One more day of conference, and this one has been a doozy! So, in a nutshell, here are my fave parts of TLA:
1. Forget dinner and a movie. At TLA, it's about dinner and an author! Last night was, bar none, the best dinner I've had. Sitting at my table was Teri Lesesne, Marc Aronson (author of Witch Hunt, War Is..., Race) and a Texas librarian that had experience with the Prinz committee. Talk about intellectual conversation!! It ran the gamut of school library cuts in New Jersey and California, to the history of sugar and its ties to slavery, to MLK Jr and Edgar Hoover, to writing. I was mesmerized with everything Mr. Aronson talked about. And being a lover of non-fiction, I couldn't ask for a better dinner guest. And all this time, I thought Alex Trebek would be great...Marc and Teri were just - words can't describe.
2. Presiding over a presentation about private school libraries and their issues/best practices with advocacy, collaboration, programs and intellectual freedom went beyond the scope to seeing this implemented at public schools too. We are ALL in the same boat with the same passions and capacities. Going to buy this professional book - Independent School Libraries: Perspectives on Excellence. Twenty essays that target all of the topics from in the trenches librarians.
3. This is the first year in a long time I didn't spend a lot of time in the exhibit halls, and believe me, I was always first in line. But I found what I wanted...the galley for Ellen Hopkins newest book, Fallout! Time to read!!!
4. Meeting people I know from all my travels and seeing them bloom with what I've taught in workshops (Annaline Johnson, Sherry Thompson et al!) Getting to meet more new faces and the digital book trailer workshop I did on Wednesday, and bumping into people I've never met but now I can put names to faces. Ivey from Argyle, nice to meet you! Ms. Davis from Sabinal, great to see you again after all of these years...the list goes on!
So, one more day and a couple more meetings to add to all the other meetings that I never knew happened when you become an officer for a division of TLA. The TASL people are exceptional, and my stress level is slowly turning around. I don't think I need to worry about ulcers now : ) Just need to think about catching up once I get home and start implementing new ideas!!
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