Blogger Public Awareness and Advocacy Committee

Public Awareness and Advocacy at #ALAAC

The Public Awareness and Advocacy Committee didn’t formally meet at ALA Annual in Chicago this year but there were many opportunities for public awareness and advocacy throughout the conference experience that I am rounding up here with links to ALSC bloggers fabulous write-ups. Mental health is important: in the workplace, in personal life and for your patrons. While there’s much debate on how much mental health services libraries should provide- there’s no question that mental health resources are important for all.  View Lacy Wolfe’s blog about how graphic novels are “medicine” for mental health and Jaime Eastman’s blog posts about building joy and taking time for self care. When meeting friends old and new at conference, I try to delve beyond the “how are you/ where do you work,” and ask more pointed questions like, “what challenges are you facing right now?” and “is there any way I can support…

ALSC Board

Black Lives Matter: ALSC’s Call to Action and Endorsement of BCALA and ALA Recent Statements

Dear ALSC Members and Friends, I am writing to you today on behalf of the ALSC Board of Directors.  Along with the ALA Executive Board, the ALSC Board endorses BCALA’s statement condemning increased violence and racism towards Black Americans and people of color and stands in solidarity with Black Lives Matter, BCALA, and those working for racial justice and dismantling racial capitalism and white supremacy in all of its forms.

ALA Annual 2019

It’s All Fun and GAMES at ALA Play #ALAac19

I just got in from ALA Play, An Evening of Gaming, Maker, & STEM, sponsored by the Games and Gaming Round Table at #ALAac19.  Attendees got to watch demonstrations of and PARTICIPATE in different board games and card games.  There were games for young children as well as for adults.  We also got to paint our own Warhammer miniature.  (This was very relaxing and a good way to meet and interact with other librarians from around the country!)  There were also ten or more raffle prizes given out at the end of the evening. It was great learning about the new games that are available.  I was excited to see that a lot of the games for younger children incorporate STEM and problem-solving while making it fun–what kid wouldn’t love solving crimes committed by cats or designing their own working mini-rollercoaster?!  I got some great ideas for game nights(/afternoons!) at…

Awards & Scholarships

Student-to-Staffers: Where are you now?

ALA Student-to-Staffers: Where are you now? Way back in June of 2007, I had the honor of representing TWU’s School of Library and Information Science at ALA Annual in Washington, DC.  I was a member of ALA’s Student-to-Staff (S2S) Program, with assignment to the ALSC Division.  If you’ve never heard of the S2S program, you can read about it here.  There are 56 active ALA Student Chapter Groups at accredited graduate schools.  Each is entitled to submit one name for consideration for the program.  Schools have varying criteria. My school chose the student – me 🙂 based on an essay contest.  Others have different criteria, but the end result is that 40 promising students receive a free trip to ALA Annual in exchange for working with  ALA staff during the week.  I was able to choose with whom I wanted to work. An aspiring children’s librarian, naturally, I chose ALSC. It was my first connection with…