Category: ALA Midwinter 2018

ALA Midwinter 2018

Namaste, Library Peeps : Getting My Zen On at #alamw2018

| Alexa Newman|1 Comment

One of the coolest amenities at ALA Midwinter 2018 was the Yoga / Meditation Room. I hope many of you had a chance to stop in for a moment, or two, or …. just hang out and be present for a while.     For the past few conferences, ALA has been sponsoring the yoga / meditation room. Since I am moderately obsessed with yoga (although I’m not sure if that is a very “yogi” thing to say) I stopped by Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and got in some abbreviated practice. Even if you don’t have a yoga practice, being able to sit down and collect your thoughts and just BE for 10 minutes or so can be beneficial to both your mental and physical health. I found the room here in Denver to be an oasis of calm.  Dim lights, soothing music, mats and meditation cushions as well as…

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ALA Midwinter 2018

Learning, Connecting, and Having fun at ALA Midwinter 2018: It’s Been a Whirlwind #alamw18

| Alexa Newman|Leave a comment

It’s been a whirlwind, indeed. Although I’ve attended several Midwinter meetings over the years, this one has been especially fruitful. The sheer pace of meetings and activities has had me dashing all weekend. That’s my excuse for not posting sooner. I arrived from Chicagoland early Thursday afternoon; I managed to avoid the blizzard back home.While my coworkers had a snow day, we were enjoying 60 degree weather here in Denver. On Friday I attended the Bill Morris Seminar, the highlight of my conference experience so far. As part of the 2018 cohort, I came away with an expanded skill set for children’s literature and media evaluation. And I met some truly amazing people in the process. Immediately after that, I attended the inspiring opening session where activists Patrisse Cullars and Marley Dias discussed what inspired them to rise up and take action. Later that evening I joined up with the…

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ALA Midwinter 2018

Local library love #alamw18

| Amy Steinbauer|1 Comment

Conferences are so busy– and they keep you engaged for crazy long hours– that it is easy to forget that you are in a new city! I am always trying to be better at exploring the local scene when I travel to conferences– and this year is especially hard for me because I am right next to the Conference Center, and I hate the snow! But one thing I absolutely love and try to do is to see a local library in the city I am visiting. I love looking at the children’s rooms and collections and how they market and manage their spaces. Some of the cutest things from Denver Public Library main branch: This adorable play mailbox! I wanted to write my own letter and leave it! Or this little easel that allows young artists to practice- who may not be ready to stay seated- or able to…

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ALA Midwinter 2018

Storytime Goddesses at #alamw18

| Amy Steinbauer|1 Comment

  After my first ALA Annual, my friend, (shoutout Debby) said we had to join Twitter to connect with all the librarians and book people there! I signed up- and started all these wonderful library connections! Including hearing about really cool unofficial events– like a “Storytime Deep Dive” in the Networking Uncommons hosted by the amazing Mel (of Mel’s Desk!!!) She magnanimously hosted an informal storytime chat where children’s librarians and youth services team members got together to talk about storytime gripes and philosophies. It was really great to talk to children’s library staff from around the US- in the hour or two I sat there, we had a children’s librarian from Hawaii and one from Alaska! While I love fangirling to children’s authors and illustrators, it means so much more to sit down with people who write the blogs that I consult for storytime, programming, and general library ideas!…

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ALA Midwinter 2018

2018 Emerging Leaders – Team C #alamw18

| Elizabeth Serrano|Leave a comment
2018 Emerging Leaders Group

On Friday, February 9, the 2018 Emerging Leaders class met for the first time. It was very exciting to be in a room full of professionals who are eager to move the work of our association forward. Our Team C consists of five members: Stephanie Anderson, Nicole Husbands, Tasha Nins, Jacqueline Quinn, and Raina Tuakoi. This team will explore Cultural Competency in Youth Librarianship by, ultimately, developing a microagressions training video script for ALSC. This project directly aligns with the “Diversity and Inclusion” objective of our ALSC Strategic Plan. Our first meeting consisted of getting to know one another, learning our strengths, diving into pieces of this project and what the project means to each of us, and discussing platforms to use to begin the work. This will be my first time being staff liaison to an Emerging Leaders group and I feel very confident knowing we also have Tori…

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ALA Midwinter 2018

ALA Council @ #alamw18

| Amy Steinbauer|Leave a comment

One of the many reasons that I love conferences is for the networking, free books, and passionate library people! However, as a newly elected ALA Councilor at Large- my morning (and the next few mornings) was filled with a very long and informative orientation session for new councilors! Being a part of ALA Council means that I get to see both the organization and conference in a whole new light– I get a chance to see the inner workings of an organization that is a home to me in so many ways… being a part of Council means that I get to contribute my voice both as a member of ALA and as my professional capabilities to create an ALA that represents the very best of our wonderful career choice! And… Council sessions are open to general ALA public-which means that you don’t have to wait for an election to…

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