Back to the vendors! I received an e-mail from Joanie that was an e-mail from a vendor thatwas having a drawing for free training. So, first thing that I did today was head to that vendor. I even got Joanie a mug from them!
Katie and Joe stayed in the vendors while I went to my morning session. Needless to say, Katie made out like a bandit. The vendors loved her - candy, toys, books, etc.!
I also ran into Jess. She and Megan hit the vendors as soon as they opened Saturday morning, and they got a ton of cool stuff!! So, don't mob me on Tuesday for the cool free-bees. Wait until Jess returns on Wednesday!
The session that I went to today was about library instruction and distance education. It was very interesting to hear what Montana State University and Cuyahoga Community College in Ohio are doing. It was a helpful session in that they talked about the dos and don'ts of realtime library instruction over the internet.
The second session that I had planned to attend today must have been moved to a different time because it was not listed on any of the schedules that I received when I got here.
Overall, the conference was excellent. It is amazing all of the information and sessions that are available. It is also a great networking opportunity. Now, I am ready to return home and back to work at Miseri.
See everyone on Tuesday!
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Saturday at ALA....
So far, the conference is very good. There is something here for everyone, and the vendor exhibits are amazing. I went to the vendors later in ther day, and unfortunately did not get a ton of free-bees. Hopefully, I will have something for everyone when I get back.
The first session that I went to was Librarians Just Need to Have Fun: Utilizing Fun and Humor in the Workplace to Enhance Employee Performance. The speakers gave a lot of great tips and ideas on staff development that can be done on a small budget. Some of the ideas were library staff picnics, engineering contests with mini-marshmellows and spaghetti, and departmental open houses. The main idea of all of this is getting everyone in the library to feel comfortable working together and break down the barriers that sometime exist between departments.
The next session that I attended was Demonstrating Excellence in Higher Education. This was very interesting because the speakers discussed how assessment and accountability are not only concerns of high ed in the US, but also around the world. One of the speakers was from the UK, and he discussed how his institution approaches accountability and assessment. It was interesting to hear how academic libraries all over the world face the same issues when it comes to accountability.
I tried to visit all of our vendors, and even some that we do not use. Polaris Library Systems had a President Obama look-alike that you can have your picture taken with, and one of the other vendors had Star Wars characters walking around the exhibit floor.
As a librarian, I think that it is definately worth attending an ALA conference, but I am not sure that this is something that I would want to do every year.
The first session that I went to was Librarians Just Need to Have Fun: Utilizing Fun and Humor in the Workplace to Enhance Employee Performance. The speakers gave a lot of great tips and ideas on staff development that can be done on a small budget. Some of the ideas were library staff picnics, engineering contests with mini-marshmellows and spaghetti, and departmental open houses. The main idea of all of this is getting everyone in the library to feel comfortable working together and break down the barriers that sometime exist between departments.
The next session that I attended was Demonstrating Excellence in Higher Education. This was very interesting because the speakers discussed how assessment and accountability are not only concerns of high ed in the US, but also around the world. One of the speakers was from the UK, and he discussed how his institution approaches accountability and assessment. It was interesting to hear how academic libraries all over the world face the same issues when it comes to accountability.
I tried to visit all of our vendors, and even some that we do not use. Polaris Library Systems had a President Obama look-alike that you can have your picture taken with, and one of the other vendors had Star Wars characters walking around the exhibit floor.
As a librarian, I think that it is definately worth attending an ALA conference, but I am not sure that this is something that I would want to do every year.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Attending ALA in DC
I thought that I would use my blog, which has been inactive for quite some time, to talk about what I learn at the annual American Library Association (ALA) conference in DC. I have been to Pennsylvania Library Association (PaLA) annual conferences, but never ALA. So far, I have to admit that I am a bit intimidated by the size of this conference. I am more familiar with a conference setting that takes up a building that is the size of a few city blocks; I've never been to a conference that literally takes up multiple city blocks!!! So, I am going to look at this as an adventure. DC is also a new city to me. I have only been there once and that was a few years ago for Computers in Libraries. At that time, my cousin lived and worked in DC, and he served as my tour guide. Unfortunately, he has since re-located to San Francisco (which by the way, is a city that I am familiar with), but he has been kind enough to share some DC tips with me. I leave on Friday and return to work Tuesday, but I will post at least once daily to let all of you know how it is going. I also plan on visiting the vendors and picking up some free-bees to share when I return!
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