Inside ZSR
ALA Annual 2023: yet another trip to Chicago without an attached visit to my hometown of Decatur, IL. Next time I swear I am going to stay an extra couple of days and rent a car. It’s been several years, which is too long, even if Decatur is what it is At “Finding a New... more ›
No Chicago hot dogs or deep dish pizza, but no standing in a long line with hundreds of people and trying to find a seat for the opening session when you do the Digital Experience version of the ALA Annual Conference. Banned books was the theme, with a number of dignitaries who spoke leading up... more ›
Chicago. Hog Butcher for the Library World. Conference City of the Big Shoulders… By my count, this is the eleventh time I have attended ALA in Chicago. I’ve been there when there was a record-breaking blizzard, I’ve been there when the heat index was over 100, I’ve been there when Grant Park was given over... more ›
Carolyn’s and Lauren’s “Digital Experience” of ALA Annual has juicy news like Hoopla controversy, augmented reality with archival materials, attention to indigenous groups, comics librarianship, and equitable ebook access. EDI was a theme throughout the conference. Numerous last minute panelist substitutions took place due to COVID-19. On Saturday June 25th, in the update from the... more ›
I had some concerns about attending this year’s ALA virtual Annual Conference. Not falling asleep during sessions was a big one. I’ve attended many webinars in the past, and it is not an uncommon occurrence for me to doze off midway through one. With ALA being virtual, I would essentially be attending lots of webinars.... more ›
This is the first conference blog post I’ve written in a long time. I guess we’re getting back to normal, gradually. As we all know, ALA Annual 2021 was, for the first time, an online conference, after the coronavirus pandemic cancelled the 2020 conference entirely. Was this year’s version the same as past ALA conferences?... more ›
I would not, could not from my room / I would not, could not via Zoom / I do not like to meet this way / I do not like it, ALA Oh, for the humidity of Orlando and the thunderstorms of New Orleans! Oh, for the miles of walking in San Francisco, the tedious... more ›
Instead of “just the facts,” I’ve put in some of my thinking about us for the sessions I selected to cover in my post. On Demand Pre-recorded Sessions “Beyond Picture Perfect Diversity: How to Create a Sense of Inclusion” by executive coach Dima Ghawi, who is based in Louisiana. The coach covered recognizing that organizations... more ›
There will be action in Council on 6/28/2021, on changing ALA governance, which is raising concerns for some people (zoom to the bottom of this post for details). Of great concern to me right now, ALA is operating in the red and needs members and other revenue. Membership declined 9-10% each of the last two... more ›
2019 marks my thirteenth year of attending ALA Annual as well as the second time I’ve traveled to Washington DC to do so. The first time was in 2010 in which I, along with several ZSR librarians, rode up together to our nation’s capital in the library’s newly purchased Quest van. Below are recaps of... more ›