#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…
Category: ALA Annual 2015
My Top Transforming Takeaways from #alaac15
The Sunnyvale Library Make-HER blog offers fantastic inspiration. From: Conversation Starter: From Maker to Make-HER: Leveling the STEM Playing Field for Girls. Look at your existing resources people, meeting rooms, digital, etc. Are you using them to their greatest potential? From Session: So You Didn’t Get the Awesome Teen DigiTechnoSuperLab: Now What? Joslyn Jones was funny, smart and offered valuable information. Change is inevitable. When the work environment is in transition, most everyone experiences anxiety. You can control your situation in the long-term. Transform yourself. Make yourself more valuable to your library and community. From: No Sugarcoating Allowed: Four Honest Perspectives on Change Management. Social media is a powerful tool that can be used to connect not only with our customer base, but also with authors. Virtual author visits anyone? From: riding the shuttle bus with the energetic and cool School Librarian and ALSC Live Blogger Stacey Rattner. Moving outside…
Library games at #alaac15
Library games at #alaac15 When all the conference work is over and done, you can go to Library Games to have some fun! Library Games is a night of challenges, boldness, and laughter, typically held on the Monday evening of annual. Last year, I checked it out with some friends– we were cramped in an overly hot room watching our peers compete in various library challenges. This year, we stepped up to the plate. Our team– Punk Ass Book Jockeys (bonus points if you get the reference) competed in Library Trivia, Lip Synching, Flannel Board, Book Talk for Your Life, and Battle Decks! Library Trivia– 10 questions on library history/ pop culture references. I think all teams utilized the lifelines to switch their answers with a random audience member. Lip Synching– The obvious winner chose a Miley Cyrus song- Wrecking Ball– and she delivered! My team went with “Smells Like…
#alaac15 Caldecott/Newbery Reception
Last year my mentor treated me to a Caldecott/Newbery awards ticket and it was a magical night that I refer to as the library Oscars! People are dressed in fancy dresses, and everyone is bubbling with excitement to hear the speeches and celebrate! This year, as I made my selections for ALA events, it seemed like I just had to go back! The ticket is pricy– but it is a magical night! Winner of the 2015 Caldecott, Dan Santat gave a thoughtful speech about the struggle to keep believing in your dreams and the hard work of what it takes to succeed. Winner of the 2015 Newbery award, Kwame Alexander gave a performance that buzzed through his life and reminded us that with the belief in greatness can propel you to fulfill your destiny! Winner of the 2015 Wilder award, Donald Crews wove an interesting story of a somewhat reluctant…
#alaac15 Leaving Las Vegas- Wait! That was last year!
As I’m packing up my stuff and moving on home, I’m so grateful to ALA for providing me the opportunity to grow and learn. Thanks not only for the memories but for all the exciting things I am going to take back with me. Next up is Boston in JANUARY! I can’t wait to see what I will take away from that adventure in snowy (but hopefully not to snowy) Boston!
Empathy and Oscar the Grouch: Sonia Manzano #alaac15
If you ever wondered who Sonia Manzano’s (“Maria” from Sesame Street) favorite Muppet is, here’s her answer: Oscar the Grouch. “He’s negative.” He acts anywhere from age 80 to 8. He stirs up conflict in an otherwise harmonious neighborhood, and this conflict leads to stories. In fact, Manzano’s new memoir, “Becoming Maria: Love and Chaos in the South Bronx” (Scholastic) is all about conflict–her tumultuous childhood in the Bronx, her Puerto Rican roots, and her longing for a “Leave it to Beaver” type of stability. With Maria, she was able to act out (and later, write scripts about) a character that children in inner cities could relate to, and provide them with storylines that offered satisfying resolutions–something they may seldom get in real life. She could be a mirror for these kids, an escape from a hard home life, and a role model. Manzano thinks her difficult childhood lead to…
#ALAAC15 The Disruptive Bone in YOUR Body!
Anyone care to Find the DISRUPTIVE bone in your body? Disrupt: : to cause (something) to be unable to continue in the normal way : to interrupt the normal progress or activity of (something) As I walked from event to event in San Francisco, rode the shuttle buses and rubbed elbows at the sit down and stand up events, I really wanted to know what it was like to be in other people’s library world and to get a sense of their challenges. So I asked people this question, “What would you do to be disruptive in your library world?” That word disruptive hit some people instantly as something negative and unruly. There was a little bit of fear in the first hearing of it. But being librarians they pushed past the fear and really thought about it. I heard about school librarians who work in more than one building….
#ALAAC2015 Be Who You Are
As Lizette Serano took the stage for the Scholastic Preview yesterday some of her first and best words were, “BE WHO YOU ARE.” We were about to be treated to Readers’ Theater by Jennifer Nielsen, Jennifer Holm, Alex Gino, Craig Thompson, Jon Muth and Dav Pilkey. I had to run at the end of that fabulous event… I mean, really, Dav Pilkey doing the sound effects for other people’s stories? Uh YEAHHHHH…..and between that ballroom and my awaiting suitcase were the crowds lining the sidewalks and lampposts on Market Street. The Gay Pride Parade was in full swing. The marchers and riders in the parade were exciting and colorful but the ROAR of the crowd that rolled down the street…that was where the goosebumps started. I cannot even begin to describe the variety of human beings in the crowd. The best outfit I saw was created by a young lady…