ALA Midwinter ’10

thanks to the emerging leader program, i had the opportunity to attend my first ala conference this past weekend. it was, in short, amazing. my librarian background is a little more insular than most – i am one semester away from completing my online program, haven’t had the time to join a local or state group and work in a branch with a great staff, but only one other formal librarian. to be in a room of people who shared my passions (as well as my affinity to tell dewey decimal jokes, dream of librarian tattoos and drop entire paragraphs from babysitters club books) was really inspiring.

i know there has been some critical discussion of the EL program, but so far my experience has been solid. our class was quick to connect through various web 2.0 tools and it’s nice to know my home state had a strong showing. the focus has been on equal parts networking for professional growth and personal socializing.

i enjoyed the rest of the conference, even though i didn’t attend any meetings. i had the opportunity to see al gore speak, nabbed a few arcs and free books i’ve been meaning to get to, learned more about ethopia reads and had the pleasure of trekking through the snow to hear the ala youth awards be announced. and also, can we talk about how awesome it is to just be in a room full of librarians and be able to geek the eff out to your heart’s content?