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ALA 2010 Midwinter Meeting Tips: Part 2

This is part 2 of my tips for the ALA 2010 Midwinter Meeting. For more, see part 1.

Recommended Events for Youth Services Librarians

Friday
YALSA 201 from 4 to 5 p.m., Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, Room 160A: Chat with: 1) members of YALSA’s Nominating Committee, which identifies candidates for YALSA’s Board of Directors and certain awards committees; 2) members of YALSA’s Publishing Committee, who help oversee YALSA’s book publishing program; 3 ) various committee chairs & conveners and learn what it’s like to lead a YALSA committee, jury, taskforce, discussion group or interest group; 4) and more!

YALSA Happy Hour from 5 to 7 p.m., Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, Grand Ballroom Foyer. Enjoy free drinks and hors d’oeuvres, mingle with other YALSA members, and win cool YALSA swag. This event is sponsored by Disney/Hyperion Books.

Games, Gadgets & Gurus from 8 to 10 p.m. at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center Room 153 A/B. Come play games — both board and video; demo gadgets — like e-readers, mobile phones, digital audio recorders, video cameras and the latest software; and take advantage of the opportunity chat one-on-one with a tech guru who will work with you to troubleshoot your most pressing tech problem. Ticketed event, $40.

Saturday
The Boston Public Library (BPL) Teen Librarians invite fellow Teen Librarians to come to the BPL Young Adult (Teen) Room, located at 700 Boylston Street. Tours and a meet and greet will be provided from 9 to 12 noon and 2 to 5 p.m. Coffee and refreshments will be available in the morning.

NMRT Orientation from 8 to 10 a.m. at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center room 151 A/B. The program will provide a fun and informative introduction to the Midwinter Meeting. You will learn from the pros how to decipher the conference program, navigate the exhibits, the structures of ALA and NMRT, and ways to get involved.

YALSA Leadership Development from 8 to 10 a.m. at the Boston Park Plaza Imperial Ballroom. This is a leadership training session for YALSA’s Committee, Jury and Taskforce Chairs. Never been a Chair, but thinking about being one? Come to this event to learn the leadership basics. A continental breakfast will be served from 8:00 to 8:30.

Visit The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. Bus leaves at 10 a.m. from the Convention Center. Includes presentations by children’s book historian, critic, and author of Golden Legacy, Leonard S. Marcus and award-winning author, Norton Juster; lunch; opportunity to visit the rest of the Museum; and a reception with the authors. $50 per person. RSVP directly with The Carle by Friday, January 8, 2010, at (413) 658-1155 or by email to programs@carlemuseum.org.

HarperCollins Spring/Summer 2010 Title Presentation from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Westin Boston Waterfront Burroughs Room. Light refreshments will be served.

ALA After-Hours Social from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. at The Black Rose, 160 State Street (between India St & Chatham Row).

Sunday
Chair & Convener Drop-in Web 2.0 Training from 8 to 9 a.m. at Seaport Hotel Waterfront IB/IC. Get some hands-on help and practical tips from the Web Advisory Committee on how to use YALSA’s password protected wiki, ALA Connect and other online resources to help you accomplish work and connect with group members between conferences.

YALSA Candidates’ Forum from 10:30 a.m. to noon at Seaport Hotel Waterfront III. Meet the candidates for YALSA’s 2010 election slate and participate in a Q&A.

Best Books for Young Adults Teen Session from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center Room 258 A/B. Hear local Boston teens talk about their favorite picks for the 2010 BBYA list. This is a great event to hear teens talk candidly about the books they’ve been reading, especially if you’re not currently working in a library or don’t have an active group of teens.

YALSA Discussion & Interest Group Open House from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center Room Room 153 A/B. Want to get more involved in YALSA? All of YALSA’s Discussion and Interest Groups will be at this event. Come learn a little about each and decide which one(s) you’d like to opt into, or learn how to start a new one.

YALSA Blogger Meetup from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center Room 153C. For current YALSA bloggers to meet and for interested members to learn more about contributing to the blog.

Freedom to Read Foundation’s (FTRF) fifth annual author event, to be held in conjunction with ALA’s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered Round Table Midwinter Social at 6 p.m. at the Community Church of Boston, 565 Boylston St. Lesléa Newman (Heather Has Two Mommies) and Michael Willhoite (Daddy’s Roommate) will be discussing and signing copies of their groundbreaking books. GLBTRT’s Stonewall Book Award Ceremony will begin at 7 and the authors will speak and sign books beginning at 7:30. Refreshments will be provided. Donations will be accepted at the door to cover costs and support the Freedom to Read Foundation’s Conable Scholarship Fund, and the GLBTRT is conducting a book drive of “useful and current” titles for GLBT youth to donate to the Community Church of Boston’s resource library.

Monday
Youth Media Awards from 7:30 to 9 a.m. at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, Grand Ballroom. Awards to be announced include: Alex Awards, Andrew Carnegie Medal, Coretta Scott King Book Awards, John Newbery Medal, Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, Margaret A. Edwards Award, May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture Award, Michael L. Printz Award, Mildred L. Batchelder Award, Odyssey Award, Pura Belpré Award, Randolph Caldecott Medal, Robert F. Sibert Medal, Schneider Family Book Award, Theodor Seuss Geisel Award, and the William C. Morris Award.

Joint Youth Division Member Reception from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Westin Copley Place America Center. Come here to unwind, mingle with peers and enjoy light hors d’oevres as well as a cash bar.

Morris & Nonfiction Award Program & Presentation from 7:30 to 10 p.m. at the Westin Copley Place Essex Center/South. Come to this new and free event and help YALSA celebrate the 2010 winners for the Morris Award and first-ever YA Nonfiction Award! Open bar and light hors d’oeuvres from 7:30 to 8. From 8 to 9:30 authors are invited to speak about their winning titles. Mingle with the authors and enjoy more refreshments from 9:30 to 10. Authors attending include nonfiction nominees Sally Walker, Tanya Stone and Phillip Hoose.

Harry Potter fans may also want to check out Harry Potter: The Exhibition at the Museum of Science. The exhibit features more than 200 authentic costumes and props from the Harry Potter films, all displayed in settings inspired by the film sets. View iconic items such as Harry’s original wand and eyeglasses, the Marauder’s Map, and even pull your own Mandrake. Adult tickets are $26.

See the YALSA Wiki for more about the conference and things to do in Boston. The YALSA blog also had a post about the best of Boston.

Also check out the public Google Wave for the conference, the Official Midwinter Wiki, and the midwinter Twitter account @alamw.

January 6th, 2010  ♥  Conferences, Libraries  ♥  No Comments »

ALA 2010 Midwinter Meeting Tips: Part 1

The American Library Association’s Midwinter Meeting is coming up quickly. This year’s conference takes place in Boston from January 15 to 19. The meeting mostly involves association business — committee meetings, discussion groups, institutes, and other meetings related to the nitty-gritty work of the association. I’ve never attended the midwinter meeting, but I’ve attended a couple Annual Conferences. I thought I’d share some general conference tips for first-timers and those looking for new ways to enjoy and benefit from conference attendance.

General Tips

• Wear comfortable, ice-friendly shoes! Conferences always involve a lot of walking and a wintry Boston will provide additional obstacles.
• Dress presentably and in layers. You will be networking with colleagues, so look professional, but the combination of cold weather and unpredictable meeting room temperatures require some flexibility.
• Have business cards on hand with at least your name and e-mail address. Also include your Twitter name, website, or any other social networking contact info to expand your online network. VistaPrint offers 250 free cards with a preset template or more flexible options starting at $20.
• Travel light. You will accumulate lots of freebies, handouts, and other documents, so start the day with minimum accoutrements, especially if you don’t plan on returning to your hotel room during the day.
• Don’t try to do everything. It’s tempting to attend every meeting, speaker series, and social event, but you will get tired eventually! Take a leisurely lunch or plan an afternoon to see some Boston sights for a break from the conference.
• Strike up conversations with people you don’t know. Making connections and sharing ideas are the most valuable aspects of a conference, so introduce yourself to exhibitors, people you see at mixers, and those sitting next to you on the shuttle buses.
• Step outside your librarian comfort zone. Just because you’re a public librarian or a school librarian doesn’t mean you shouldn’t mingle with academic librarians. Attend events that sound interesting, even if they don’t directly apply to you or your current job. You never know what you might learn!

Exhibit Hall Tips

All fully-registered attendees can enter the exhibit hall, as well as anyone who purchases an Exhibits Only registration. The hall will be packed with booths from lots of library-related vendors including publishers, book wholesalers, software companies, library supply companies, furniture vendors, and more. Plus, the various divisions of ALA will have displays and people on hand to discuss what they do and offer for members. If you’re not in the market for anything in particular, I recommend browsing the aisles one by one to see what’s out there. For the most part, exhibitors are there to sell stuff to librarians, so they’re open to conversation if you have questions about their products. Some booths will definitely be more eye-catching than others and many will offer freebies ranging from pens and buttons to bags and books. You don’t need to engage with every booth you pass by — that would take forever — but it can be nice to make conversation with exhibitors of products you’re currently interested in, or might be in the future. Your exhibits card allows the exhibitors to swipe the magnetic strip and load up their database with your contact information. They often require this to enter into a contest (no more dropping off your business card) or to sign up for a mailing list. It’s really easy and there will be lots of fun giveaways, but be prepared for some e-mail marketing after the conference.

A big draw in the exhibit hall, especially for newbies, are the publishers’ booths. This is where you’ll find the Advance Reader’s Copies (ARCs) and the author signings. Many publishers will also have books available for sale at a discount and copies of their catalogs for perusal. They are also a great place to make connections with the sales teams and hear about upcoming books. ARCs will usually be piled in stacks around the publisher’s booth. These are free for the taking! Obviously don’t grab 10 copies of your favorite author’s new book, but if something catches your eye, it’s yours. Publishers often stagger the ARCs they put out, so you can find something different on Sunday than on Saturday, or they may have certain ARCs by request only. Really popular titles, like last year’s Catching Fire, might have an advertised release time that people will line up for. Others may only be available when the author is signing. If there’s something specific you’re looking for, inquire with the publisher, otherwise just pick up what’s available and maybe you’ll find your favorite book of 2010. Remember that wheeled carts aren’t allowed, so come prepared with a sturdy bag or plan to grab a freebie bag. ALA even has an onsite post office to mail back the books and other giveaways you accumulate. Located in the Exhibit Hall at the back of the 2500 Aisle, the post office is open Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. and Monday 9 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. Attendees receive one mailing envelope or tube, compliments of ALA. Additional ALA envelopes or tubes are $1.

To map out your exhibit hall visit in advance, take a look at the 2010 Midwinter Meeting Cognotes Preview. It includes an alphabetical listing of exhibitors and a map.

Open Committee Meetings

A lot of committees have closed meetings, but there are enough with open sessions to keep conference goers occupied. Fully-registered attendees are welcome to stop by the meetings for as long as they want and the committee chair will often ask for short comments from the audience. Read more for a schedule of open meetings.
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January 5th, 2010  ♥  Conferences, Libraries  ♥  No Comments »