I’ve had such a busy day and now to reward myself with Libraries Transform cake! It’s right outside Exhibit Hall 4A if you hurry! This morning I popped in to see Rick Steves discuss Travel as a Political Act. Then I ran over to see author Monique Gray Smith discuss her book Speaking Our Truth: A Journey of Reconciliation. My favorite take away from her presentation was when she said “Guilt or shame are not emotions that move us forward. It has to be love.” Next, I recharged with some yoga led by author and instructor Dianne Bondy. Did you know there is a Yoga & Meditation room on the second floor?! I shipped some books back to my library using the post office on the exhibit floor. Then I went to Community, Equity and Storytime presented by CiKeithia Pugh of the Seattle Public Library and Betha Gutsche of OCLC….
Category: ALA Midwinter 2019
They Have a Secret at #alamw19
There is just something about Sunday at Midwinter, running into various Youth Media Awards committee members and knowing that THEY HAVE A BIG SECRET!!! I can’t wait to find out the winners tomorrow!!!! — Abby Johnson
Committee Time! #alamw19
Sunday morning at Midwinter is time for the ALSC All Committee Meeting. This is when many of the wonderful “process” committees get together. Process committees are non-award committees, and include groups such as School-Age Programs & Services, Building Partnerships, and my committee, Membership. This morning at the Membership Committee meeting, we discussed our plans for Annual which include hosting the ALSC 101 session and the ALSC booth in the exhibit hall. We recapped the member dinner that we arranged in Seattle this past Friday night at Midwinter. We also had a rich conversation around how to engage and connect with not only new members, but members who have been in the association for a few years. We want ALSC to be a welcoming and inclusive organization for all, and hope to foster a sense of community among members. We’d love to hear from you! How long have you been an…
Day 2 Wrap Up #alamw19
Day 2 at ALA Midwinter was fantastic. Being surrounded by people who understand how important your role is feels amazing. If we could all bottle up this love and empowerment and let it out when we get home, everyone would know the amazing power of libraries. Try that! Two highlights from Day 2 – 1. I attended an excellent session about Early Literacy and Computational Thinking. I have so many notes to explore when I get home. 2. I attended a screening of The Public, a film written and directed by Emilio Estevez. Funny and poignant. There is another screening tonight at 7pm. A MUST SEE.
Mission Impossible at #alamw19
Yesterday, I set out on mission impossible at #alamw19 and I am sorry to report that I was not successful. My mission you ask? To simply walk across the exhibit hall without adding anything to my treasure trove. Others had cautioned me that bags get heavy, books add up, and airlines have luggage weight limits. However, no one really warned me that I would be constantly stumbling upon favored authors and illustrators ready and willing to sign their newest, FREE books with nary a line in sight! Every lap I took, the floor seemed to magically refresh with new signings that I just HAD TO GET. Not only that, there were countless knowledgeable publishing representatives from both small and large presses ready and willing to enthusiastically discuss their new releases and answer my questions. It was easy to turn what should have been a five minutes walk into an hour…
All of My Childhood Dreams Have Come True! #alamw19 @thepublicmovie1
When I was a child, I was a huge Emilio Estevez fan. My brother and I would rush home after school to watch his movies on VHS. When I first saw the trailer for “The Public” I was thrilled someone I admired as a child had made a film about libraries. Last night I was able to see that film and I was impressed. In the discussion afterward, Estevez mentioned this film was 12 years in the making. As a public librarian I recognized a good amount of my own patrons in the film. I also recognized a lot of the attitudes of people unfamiliar with libraries. I hope this film will help be an advocate for what we do and help to change some of those attitudes. The discussion after the film was moderated by Ryan Dowd of Hessed House in Aurora, IL. My library is in Illinois and…
How Libraries Can Save the World – Sylvia Acevedo at #alamw19
“It gave me hope. I wasn’t alone.” Girl Scouts CEO Sylvia Acevedo said those words about her local childhood library in yesterday’s keynote speaker session. Acevedo grew up in a very poor household. Her parents were immigrants from Mexico and Acevedo spoke about the educational and civic opportunities her public library gave her, saying it was her first experience with civic engagement. The library, funded by the community and for the community, is a place where people of all backgrounds come together. Girl Scouts also helped Acevedo become the woman she is today, teaching her that she could make a plan to achieve her dreams. She shared how learning to sell cookies to fund her planned activities taught her perseverance, resilience, and that she could achieve her dreams no matter what anyone else thought. Acevefo said that she wrote her book to share her story, so that kids like her could…
Being a tourist at #alamw19
This is your reminder to actually visit the city you are conferencing in, like here in Seattle for #alamw19! Sometimes attending a conference can be like going to the airport in a new state… are you even really there if you don’t leave and go out and see the city? We can get really bogged down by all the good work, networking, and cool events; that we forget to enjoy the city we are visiting. Tonight, my good friend and I dared to brave the 10-minute walk (ha!) to have some local food– including the amazing S’More sundae featured below from Shug’s! I always try to maximize my conferences– and use them as opportunities to explore cities that I may not otherwise see. So far this trip, I got to reconnect with a friend from college whom I haven’t seen in 8 years! It’s a good time to blast on social media that…