Friday, April 20, 2007

Thoughts on TLA

It's been a week since TLA, and I need to post some thoughts before they're completely gone.

Here's a recap:

Thursday:

Arrived at the convention center just after 9:00. I had intended to go to the opening session, but that just didn't happen. I'm sorry; I would have enjoyed hearing Isabel Allende.

I joke that TLA is where I pretend I'm still a children's librarian. This was evident in my first chosen session, which was about books that are good family choices. This was fun session! Lots of good ideas for multiage read-alouds (which is good, since I have a very high-reading-level 4th grader and a 2nd grader who is at or slightly above grade level), a fun readers theatre, and a talk by children's author Grace Lin.

After this session I browsed the exhibit hall briefly (picking up an Advanced Reading Copy of one of the books mentioned in the session I had just attended!) and then had lunch on the Riverwalk.

The 2nd session I attended was about management skills for solo librarians. I got some very helpful tips in this session; it was nice to know others have similar difficulties as I do! The biggest thing I learned from this session is that I really need to hone my networking skills.

I browsed the exhibit hall some more and decided to go back to the hotel before my evening function, which was my university's alumni dinner. This dinner was somewhat of a disappointment, and I wish I had chosen to spend that evening another way, I think.

Friday:

I made it to the convention center earlier on Friday to hear the Authors Readers Theater with Walter Dean Myers, Avi, Sarah Weeks, and Sharon Creech. This was absolutely fabulous, and I'm so glad I went!

I next attended a Digital Photography session, since it was hosted by my division (and also because my mother, an accomplished photographer, was with me). Interesting talk, but not particularly relevant for me. Very, very popular, though! I ran into a former coworker here and enjoyed touching base with him again after about 2.5 years. I also managed to get myself elected secretary/treasurer, which, reflecting on, I'm quite pleased about.

The only other session I attended was on the politics of weeding which was really not helpful for me at all, unfortunately, as it was geared towards public libraries.

I spent even more time in the exhibit hall before heading back to the hotel. Again, this is where I pretend I'm still a children's librarian, and I picked up lots of advanced reading copies, which I'll share with my daughter.

After resting for a little while, I spent the rest of the afternoon on the Riverwalk with my mother, had a nice dinner, and headed back to the convention center for the President's Party. I was too exhausted to stay long, but I was glad I did go for a little while.

And that's all for this year. I'm already looking forward to getting away again next year!

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