Here at #ALAAC24 one of the biggest challenges I faced was deciding how to spend my time. There are so many things I want to do, I feel pulled in twenty different directions. There are so many sessions to attend, people to speak with, meetings to attend, and swag to collect.
Saturday morning started a bit hectic. I had an 8:30 meeting for ALA Awards committee, and I was running a little late. I unfortunately am not staying at a conference hotel and had a little bit of a drive. As I pulled up to the center, I realized that I forgot my badge. If I had to turn around, I would never make my meeting. Fortunately, ALA is prepared for a bit of absent mindedness, and I was able to get a pass.
The meeting was quick and successful and off to sessions I went. My first session was the American Association of School Librarian’s (AASL) President’s Program “Sharing Our Stories! How School Librarians Build Relationships.” Courtney Pentland, school librarian from Lincoln Nebraska and as of this writing the current President of AASL, invited a variety of school librarians to share the six degrees of separation stories. How it took simply conversations to forged friendships with people around the country.
We started with Amanda Jones, an extraordinary freedom fighter from Louisiana, then moved to Melissa Tom from Connecticut, and Tom Bober from Saint Louis. They discussed their accomplishments and how a simple tweet or chance encounter created relationships when there were none. So many school librarians from across the country that I admire greatly got up and spoke. Then the floor was opened so we could share our stories and our experiences. It was uplifting and heartwarming.
Courtney let us know that we are more than just our jobs, but our jobs are an important part of who we are.
Stories were shared on how our school libraries, our students help shape who we are, helped save us in so many ways. We shared that it is okay to forget people’s names, and go with the flow, because we all do it. Basically, we are making it up as we go along and let’s just enjoy every second that we possible can.
Conference Blogger Arlene Laverde (she/her/hers) is a very recent (July 1, 2024) NYCPS retiree. She has been the school librarian at Townsend Harris High School in Queens NY for ten years and worked in various high schools and elementary schools in Brooklyn and Queens. When in school she never considered librarianship as a career. She started as an elementary school teacher and accidentally fell into the role as a school librarian. She hasn’t looked back since. She is currently serving as co-chair for the AASL 2025 National Conference in St. Louis and will be attending the Morris Seminar in Denver, Colorado this September. She’s looking forward to the Newbery-Caldecott-Legacy Banquet, as well as not only reconnecting with friends from around the country, but meeting new ones throughout the conference. Now that she is a retiree, all things are possible and looks forward to exploring her many interests, as well as the continued fight for library advocacy. Twitter handle: @THHSLibrary
Please note that as a guest post, the views expressed here do not represent the official position of ALA or ALSC.