Sessions to Bookmark for #alaac15

Every ALA and division journal, blog, and enewsletter is in full-on Annual Conference mode at this point, making sure that both first-time attendees and old pros have what they need to navigate the convention center and city of San Francisco. And while there’s always a great ALA Scheduler available on the conference website with which to plan your personal schedule of sessions and programs, the volume of what’s offered at conference can be overwhelming.

To help wade through the plethora of development opportunities, the Public Awareness Committee has put together a brief list of some of the sessions and events we are most looking forward to. We hope you’ll consider adding these to your schedule, but check back in July for some of our recaps and highlights if you can’t attend in person. And don’t forget the team of folks who will be liveblogging the conference for the ALSC Blog directly from San Francisco!

Leadership & ALSC – Saturday, June 27, 2015 – 8:30am to 11:30am – This particular session happens at every conference; it’s an opportunity for the ALSC membership (and others interested in attending) to find out what ALSC is up to, with a keynote on a particular topic. At ALA Annual 2015, the topic is media mentorship–a combination of an introduction to the new ALSC white paper, “Media Mentorship in Libraries Serving Youth,” as well as a talk from expert Lisa Guernsey.

Pura Belpré Award Celebración – Sunday, June 28, 2015 – 1:00pm to 3:00pm – Join the celebración of the 2015 Belpré Medal winners and honorees. This is the ceremony where all these authors and illustrators receive their awards and share their acceptance speeches.

Babies Need Words Every Day – Sunday, June 28, 2015 – 1:00pm to 2:00pm – Have you been looking to beef up your early literacy game when it comes to serving the youngest children and their families? This session should go a long way toward helping you to do so, combining research and expert voices in the field of early childhood development with new initiatives for libraries.

Speeches at the Newbery-Caldecott-Wilder Awards Banquet – Sunday, June 28, 2015 – 5:30pm to 11:00pm – While the dinner portion of the banquet does require purchase of a ticket, attending the speeches of the 2015 Newbery, Caldecott, and Wilder Award winners is free to all. But you had better be prompt about finding a seat in the back of the room around 8:00pm when the speeches start. It’s always a great set of presentations, and the people watching can’t be beat. This year we’ll hear from Kwame Alexander, Dan Santat, and Donald Crews.

Early Literacy Outreach for Teen Parents – Monday, June 29, 2015 – 1:00pm to 2:30pm – Sometimes creating meaningful library opportunities for teens can be a struggle in and of itself, but reaching teen parents and their unique needs can take even more planning and intention. This session looks to be a stellar introduction to this topic for novices and seasoned outreach folks alike, and should include plenty of great ideas and resources to be used in different library settings.

What sessions are you most looking forward to at ALA Annual 2015 in San Francisco?

Amy Koester is Youth & Family Program Coordinator at Skokie (IL) Public Library and is writing this post for the Public Awareness Committee, of which she is chair. You can reach her at amy.e.koester@gmail.com.