About three years ago, I did what would probably be considered the craziest thing for a first semester (heck, first month) MLS\/MIS student could do, I filled out a volunteer form for ALSC, and I never looked back.<\/p>\n
Since joining and volunteering in ALSC, I\u2019ve made some wonderful connections and started to develop a better understanding of what my professional interests are. One of the very first people I met was Starr Latronica, who was then President of ALSC (hi Starr!). It was nice to meet someone was genuinely interested in what my passions were and could provide insight into the library world. Since I first met Starr, she\u2019s provided me guidance when I\u2019ve been struggling with concerns, and when I picked up my life and moved, she helped me find someone in the area who might be able to provide some insight. I\u2019ve also met people like Linda Perkins who I instantly bonded with over baseball, and Sam Bloom. Sam sent me a postcard welcoming me to ALSC, and then I realized that we not only shared a school (Go Hoosiers!) but a library. Sam is currently the Children\u2019s Librarian at the Blue Ash branch of the Public Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton- the same branch I learned to read in! ALSC has led me to people like Dan Bostrom – if you don\u2019t know Dan, you should introduce yourself to him at a conference. Aside from giving me insight into membership things (that is after all his job), he\u2019s provided me with encouragement and advice for how to navigate the library world.<\/p>\n
But like I said, ALSC has done more than just introduce me to people. It\u2019s piqued my interest in Intellectual Freedom, Technology, and Multicultural Children\u2019s Literature. It has provided me with ways to become involved in these fields through introduction to groups such as Little eLit, and roundtables like EMIERT and GLBTRT.<\/p>\n
Over the past few years, I have served on the Intellectual Freedom Committee, the Stonewall Book Award Committee, and been the GLBTRT-ALSC liaison. I have also unsuccessfully tried my own hand at chairing a task force. I would not have been able to explore these opportunities- or have the courage to walk away from the ones that I have- if it were not for ALSC.<\/p>\n