This morning I was honored to speak about my passion for diverse storytimes as part of a group of first time national presenters in “Fresh Takes in Youth Services.” It was the scariest 5 minutes of my life but I loved every second of it!
This Ignite style program was a great way to introduce new voices in our field and provide conference speaking experience to novices. Each presentation highlighted a very timely and relevant topic to Youth Services such as robotics, leadership, Comic Cons, LGBTQIA advocacy and STEAM partnering. I’m in awe of my co-presenters Jo Schofield, Robin Sofge, Molly Virello, Connor Flan Joel Park and Jamie Naylor! I’m especially thankful to Brooke Newberry and Amy Koester for their mentorship during this process. I really hope ALA continues to host programs like these that provide rookie presenters an opportunity to share their passion on a national stage in an accessible and unintimidating way.
I highly encourage any of you willing to share your work to look into similar presenting opportunities. As librarians we are lifelong learners and a stronger industry overall because we continually seek out more impactful ways to do our jobs. One of my favorite things about Annual is hearing all the innovative and meaningful work being done across the country. I hope next year I get the chance to listen to one of you!
This post addresses the following ALSC Core Competencies: I. Commitment to Client Group, III. Programming Skills, and V. Outreach and Advocacy.