Chris's ALA Annual Conference Experience

First off to get in the right mindsite, picture palm tree and flower-lined streets, clear blue skies, and no humidity. You've just pictured yourself in beautiful Anaheim, CA, site of this year's ALA Annual Conference. I arrived a bit early to soak in the sun and fun a bit before running myself ragged at the conference.



Friday, June 27

This was my first actual conference day and it was a light one at that.

The first program I attended was "Managers Who Have the Union Advantage," sponsored by the APA. I was hoping it would offer tips on how managers can best work with unions but it felt more like a forum for proclaiming the advantages to having a union in your library. The featured speakers were Tom Galante, the Director of the Queens Borough Public Library in NYC; Susan Veltfort, Children's Selection Librarian at King County Library System in Washington; and John Buschman, Associate University Library at Georgetown University in DC. The speakers all shared their experiences of working with unions and why the preferred to supervie in unionized institutions.


Saturday, June 28

Today, I had to start off wearing my committee chair hat so I could attend the ALSC Divisional Leadership Meeting. (I am embarking on my second term as ALSC Children & Technology Committee, making it all the more amazing that this is my very first blogging experience.) We got off to a rousing start by introducing ourselves via a modified round of Taboo! We all had nice discussions with our fellow committee chairs about our latest and greatest projects.

In the afternoon, I attended "Millennial Librarianship" which was another program that sort of fell into the "Not Quite What I Thought It Would Be" category. It sounded like it would be about what trends of millennials and young adults are here to stay and how will they impact library service and how do we best serve this group. While there was some discussion of this, a large amount of it was about that new (millennial) librarians and potential librarians could expect from this career. Panelists were Sarah Krygier - YA Librarian at Solano County (CA) Public Library, Georgia Lomax - Associate Director of the Pierce County (WA) Public Library System, and Candace Mack - YA Librarian at Los Angeles Public Library - Encino Branch. The discussion was led by Linda Braun - YALSA President-Elect. The discussion opened with a series of video clips in which one panelist had interviewed several librarians at her library as well as a few library school students to ask them what they liked best about librarianship or why they decided to enter the profession. One library school student was almost talked out of the profession by her brother who said that librarians don't have friends. (Contrary to popular belief, most of us do have lives outside the stacks or away from our computer monitors. lol) Most enjoy the variety and that moment when you know you've made somebody's day by finding just the material they were looking for. Among the trends mentioned were balancing generational needs like the traditional desire for quiet areas and millennials need for spaces to learn collaboratively. The need to take a few more risks in regards to computer access to meet millennials' appetites for an increasing variety of digital media, like social networking, blogging, Second Life, etc. One panelist stated that we need to go where the teens are instead of making them come to us (i.e. through digital media).

My second session of the day was "Beyond Frog & Toad: Transitional Books for Children." The presenters were Dr. Andrea Zevenbergen of SUNY at Fredonia and Allison Angell, Senior Librarian at Benicia (CA) Public Library. Dr. Zevenbergen talked about the characteristics of transitional books, where they got their start, how they vary, how they facilitate children's literacy skills development, and how the reflect children's socio-emotional growth. She shared how transitional reading can be a positive experience which leads to "I can do this!" type feelings in a child. Unfortunately, I had to leave before Ms Angell's part of the presentation which sounded really interesting coming from a public library standpoint. She shared examples of transitional books, how libraries use them and catalog/label/shelve them, and how they can be used in programming (i.e. book clubs).

Wondering why I cut out early? Scholastic invited me to an intimate dinner at Morton's the Steakhouse to show off their latest and greatest databases for children. It was indeed intimate - only about 15-20 of us total at two or three tables. I almost tried the Chicken Christopher (since they were kind enough to name it after me) but I broke and down and got the steak. Now I know why Morton's is "the Steakhouse." Anyway, back to the important part. Scholastic showed off Bookflix, which most of us were already familiar with. Then, they introduced two databases that are in the works, StudyJams! and Expert Space. StudyJams! is a math and science database for grades 3-6 that comes out in the fall. It includes videos, interactive lessons, karaoke music, and more to meet the needs of a variety of learning styles. Expert Space is research based database for grades 4-12. In addition to providing a wealth of material in history and the sciences, it helps to build kids' information literacy skills by helping them plan and complete the steps they need to fulfill their research assignments.





Sunday, June 29



Time to wear my committee chair hat again. I started off bright and early chairing my committee meeting. I'd swear we we're the most popular committee in the room. Sometimes we even have more guests then committee members at our table! The meeting was just the start of our day together as we could be presenting a program in the afternoon. After the meeting, most of us jetted (make that shuttled) off to Mimi's Cafe to treat our guest speaker to brunch. We had a grand old time meeting and greeting Dr. Warren Buckleitner (and the food was delicious too!).



Our afternoon program was entitled Hey! I Want to Do That Too!: Gaming and the Elementary Age Child. Dr. Buckleitner, editor of Children's Technology Review and founder of Mediatech, a gaming center and library within the Flemington (NJ) Public Library discussed how Mediatech came to be and how it's been successful. He also gave a list aof websites, games, and gaming platforms that every children's librarian and media specialist should know. Most importantly he talked about the difference between interactive media (IM) and plain old video games. IM can be undone, saved, or reversed. It can branch out or modify a child's skill level and can foster feelings of control, trial & error, and empowerment. Also, it supplements traditional books and materials rather than replacing them. Technology is merely another material for children to actively explore.


Monday, June 30

I kicked off today with the ALSC Awards Ceremony and Membership Meeting. As one might expect, the Geisel Award Committee and Mo Willems stole the show. Mo won the award for There Is a Bird On Your Head! (from the Elephant and Piggie series). In celebration, the committee all wore little stuffed birds on their head. Mo actually borrowed one to wear during his speech. The speech itself was equally creative as it contained only beginner reader terminology and phrasing. Peter Sis's acceptance speech for the Sibert Medal for The Wall was equal parts poignant and humorous. He just might succeed in getting those Caldecott rules changed yet. lol About the only thing missing from the morning's festivities was the Bachelder Committee Chair. (We missed you, Fran!)

In the afternoon, I went to "Valuing Staff: Employee Relations and Recognition Programs." The speakers were Maureen Sullivan of Maureen Sullivan and Associates, Amy Paulus of the University of Iowa, and Brian Keith of the University of Florida. They spoke about innovatives ways to improve employee relations through staff recognition. Apparently this was a big topic in many places as the room was overflowing and overheating. Ms Sullivan shared various suggestions for improving employee relations. These included setting standards and challenging goals for your staff. When giving feedback, start with the positive and be honest and straightforward with the negative. Expect the best and build self-esteem. Pay attention and be there. Interact with your staff and know the trends. Ask them what's been successful in their eyes. She left us with the knowledge that we as leaders should set the example. Mr. Keith then came in and talked about UF's experiences with forming a committee and coming up with ideas for employee recognition. The university start an employee recognition fund and accepted staff nominations for its use, consisting of a recommendation of a specific acheivement of visible results and a recommendation for what should be given in recognition of it. They also have spontaneous breakfasts or snacks with casuals visits from the administration. Additionally, they created a program whereby staff give each other tokens when they notice each other's successes. These tokens are used to bid on prizes at an auction on staff day. I was sweltering by this point, so I didn't stick around for most of the last speaker.

I spent the afternoon wandering around the exhibits and check out all the new books at the children's publishers' booths. I was particularly happy to see more Pigeon, Humphrey, and Maybelle. I was hoping to also get a sneak peek at the upcoming fourth and final book in the City of Ember series, but alas it was not to be found. I'll just have to look for it in October like everyone else. I couldn't by the Demco booth either, but unfortunately that grand prize once again eluded me. (At least it stayed in the family here in MCPL and the bag was a pretty snazzy.)

In the early evening, I headed to the PLA Awards and President's Program where actress and author Jamie Lee Curtis spoke. She was wonderful and funny. She just couldn't get over how someone with a combined 750 on her SATs was worthy of speaking to a crowd of librarians. She spoke of how librarians are the guardians of knowledge and it is us who can open up new worlds to young people and all who seek to find their dreams. She reminded us of how Bernie Schwartz and Jeannette Morrison, the children of immigrants, grew up trying to succeed in America. (In most anyone's book, they did. Not only did they become her parents, but of course the world now knows them as Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh.) Many of these stories came (and continue to come) to fruition in part because of libraries and librarians. On a lighter note, Ms Curtis was introduced as (and admitted to being) a closet organizer, (No, she doesn't hide the fact that she likes to organize things.) She offered to help clean anyone's closet, so if yours is a mess, just give her a call. She ended on a high note by reading her latest children's book, Big Words for Little People.

I ended the evening partaking of a new concept from ALA called Dine Around. You could sign up a head to dine at one of several local restaurants. Since everyone was signing up individually, you'd end up with a random group to dine with. Somehow, I ended being the only male and the only public librarian in my group. Go figure! We dined California-style at Tangerine Grill. The food wasn't bad but I recommend asking if there's a banquet going on there before you make reservations. Whatever banquet was there on this night (we presume something ALA related), they used up all the good glasses and wiped out most of the dessert menu. We ended up next-door eating ice cream sundaes for dessert instead.


Tuesday, July 1

In a fitting finale to the conference, I partook of the Coretta Scott King Awards Breakfast along with a fellow MCPLer and, by coincidence, one of my committee members as well. It was delicious and so wer several of the speeches. Ashley Bryan's was most exuberant and motivational. He had the crowd reciting several famous works of poetry along with him. Christopher Paul Curtis added a bit of humor to his speech by answering his most FAQ: what happened to his hair? It one time, he had long shoulder length dreadlocks. Now, his hair is cropped close and a bald spot peeks out from atop his head. The new hairdo, he says, is because he woke up one morning but some of the dreads didn't. Those receding hairlines are killers. On the flight in, I finished reading Brendan Buckley's Guide to the Universe (and Everything In It) so I was particularly excited to see and hear Sundee T. Frazier. She was very excited that this dream of hers to become an author was finally coming true and this recognition for her work was humbling and reassurance that she's on her way.

And so that time has come to return to that reality of heat, humdity, traffic, and the hectic lifestyle that is Montgomery County. See you in Chicago next year!