Author: Sarah Hashimoto

When I made my reservations for Midwinter last year, I didn’t know what the weather would be like. Philly in winter? Could be rough! I decided to stay at the main conference hotel, and it was fantastic. Raining buckets outside? No problem! I didn’t even have to put on a coat; I just ambled to the elevator, and off I went. No outside required. That was pretty cool, but then I realized today that I hadn’t seen anything of Philadelphia at all. And I’m leaving tomorrow, eek! Happily, I was lucky to spend the afternoon with a dear friend from Chicago (we have standing Monday afternoon dates at conference), and we wrapped up the conference by seeing the Philly sights. We saw Christ Church Burial Ground, where Benjamin Franklin is buried (his grave is covered in pennies from people looking for a little luck, and as it turns out, those…

Some of you may be thinking…graphic novel audios? What in the world is that? Others, I know, are thinking…Yes! Bring it on! What I can listen to next? My personal goal is spread the word about graphic audios and make everyone a fan of this incredible type of audiobook. Full disclosure here, I served on the 2017 Odyssey Award committee, and I continue to blog about children’s and teen audiobooks through a blog that I maintain with fellow past Odyssey members, Natalie Marshall and Lizzie Nolan. So, I am certainly not unbiased when it comes to talking about the power of great audiobooks. I have been delighted to see all of the great programs and events that highlight outstanding audiobooks: Listen Up: Tips for Growing Audiobook Circulation, Recording Graphic Novel Audiobooks: Victoria Jamieson’s Roller Girl and R.J. Palacio’s White Bird, Behind the Mic: Authors on Podcasting and Audiobooks. It was…

Just….yay! The YMAs are the highlight of the conference for me, and judging by all of the people around me—jumping up and down, cheering, crying, clapping and clapping and clapping—I think that I am not alone. Today’s award ceremony was just as exciting as I had hoped. Many congratulations go out to the talented authors, illustrators, narrators, and librarians who were honored today. And congratulations to the ones who didn’t make today’s awards list, but who have made such an impression on our hearts, too. We thank you for making a difference! We really can’t forget to recognize the hard work of the committee members who read and read and read and listened and listened and listened and then talked up a storm—all year long. They have given hours of their time in order to select the best of the best, and that is really something. Congratulations to all on…

I’m so glad that I had the opportunity to attend this afternoon’s Leadership & ALSC meeting! Many of you have heard that ALA is planning on restructuring the midwinter meeting. While we don’t know what all of the changes will entail, we do know that these changes will necessitate reworking some of the ways that many of ALSC’s committees conduct their business. Some changes may include realigning committees, transitioning into hybrid or even fully virtual committees, and eliminating process committee meetings during the winter meeting. These possibilities are still being discussed, but it’s safe to say that change is in the air!

Last Midwinter, my post about the ALSC Membership dinners had the exact same title. Dinner with longtime and newfound ALSC friends—a great way to dive into Midwinter, and an event that is quickly becoming a Midwinter tradition. But what are the ALSC Membership dinners, anyhow?

Yes! There’s nothing like the first day of the Midwinter conference. Meeting up with old friends, getting to know new friends, mapping out your day, and getting a lay of the land. And of course, the opening of the Exhibits, which is fun and overwhelming and a serious challenge for those of us who are trying to be moderate with our book-grabbing-and-hoarding tendencies.