I have always loved conferences. When I was practicing law, I loved kicking it around at law conferences because you always got to see people you don't often see, get to know new faces, and learn something about the profession. Librarians do conferences on a whole different level, however. And I mean that in a very good way.
Here are my top takeaways from LLA 2013. I am going to be attending ALA in June in Chicago. I welcome any tips from anyone who has attended.
1. Networking. Librarians are a great group of
professionals. They are very welcoming to students and will place talking
to you over other conference highlights, like exhibits. I met a number of
people at this conference, and not one of them ever shied away from talking
about how great their jobs are and how wonderful a profession I was entering.
2. It's a small state. Many of us plan to stay in
Louisiana, and the library world here is pretty small. The person you sat
next to at lunch may just be someone that will be interviewing you for a
job. It's always good to know names and faces.
3. You make your job hunt easier. I've been a hiring
manager before. Here's a secret. People other than HR professionals
HATE the hiring process. It is not a natural part of the job and it takes
time. The savvy manager hires for personality, knowing that most smart
hires can be trained. Plus, the applicant pool can sometimes be very
scary. The path of least resistance is to compile a pool of interviewees
that they know, or know of, or who someone they know and respect gives a great
recommendation. Early in my last career, a manager told me that people
hire people they know. That's generally true. So making connections
at no-pressure events like conferences makes it that much easier for you to get
a foot in the door of that dream job.
4. Librarians know how to pick menus. The food was
awesome!
5. Book dinners. I've been to 2 LLA conferences now
and this events are always a treat. This year, Charlaine Harris of Sookie
Stackhouse/True Blood fame was the keynote speaker. She was a
delight. This is also a great place to network.
6. Expert seminars. The seminars are top notch, and
are great to use for paper or project topics. There were so many good
ones at the same time that I didn't nearly get to attend all that I
wanted. Highlights were: Addressing Alliteracy, Serving Teens
in Juvenile Facilities, RDA Blastoff, and The School Librarian as Archivist.
7. SWAG. - The exhibitors have it and they want to give
it. I'm good on notepads and pens. But I also learned about some
library vendors that will be of interest to me when I am working in a library
as a professional. Many librarians have stressed the importance of
developing good relationships with vendors. Also, it turns out that many
people who work for vendors are librarians themselves!
8. You don't have to travel very far. We live in
Louisiana, not Texas, so the longest travel is 5 hours. Even if you have
to go to North Louisiana.
9. It's a small enough conference that it's easy to meet
people and make meaningful connections with them.
10. You never know who you might meet. The ALA
President-Elect, Barbara Stripling, was at the conference. She is super
cool and very smart. Y'all know I picked her brain.
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