instruction, outreach, promotion, conferences … lots of conferences
Because of awesome crowd-sourced things like a list of places to eat and have fun. And a volunteer made map of where the parties are.
I’ve attended a lot of conferences both in librarianship and in another field, and never have I seen such enthusiasm and helpfulness. Man, I love librarians. You people bring it!
I’ve been posting like crazy but that always happens in June. This month is full of three things I love: watermelon with salt, my birthday, and conferences! The watermelon has started getting tasty this week.
yum
The birthday is still a couple of weeks away. But, the trifecta of IASSIST, Metrolina, and ALA kicked off and we are getting into the home stretch.
I’m following the trend of posting where I will be headed (in general) at ALA. I’m not presenting, but will be writing for Against the Grain again this year. If you have a great story to share, stop me and say hi! I have some committee duties, but I will try to get around as much as possible. Maybe I will see you there!
If you wonder why people write these posts, try it. You’ll have a much better understanding of the realities of your schedule than you can get just slapping events on the calendar.
Friday, June 22:
Saturday, June 23:
Sunday, June 24:
Monday, June 25:
What are you up to at ALA?
When I left college I knew for certain what I was doing and where I was going, but my bullet train to a PhD was derailed after four years and I spent about four more floundering, trying to pick up the pieces of my life. At one point a friend asked me what I really wanted to do, what I liked doing most, and then suggested that I go with the answer. The most honest response I could give was that I liked connecting people with other people. I love discovering how people can work together and seeing where those interactions take them. It is honestly why I became a librarian–not because of books–but because I could work with people. I enjoy getting to know our students and their interests both in research and in life. One of my favorite interactions with undergraduates at UNCG has been when I could suggest that they contact my friend who works at the Pentagon or my friend researching women in Cameroon. It isn’t just about the books anymore, but also about the real-life connections you have out there.
Connecting people is why I am running for ALA Council and for ACRL’s Law & Political Science Section’s Vice-Chair. My bio mentions Emerging Leaders as an impetus for running and that wasn’t just pandering. Emerging Leaders was an eye-opening experience for me. I met so many new librarians with incredibly diverse interests and skills. I left the annual conference in DC with several new friends: a youth services librarian who worked with teen moms, two gamer librarians who went on to start the Game RT and host of other things, an amazing library technician who now works for Cirque du Soleil, and many other librarians doing rawk star work at institutions all over. These are our librarians and, man, they are an impressive bunch.
It is because of these people that I am running for ALA Council. I can’t commit to making grand changes. But I can commit to doing what I do best, making connections and connecting others in library land.
My CV and more are available on this blog. I would love to have your vote!
