Inside ZSR
I attended ALA Annual in San Diego from June 28 through July 1, 2024. I had some committee assignments to finish up (I am rolling of ACRL’s New Roles and Changing Landscapes space planning subcommittee) but the majority of my time was spent skipping from large auditorium to large auditorium to catch all the headliners... more ›
I attended ALA virtually, although I’d hoped to go in person, but the sudden and early appearance of my grandson upended those plans. So I’ve been availing myself of several of the sessions that were recorded and made available to all ALA registrants. I have found many very interesting and relevant sessions. ALA stepped up... more ›
I, like others have mentioned, think I more “experienced” than “attended” ALA Annual’s virtual conference. It was exhausting to try to be both “in community” with others remotely, while ignoring pressing needs of my work-a-day life when there were things equally accessible through my in box, and tempting to resolve through my keyboard. Online conferences,... more ›
My NCLA experience started off on a high note, attending the Diversity Delineated, Inclusion Integrated session with Molly Keener, Chris Burris, Monesha Staton-Fluker. Their very informative presentation on the history and development of our Diversity and Inclusion Committee (now Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee) was a trip down memory lane, as well as serving as... more ›
I was appointed to the ACRL Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee as vice-chair this year and as such, I spent much of my ALA time focused on the work of the committee. Since EDI has been given special focus in ACRL this year, there were many programs on the subject. In addition, ALA had several... more ›
The kickoff for ALA was the aforementioned Michelle Obama opening session. The line to get into seeing her speech was exceedingly long, (so much so that we feared getting a seat in the 9000 seat auditorium) but what really surprised me was the relatively light security. Her conversation, as was already mentioned, was her very personal... more ›
ALA Midwinter 18 in Denver commenced just as a debilitating snowstorm was moving across the northern tier of states. While the storm didn’t impact our travel, (I was travelling with Susan and our path took us from GSO to Charlotte to Denver) it did have a significant impact to how I spent my time this... more ›
I attended a few really inspiring sessions at NCLA this year. One, entitled “I Do”: The Engaged Employee offered by three librarians from Wake County Public Libraries provided tips to better engage your workers in the work of the library through methods that create a sense of community among the staff. They had a variety of tips... more ›
My conference experience revolved around two specific foci. I was recently elected as a member-at-large of SustainRT, the Sustainability Round Table of ALA. My duties with this group include arranging programming for our sessions at ALA Annual, so I did a bit of networking to identify topics and speakers that might be of interest at... more ›
My ALA conference was focused on two primary objectives: begin work related to the Sustainability Round Table, (SustainRT, to which I was just elected Member-at-Large) and get as much information on diversity and inclusion through ALA’s diversity programming as I could squeeze into my schedule. The work of the SustainRT board started early as I... more ›