It’s almost time for the 2016 ALA Annual Conference! This year’s conference will be held on June 23-28, in sunny Orlando. With hundreds of speakers, sessions, exhibits, and events, it can be hard to know where to go, especially for new members.
If that’s you, welcome! To help you plan, here are some of the ALSC programs we’re most looking forward to. For even more, check out the full list of ALSC programs at the Annual Conference. See you there!
Discussion Sessions
ALSC 101
Saturday, June 25 | 4:30-5:30 PM | Event Page
Welcome to ALSC! Join us for a quick orientation, where you’ll learn about navigating Annual Conference, the perks of ALSC membership, and how to get involved. This is a fun chance to get to know your peers and win fun prizes!
ALSC Membership Meeting
Monday, June 27 | 10:30 AM-12:00 PM | Event Page
Join your fellow ALSC members at the 
membership meeting where Andrew Medlar, ALSC President, will share ALSC’s accomplishments and initiatives. Members will engage in a facilitated discussion about issues impacting youth services and have an opportunity to ask questions.
ALSC Charlemae Rollins President’s Program: Libraries: The Space to Be
Monday, June 27 | 1:00-2:30 PM | Event Page
One of the most transformative services libraries provide children is that of place. As places where stories and imagination come to life in an engaging environment, Orlando’s theme parks are unrivaled in the world, and our keynote will be given by Marty Sklar, former president of Walt Disney Imagineering. Learn how child development, architecture, and stories all work together to create spaces that are vital to children and the communities that support them. The program will also feature an interactive show-and-tell of inspiring libraries from across the globe, and everyone is invited to share their own spaces by tweeting pictures using #ALSCprez. This program honors Charlemae Hill Rolllins, the first African American president of ALA’s Children’s Services Division (which became ALSC), and is generously supported by Disney Publishing Worldwide.
Programs
Storytime Live! Improv Techniques That Work!
Saturday, June 25 | 8:30-10:00 AM | Event Page
Looking for a new way to jazz up your storytimes and programs? Need a way to refocus storytime snafus? Try some improv! Improv techniques can help you relax under pressure, get comfortable in the unknown, and learn to think on your feet. This presentation will give you a crash-course on improv and some ideas how to implement them at your library!
Not Your Granny’s Dinner Conversation: Diversity, Race, Sex and Gender
Sunday, June 26 | 10:30-11:30 AM| Event Page
Campaigns to increase diversity in children’s publishing have garnered support, but debates emerge over the “how” of diversities—especially when it comes to fraught topics like slavery, racism, gender identity and sexual orientation. How does responsible engagement with these and other contentious topics impact the work of writing, reading, selecting, and teaching diverse books for children and teens? This panel will highlight insights from authors and publishers while exploring practices that the diversity conversation.
Awards Celebrations
Pura Belpré Award Celebración
Sunday, June 26, 2016 | 1:00-3:30 PM | Event Page
ALSC and REFORMA are proud to invite you to the 20th Anniversary Pura Belpré Award Celebración. Please join our family of winning authors and illustrators in an unforgettable event, una fiesta maravillosa, where we will honor the 2016 Medal winners and honorees. Enjoy a keynote by author and storyteller Carmen Agra Deedy, a silent auction of original art by Belpré Award illustrators, and a book signing by the winning authors and illustrators.
Newbery-Caldecott-Wilder Banquet
Sunday, June 26 | 6:00-11:00 PM | Event Page
Join us for this gala occasion celebrating the Newbery, Caldecott and Wilder Medalists and Honorees, authors and illustrators of the year’s most distinguished books for children. Cocktails (cash bar) available prior to dinner; doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets will not be sold at the door, but a limited number of tickets will be available at Onsite Registration until noon on Friday. Pre-registration is required. Read more about the banquet.
ALSC Awards Presentation
Monday, June 27 | 8:00-10:30 AM | Event Page
Celebrate the best in children’s literature and media at the annual presentation of the Batchelder, Carnegie, Geisel and Sibert Awards! Join us at 8:00 AM for a continental breakfast and a chance to mingle with your favorite authors and illustrators. The awards presentation will promptly start at 8:30 AM and is open to all registered attendees.
Odyssey Award Ceremony
Monday, June 27 | 4:30-5:30 PM | Event Page
The annual presentation of the Odyssey Award honors the best in audiobooks produced for children and young adults. Listen to your favorite narrators perform a piece from their Odyssey Award-winning audiobooks at this engaging event. Festivities will also include a cocktail reception after the ceremony sponsored by the Audio Publisher’s Association.