My first day of #alaac26 started bright and early, with a scenic drive from Pittsburgh, PA to Chicago, IL! After roughly 7 hours in the car, we arrived to slightly overcast skies and a beautiful lakeside breeze. Everyone was friendly from the get-go, brainstorming exactly which doors to enter the Convention Center from. We checked in and decked out our badges, per tradition, before heading off to the Exhibits Hall.
This is my second year volunteering with the Zine Pavillion at Annual, and I once again greatly enjoyed helping with setup. I got to meet so many interesting people – Chicago natives as well as some folks who travelled as far as we did. The repetition of cutting and folding Zines for a few hours was a nice reprieve after hours on the road. Before we knew it, the Exhibits Hall opened!
This year is my first time attending Annual with a friend. One of my childhood best friends recently started an MLIS program, and we made the decision to attend together. Seeing the exhibits hall through her eyes tonight was such a treat. We met so many amazing vendors, librarians, and other information professionals…and that was just in our walk down the first aisle!
I can’t wait to see what tomorrow holds, when I’ll be presenting two posters in the afternoon. In the morning, I’ll be on the hunt for everyone’s favorite friends, Elephant and Piggie!
Annaliese Melvin (she/they) is a children’s librarian at a neighborhood library in Washington, D.C. Originally from Pennsylvania, she moved to the DC-area in 2020 to become a special education teacher after graduating with her bachelor’s from Arcadia University. In 2023, she graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi with a master’s degree in Library and Information Science and transitioned into the library field. Annaliese currently works to bring more inclusive programming to DC Public Libraries for children of all ages. She is passionate about equity, inclusion, reading, and Philadelphia sports.