#alaac15 is all over. I’m back home in Denver, catching up on sleep, non-conference emails, and enjoying non-restaurant food. This is also a great time to reflect on all the amazing things that happened while I was at conference. The day before the conference began, my husband and I took the BART to downtown Berkeley and ate a delicious meal at Cafe Gratitude. The vegan menu requires diners to order their meals with gratitude. “I’ll have the I am Honoring [nachos] and the I am Luscious [chocolate smoothie].” It might sound cheesy (or should I say “non-dairy cheesy”?), but looking back on my conference experience there are so many things for which I’m grateful. I am Rejuvenated [wheatgrass cleanser] The spirit of sharing and collaboration at ALA conferences is one of the reasons I return each year. Sessions like Program-a-Looza, Guerrilla Storytime, and Diversity Dynamism: Mixing Resources and Making Connections…
Author: Amy Forrester
Amy graduated with her MLS from Texas Woman’s University and is currently a children’s librarian at the Central Children’s Library of the Denver Public Library. She is always on the look out for creative ways to incorporate the arts into children’s services and programming to extend books beyond the page.
Program-a-Looza at #alaac15
Yesterday at the Networking Uncommons we held the first Program-a-Looza. This open share session, brainchild of Danielle Jones, Kahla Gubanich, Mary Pearl, and yours truly, focused on cheap, easy children’s programming for public libraries. Inspired by grassroots sessions, such as Guerrilla Storytime and YA Smackdown, Program-a-Looza was created as a way for children’s library staff to take home tangible programming ideas, tips, and resources. During yesterday’s session participants were encouraged to brainstorm and bring their personal strengths and experiences to the table. First, each person shared a favorite easily replicable program. Ideas ranged from a simple recycled materials egg drop to cookie forensics, Halloween at the library to community member enhanced storytimes. Next, we picked a programming topic and spent 2 minutes brainstorming ideas using pens and sticky notes. This quick activity sparked a list of over 20 activity ideas around topics like multi-generational programming and STEAM for elementary. Sound…
Ignite Session at #alaac15
This fast paced session featured a panel of 6 speakers. Each speaker had 5 minutes to present with 25 slides. These slides can be accessed on the conference website. Here’s a quick recap of the presentations from this morning’s session. What eCommerce Can Teach Us about Discovery: Lessons from SXSWi 2015 Using ideas from other industries and thinking about how they apply to libraries. The example used was fashion. Not Another Sad Gay Love Story Terms for gender identities were briefly defined. Notable publishers, authors, and series in LGBTQ lit were listed. Titles mentioned were mostly adult and YA. Diversity Action Plan Presented by Jason Low from Lee & Low Books. He talked about the ways Lee & Low is hoping to attract diverse people to get into the publishing industry, as well as how to encourage diverse authors and illustrators. Here It Is, Your Moment of Zen A hilarious…
Singing and Laughing at Guerrilla Storytime
Today at #alaac15 I attend a rousing Guerrilla Storytime! No matter what I try to make it to at least one per conference. I always come away with new ideas, songs, and rhymes. I also feel energized by the positivity of so many wonderful children’s librarians! (If you want to know more about Guerrilla Storytime, check out StorytimeUnderground.org.) Here are a few tips I picked up today: Looking to model using vocabulary for caregivers? Try swapping out synonyms in familiar songs and rhymes. For instance, “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” could also be sung with “sparkle”, “flicker”, or “shine.” To encourage talking is ask adults how to say a word in another language. This is especially great for caregivers who speak multiple languages. To incorporate writing try having a brainstorming session at the beginning of storytime. This is a clever way to introduce a new topic or theme, especially one that…
Bonus Day at #alamw15
This morning I awoke bright and early (read: 5:45am) to line up for the Youth Media Awards. As always, it was an unforgettable experience to be in the room when the honor and award titles were announced! I laughed, I cheered, I tweeted, I gasped, I was in awe of the extremely talented ASL interpreter. After the exhilarating announcements, I quickly checked my flight status only to find that my flight this afternoon had been canceled. Although it took a bit to get everything settled (2 hours on hold with the airline…but who’s counting?), after it was all said and done my flight was rescheduled for tomorrow morning. Even though I’m longing to see my family and get back to work (my to-do list is so long!), I’ve decided to embrace this “bonus” day at the conference. As I type this, I’m once again sitting on the Notable Children’s Book…
My First ALSC Awards Committee Experience at #alamw15
Today I attended my first meeting as an official member of an awards committee. When I found out I chosen for the Geisel Award Committee I was very honored and excited. And nervous. I was excited to have an excuse to read lots and lots (and lots) of books for beginning readers. I’m looking forward to gaining a deeper understanding and appreciation of this art form through repeated readings and thrilling discussions. I was nervous because they’ll be lots and lots (and lots) of books to read in just a year! Where will I put all those books in my teeny, tiny house? Will my notes be detailed enough? Thankfully, this first meeting calmed my nerves, and simultaneously raised my excitement level. Our chair was so friendly and supportive. She talked about the suggestion and nomination process, as well as logistical elements (deadlines, meetings, etc.). We also discussed ways to…
Notable Children’s Book Discussions at #alamw15
This weekend at the conference, I have used the time between sessions and meetings to watch, and listen to the Notable Children’s Book Committee discussions. The 12 eloquent and articulate members of this committee read, analyze, and discuss hundreds of children’s books. These books are then narrowed down to become the Notable Children’s Book list. The discussion proceeds one title at a time, starting with a summary, followed by appreciations and then concerns. As an audience member it’s fascinating to listen to the discussion. The committee only has a few minutes to dedicate to each book, so the members are concise and focused in their comments. I noticed many members had organized binders full of notes on each title. Only committee members are allowed to discuss the titles, and observers are required to be as quiet as possible. For me, this is particularly difficult with a title about which I…
Unconferencing at #alamw15
This morning I attended the discussion-inducing Unconference. The general structure of an Unconference has 4 major parts: 1. Brainstorm possible discussion topics 2. Divide into tables by discussion topic 3. Discuss! 4. Report to the entire group on your table’s discussion There were 4 topics/tables at this session: technology at the library, the state of libraries, school librarians, and early literacy/youth programs. Our table, made up of a variety of libraries representatives, rural to urban, school to public, small to large systems, tackled early literacy/youth programs with gusto and many a tangent. We began by talking about early literacy, which encompassed outreach, program/early literacy promotion, resources, early literacy play spaces, and storytime presenter training. Our conversation then wandered into youth programming ideas (successes and challenges), program registration, summer reading (promotion, prizes, ways of measuring reading), passive programming, program promotion (online, print, etc.), and resources for program planning. Finally, we touched…