice it to say the 2012 has started with a bang and here I gooooooooooooooooooo!

How's about you?

Image: 'Crazy Kawaii Bot'   http://www.flickr.com/photos/7315825@N04/4837849029

Why Get Involved?

I'm just back from our annual three day Wisconsin Library Association conference.  Once more, I had the chance to attend thought-provoking sessions; chat with friends and colleagues from all sizes and types of libraries; participate in a number of business and board meetings and relax and enjoy some truly fun and funny after-hours events.  I love my state association meetings and would go even if I paid my own way and had to take vacation to get there.  How come?

First, foremost and always, WLA is a huge leadership and advocacy group for libraries in our state.  Without their work during the craziness of the spring and the ongoing legislative madness that continues in our state, we would have had rollbacks on services and funding. And of course, WLA is us so we are able to respond quickly and effectively to legislative alerts and involve our friends, neighbors and family in speaking up for libraries.

My state association is also a leadership incubator.  Opportunities exist - and we all are supported in - chairing divisions, committees, conferences and other work that brings us into contact with our colleagues in becoming leaders. Currently, the president of our 1700 strong association is Rhonda Puntney, a long time mover and shaker in WI youth services. She is joined on the "big" board by other Youth Services advocates (including me as newly elected state chapter councilor to ALA Council) to provide a strong voice for youth and libraries.

Each of us in leadership roles was mentored by colleagues outside of public library youth services (as well as YS folks of course) and have had our visions widened and enriched by this breadth of knowledge from academic, special, school, tech and adult services colleagues. I can say that without a doubt that I am the librarian I am today because of professional associations like WLA, ALA and Wisconsin Women Library Workers that gave me an opportunity to be with, learn from and laugh with dedicated library workers from all types and sizes of libraries.

WLA also provides the framework for youth librarians to gather and advocate for excellent service, collections and initiatives across our state. Together, when we are strong, we help chart the course of Youth Services.  Of course like any membership organization we are only as strong as our active members make us.  I have heard, in this time of tight budgets and staffing, rumblings of "no time, no money, no support- I don't think I can continue to be a member".  We mustn't give up on our state or national professional commitments though. Each of us is the engine that drives greatness in our local and national associations and each and every voice is important.

I hope you are all members of your state and national library associations. We are needed now more than ever to present a strong and coherent leadership and advocacy agenda. And the friends you make, the leadership you step into and the work you do for libraries is an investment that will long remain with you and benefit your library.


 

Three Favorite ALA Midwinter Moments

1. Meeting blogger Eva from Eva's Book Addiction and her Los Angeles Public library coworkers at a reception held for SLJ reviewers.  It was better than putting a name to a face - it was meeting a woman whose mind, words and thoughts I have admired.  I love it when the blogosphere and the real world mash up to bring us together.

2. Finding this Facebook post from Nancy McC, a colleague attending ALA "Overheard a local asking a conference center security person,  'Is there some type of librarian festival going on here?' When I said "Why yes, there is a librarian festival," he replied "Librarians are cool...reading is fundamental!" Seriously. Probably 22, looked like Wilt Chamberlain, complete with girlfriend.  I am so wanting to rename our conferences "Librarian Festivals"!!

3. Having a set of recommendations on creating more opportunities to participate virtually accepted by the ALSC board. The subcommittee I was involved in worked long and thoughtfully and wrestled with this and it was great to help create a roadmap for our path to that goal.

Oooooohhh! Aaaahhhhh! Gasp! Snort! Wowser!

There is nothing quite like being at the press conference at ALA Midwinter to hear the announcement of the Youth Media Awards.  That 60 minutes is packed with tension, expectation, murmers (and screams) of surprise or acclamation, standing ovations and, in that dark, dark, cavernous room, a knit brow or two, gratefully hidden from one's peers.  Today's announcements of, by my count 23, awards in San Diego were no exception.

There were expected, unexpected and wholly delightful surprises from each committee.  One of the book bloggers I follow was frankly surprised at some of the buzzworthy books in the kidslitosphere getting no recognition.  I am never surprised at that result.  We are all readers and all passionate, but let's face it, few of us approach the rigor of reading and discussion that goes into these ALA award level committees.  These groups live these books and the passionate give and take that occurs throughout the year as they make their way to final discussions and voting is simply extraordinary.  They take special care and I always put my faith in their decisions because I know how profoundly seriously they take their work.

Now it is time to read, re-read, acquire and booktalk these best books and media of our children's and teen literary world. How lucky we are to have this spotlight on a passion that brings such great material into the hands of our kids! Congratulations to all the committees for a job well done!

ALA Midwinter - Distinctly Un-Winterish

I hate to be so supremely shallow but I REALLY love ALA midwinters that meet in warmer climes.  This year we are gathering in San Diego. Going from 6F to 60F in a mere 4 hours is a real treat for this Wisconsin woman. If you have to be in meetings, meetings, meetings, at least be in a place with pleasant warmth and incredible views.

I am on the ALSC board in my third and final year.  We will be wrestling with some interesting stuff as always.  It is a great group of people and I look forward to not only the camaraderie but the debate. I'll be reporting out recommendations from a subcommittee I chaired on moving our ALSC committee work to a more virtual model. It will be great to see where this all goes.  And there will be time to attend the ALSC All-Committee meetings where I will peek at the work of so many of our member leaders.

Of course the exhibits will take up a chunk of time, looking at new titles and picking up a few ARCS to bring back to share with the team.  There will be plenty of friendships renewed, hallway conversations, drinks clinked at after hours get-togethers and talk about how we are struggling to do good with fewer resources.

On the last day there will be the always amazing ALA Media Awards press conference where we get to ooooh, aaah and gasp at the announcements of the ALSC, YALSA and Coretta Scott King Awards.  My colleagues on award committees are working hard this conference to discuss and vote on the winners. What will they present us with on Monday?

So here's to midwinter and librarians gathering where they work hard...and enjoy the sunshine harder!

Image: '~ The Real Action ~'   http://www.flickr.com/photos/13898329@N00/12494645

Comic Books Comic Books!

Ok, ok, so I know that they are now called graphic novels but really they are just the nickel, dime, twelve cent, fifteen cent (I could go on but I am already starting to get scared) comix of our callow youth.  We kids in the neighborhood traded copies of Superman, Batman, Archie, Little Lulu; Donald Duck; G.I. Joe and read and read and read them until they were tattered and torn.  Then we'd read them some more.

Our parents hated them but we were in love.  We could buy mini-spy cameras and sea monkeys and laugh at the silliness or thrill at the heroics of the costumed crusaders. We didn't have comix in the library when I was a kid.  Richer neighbor kids had to buy 'em and share 'em.

But in the seventies, something changed.  Charlie Brown got popular and books featuring his characters and other newspaper comic characters starting coming out and libraries - gasp- started buying them.  As a college student and young librarian I was a total comix hound and collector.  I also knew that Marvel and DC were publishing books of their characters and wanted them in the library too.  I couldn't get them through any of the book wholesalers we dealt with so I would drive two hours to my comix store and buy them there for the library.  They got cataloged into the 741.5s but at least we had 'em.

Fast forward twenty years and library jobbers starting stocking "graphic novels" - material illustrated like a comic and that also included manga and anime.  One of my favorite stories is when BWI started offering graphic novels a colleague at a nearby library almost had an apoplectic fit and threatened to withdraw her business since they were now stocking trash (um, I could argue trash on all sorts of titles and authors through the centuries). But many libraries embraced them and started separate graphic novel collections.

Now fast forward to December 2010 and there is a movement afoot to start a Comic and Graphic Novel interest group at ALA. I am all for it.  If you are an GN/Comix advocate and an ALA member, click on over to 8bitlibrary.com to read all about it and sign the petition.  It's a great way to get ourselves together and to support a format in libraries that speaks to all ages with eye-popping and thought provoking art and text.

Image: 'DC Hero Minifigs - Wave 4'   http://www.flickr.com/photos/86805026@N00/2564337011

You Bet ALA is Not Your Mom

Abby (the) Librarian has a fabulous post in response to one over at Dances with Books that smokes on one particular point. I am with Abby on this one.

It is fashionable to beat ALA over the head with it's unresponsiveness; it's out-of-touchiness; the expense and "who does it really help?" trope. Abby gets right to the point...it's us kids, it's us. We are it; it is us. ALA is not mom, dad or butler. It is exactly what each of us is willing to put in to support libraries.

I've been an ALA member for over twenty years...and up until two years ago, all on my own library-salary dime. I joined long ago at the urging of mentors like Jane Botham and Ginny Moore Kruse - they encouraged me to become part of an organization that can make a difference for libraries. I started a savings account line to send myself to conferences and roomed with as many people as I could to keep costs down. With the help of colleagues like Christine Jenkins and Ruth Gordon, I learned to navigate ALSC committee work and contributed collaboratively in many ways over the years.

What have I gotten? Honed leadership skills, life-long friends and colleagues, a chance to improve librarianship for kids and libraries that work with kids. What else beyond the stuff at my fingertips has ALA provided? Just unerring championship of intellectual freedom and shining the spotlight on censorship so we face fewer of these battles (and when we do we have amazing resources to bring to bear); just incredible national lobbying efforts that have helped all types of libraries in countless ways; just efforts to keep libraries in the forefront of the news in a positive way; just financial muscle to provide Spectrum Scholarships to support diversity in our profession; just a huge umbrella to support all types of libraries. I could go on, but you get the drift.

Although I have been primarily active in ALSC, many of my youth colleagues have gone on to leadership and committee work within the larger ALA and have made change happen. It is all in what we each put in.

ALA is what we make of it. Many of the library groups I belong to give me camaraderie, support, and fun (Library Society of the World and Women Library Workers are just two), but none provide the level of support to libraries that ALA does. And I think it is because of the many people who get active and work hard to make change happen.

It's OK if this still doesn't convince you to stay a member, join or become more active. But before you start trashing', get in there, get your hands dirty and try to make a difference.

ALA Edition - Monday!

How the deuce did we hit Monday already?!?! Egads!

Saturday
After the boost of that amazing Friday pre-conference, I hit the ground running with my ALSC "process" work as a member of the ALSC board. First up was our ALSC division leadership meeting. We focused on mentoring and looked at the ALA Connect's mentoring module. It's pretty slick and a great way to mentor or be mentored. Then off to our ALSC board meeting for the rest of the afternoon.

We discussed a number of issues that alternated between housekeeping and exciting new ideas.  Of particular interest to me is an opening discussion of the possibility of creating a designated board position especially for newer members of ALSC to create leadership opportunities for younger members.  I feel strongly that we ask our emerging young leaders to wait too long to before they can gain a place at the policy making table of ALSC.  It is difficult when they are on a nominating slate to overcome the name recognition of members who have long served the organization.  I have seen a few members serve more than one term on the board and I ask myslef if it is really true that our 4,000 member strong division, with 700 active committee members really doesn't have enough qualified leaders to run for board that we  ask some people to serve more than once on the board level.  It will be interesting to see if only a few people are interested in this change or if there is broader support in an idea like this that would require a bylaw change approved by the wider membership.

Sunday
The is All-Committee Meeting day. We board members try to visit and touch base with as many ALSC committees that are meeting simultaneously as possible. We listen, share news, advise and thank our hard working committee members.  From there, I had luncheon with Scholastic and was treated to some delightful readings by authors of their new works.   They all sounded great and I look forward to reading the books and sharing them with staffers and eventually with children as prizes at our programs. There was time to visit the exhibits for an hour or so, check out the new children's books coming for fall, pick up a few advanced reader's copies. Then a stop at the Book Cart Drill Team Championships for wacky cray fun as Jon Sciescka and MoWillems emcee the hilarity. The winners this year -  decked out as skeletons - did a LOL Dance Macabre that simply had to be seen to be believed. Then back to the apartment to get ready for the Newbery Caldecott banquet.

The banquet is always a highlight.  This year I just attended the speeches which is one of my favorite ways to enjoy the evening. After dinner with friends, I nestled into a great seat in the peanut gallery and got ready for the festivities. I was so pleased to share the celebration with Jerry Pinkney as he received the Caldecott Award and loved Rebecca Stead's speech as Newbery winner.  After the speeches, I got to whisk Newbery honoree Grace Lin off to the receiving line where hundreds of well-wishers congratulated the winners and honorees.  Standing between Jackie Kelly's editor Laura Godwin and Grace made the evening fly by. It was tremendous seeing and hearing people giving props to these wonderful book creators!

Monday
Time to mail off the books and advanced readers copies to the library; catch the tail end of the ALSC President's program and enjoy the second round of awards for the Siebert; Batchelder; Geisel and professional awards. The highlights for me were the introduction of Claudette Colvin who accompanied Phillip Hoose as he accepted a Siebert honor for the book Claudette Colvin and Tanya Lee Stone accepting the Siebert award for Almost Astronauts.

Then the ALSC membership meeting; a quick lunch with a colleague; one last run through the exhibits to check out final book sales; one more stop at the post office; a quick bite to eat; a metro ride to the National Building Museum with 20 minutes to hit their bookstore before closing; a Metro ride back to catch Battledecks (TOO funny!); and a last stop at the ALSC Poetry Blast to listen to two poets share their work.

And now zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.  Tomorrow is another big day!

At ALA

I'm here in mega-steamy Washington DC, sitting happily in a great little apartment 3 blocks from the convention center. One of my roommates and I got ourselves settled in; the third had a horrendously delayed flight and instead of arriving at 4pm is now likely to appear, ghost-like, after midnight. Travel is always an adventure these days.

Still and all, the fridge is stocked from nearby stores with water, fruits, cheeses and veggies; the A/C is nice and we think we are more oriented to get where we need to be.  I am looking forward to tomorrow's ALSC preconference: Drawn to Delight. And ahead stretches days of conferencing with my library peeps.

I want to share a post from Bobbi over at Librarian By Day on getting the most from conferences. She shares great tips and each and every one is worth doing.  From the practical to the philosophical, these gathered hints will make all your conferences a ton better.  Now let the fun begin!


Image: 'And I Thought Yesterday Was Hot!'  http://www.flickr.com/photos/17731548@N00/2569878338