As the ALSC Membership and Marketing Specialist, I usually have the honor of seeing members connect and collaborate with each other (both in-person and online!) It genuinely fascinates me and makes me so happy to see people go from being strangers serving on a committee together, to becoming friends in real life. Whenever I see these bonds forming right before my eyes, I’m always brought back to ALSC President Lucia Gonzalez’s ALSC Matters! column from 2020 where she said, “Throughout this time of transformations and uncertainties, ALSC performed its unifying role by being the platform where children’s library workers meet for the exchange of ideas…”
Author: Elizabeth Serrano
Presenting all #alsc22 general session speakers!
Dr. Nicole A. Cooke is taking the podium to present our Big Ideas Session at the ALSC National Institute this fall! And just like that…our General Session Speaker line-up is stacked! ALSC members, you can take advantage of a member-exclusive early bird rate when you register by June 30, 2022. This deadline is just a few weeks away, which is hard to believe, and we’re really excited to be together again! In case you missed it, below is a round-up of our speakers, which can also be found on the ALSC website. Opening General – Thursday, September 29, 2022Christina Soontornvat This Opening General Session is generously sponsored by Scholastic. Friday Morning – September 30, 2022Big Ideas with Dr. Nicole A. Cooke This Big Ideas Session is generously sponsored by ALSC’s Carole D. Fiore Leadership Endowment Fund. Saturday Morning – Saturday, October 1, 2022Collaborative Authorship with Adam Gidwitz and Hena Khan This…
Engagement Connections
The ALSC Membership Committee does a wonderful job at connecting members to meaningful engagement opportunities. I’m here to add a few upcoming items to the list! Below are recently announced opportunities for ALSC members to apply for or engage with over the next few days and month. Maureen Hayes Author/Illustrator Award Applications for this grant are being accepted through this Friday, April 22! We’re grateful for our friends over at Simon & Schuster for funding this annual grant that is exclusively available for ALSC members to apply for. If you’ve ever wanted to host an author or illustrator visit, here’s your chance to apply for funding to make it happen! Submit your Committee Volunteer Form Now is the perfect time to submit volunteer forms for a process committee appointment! All of our committee members play a significant role in furthering ALSC’s impact to achieve our vision of building healthy, successful…
ALSC heads to Kansas City for #alsc22
By now you’ve probably learned the news of our 2022 Institute happening this fall in Kansas City, MO. It’s been a long time since we’ve been together in person. (2018 Institute in Cincinnati feels like ages ago…I guess it was!) Opening Session Speaker and Programs Thanks to our friends at Scholastic Inc., we’re excited to welcome Christina Soontornvat as our Opening General Session Speaker! More speakers will be announced very soon along with Big Ideas sessions and other exciting news. The education programs are now available on the ALSC website and are all aimed to increase your ALSC Competency development! (But if you want to further enhance your Competency development before then, I encourage you to register for our spring online course, Utilizing the Competencies to Boost Skills and Services. This course begins the week of April 4th.) Registration The Institute is intentionally kept intimate to encourage small education programs,…
National Day of Racial Healing and ALSC
Yesterday marked the sixth annual National Day of Racial Healing (NDORH). The ALA Libraries Respond page explains it as, “an opportunity for people, organizations and communities across the United States to call for racial healing, bring people together in their common humanity and take collective action to create a more just and equitable world.” ALA staff were asked to do some individual reflection on what drives our commitment to racial healing and equity, diversity, inclusion, and social justice (EDISJ) in libraries. As I reflected, I thought of: growing up in The Bronx; visiting NYPL branches when I had no access to a computer or internet; and how rich The Bronx is in culture, art, and diversity. I reflected on how, via the public library, I had access to internet, materials, and just space to sit and think when I couldn’t do it anywhere else. Of course, I also reflected on…
Another Membership Touch Point
Our Membership Committee does a really wonderful job of using the ALSC Blog as a channel to inform ALSC members on ways to engage and maximize their membership. They approach their committee work with experience and intention, and as a staff member, I rely heavily on their perspectives as members of ALSC. They help me figure out what the questions and concerns are and how we can address these questions and concerns in new and innovative ways! To further support this journey in getting to know our members and to learn what their questions are, we’re introducing ALSC Member Office Hours! These office hours are very informal one-hour Zoom sessions for members to literally drop-in for a minute (or for the whole hour!) to ask any questions you have related to ALSC and your membership. I will be present during all of these office hours (sometimes also joined by colleagues…
ALSC Happenings – Engage with us!
The fall season is a busy, busy time of year for ALSC! I’m taking this blog post opportunity to update you on a few upcoming opportunities for engagement: ALSC Chat: Our School Age Programs and Services Committee is hosting an ALSC chat on Monday at 4pm! The chat will focus on how public and school library workers are supporting students this school year. ALSC Community Forum (ALA member login required): Our members have important business coming to the ballot next year! It’s explained a bit more in a recent blog post, and our Community Forum on Wednesday will aim to support our members’ understanding of these ballot items to help them make an informed vote. It will be recorded and made available shortly after for members who are unable to attend live. The 2021 Children’s Literature Lecture Celebration honoring the work of Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop will take place on…
Over 30 ALSC mentees are seeking mentors!
Applications for the ALSC Mentoring Program are now open and we are in (serious) need of mentors! To date, we’ve received over 30 mentee applications. Wow! Many of them are students or early children’s career professionals, but we also have some mentees who are new to supervisory positions and are looking to connect with others who have experience in managing children’s services.