I arrived late to #ALSC2024. I had a few mishaps along the way. My phone had no reception to call an Uber at Denver International Airport, and then the hotel room they gave me already had people in it. So by the time I got changed from plane clothes into conference dinner clothes, they were closing up shop at registration and dinner was already underway.
The kind people at registration took pity on me and got my badge for me anyway. And one of the waitstaff helped me find an empty seat just in time to get fed. Dinner was delicious. The salad was mostly cheese–as all salads should be–and the whiskey pork was fork tender, and hit the spot after a long day of travel between meals, and the white chocolate dessert was a bit of heaven; however, the best part of the evening was the conversation with Meg Medina, Newbery Award winning author, and National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. She was a delight to listen to, a natural storyteller, and I found myself taking notes on her turns of phrase. At one point, she said, that [children’s authors] “remember being young really well…There’s some door that didn’t get shut. It got left propped open.”
I think this is true for youth services librarians as well. To be able to provide programming and community, to build a safe spot for kids to go, a place where they want to be, you need to have that door propped open a little bit. One of the last things she said struck me the hardest. When talking about what the next ambassador should expect, she said that they should be prepared to work hard and be prepared to ask themselves “What can I do to serve/enrich the reading lives of children?” A question no less relevant for youth services librarians, and an apt opener to #ALSC2024.
Conference Blogger Elizabeth Sanderson (she/her/hers) is a Youth and Teen Services librarian for Lincolnwood Public Library in Lincolnwood,IL. She first became a youth services librarian in 2017. Elizabeth is excited to see what everyone will be wearing on Saturday as their “finest children’s librarian ensemble.” Dressing the part is one of the best parts of the job! If you want to see what outfit she has put together, you can follow the trail of Monster Mix, her snack of choice.
Please note that as a guest post, the views expressed here do not represent the official position of ALA or ALSC.