ALA 2010: My Simple Plan for Keeping Close to Sane

The 2010 American Libraries Association conference is coming up next week and I have a plan to keep myself somewhat sane at this “canbeoverwhelming” conference.

I plan to do  one (or two) things each day and one day of no specific commitments:

My schedule this year at ALA:

Friday: Co-Presenting Preconference on Beyond F2f: New methods for staff training with Jay Turner and Mary Beth Faccioli in the morning and LJ Movers and Shakers Luncheon in the afternoon.

Saturday: Mostly Exhibit Hall hanging out, connecting with people, popping in on my director’s PLA program Sharing Costs, Sharing Spaces: The Cost Savings of Designing a Multi-Purpose Facility, (Page 107 of ALA 2010 program tome,) GIVING AWAY T IS FOR TRAINING BADGE RIBBONS (scheduled), and the Graphic Novel Pavilion Costume parade at 4 pm.  I should bring a chair.

Sunday: I am a panelist on the Library Trainers as Leaders Panel in the morning and interviewing folks at the Learning Round Table Training Showcase in the afternoon.  All Learning RT Events at ALA2010 can be found here.

Monday: Stopping in on the Learning RT Staff Development Discussion, Hosting a LIVE T is for Training in the Networking Uncommons Space ( I don’t like that name) space in the afternoon and capping off ALA 2010 with

BATTLEDECKS!!!!!!!!!  as a judge where bribery is expected and encouraged!

I plan on using  technology to my advantage: If you have a smartphone, ALA has some great resources for you to organize and enjoy the conference.  I have an Android phone and ALA has an application that you can download from HERE if you want one for ALA2k10.

I also created a Learning RT Google Calendar link so I can keep track of all of the Learning RT events, even though I may not attend them all.

I plan to bring more business cards and my own totebag: I want just enough room for the IPad I plan on winning from a still unnamed vendor.  OR a bobble head or three.  Or some cool swag.  But I plan on not acting like an IDIOT, grabbing everything from the vendors to hoard like a chipmunk.  I feel sorry for those people yet I feel ok making fun of them at will.

I plan to find a quiet space and do nothing for a few minutes each day: I pledge not to feel guilty about not going to EVERYTHING and seeing EVERY Vendor.

I plan to have a plan to visit the vendors: I will plan my time with the vendors, hitting my friends and favorites first, and I will be nice to all of the “Booth Bunnies” at ALA.  They pay for this thing so I can be nice and listen to their pitches and learn something either about their product or how to sell something.

I plan on having a good time with the informal learning and all: The unofficial networking with the likes of the Movers and Shakers, The LSW, T is for Training and Learning RT folks will provide me with valuable information and many sharable and un-sharable teachable moments.

I plan on not feeling guilty if I do not blog or post as much as I would like to do so while at ALA: It is a big exhausting conference and sometimes you do not have the time to properly write. So Follow my @confbaldgeek twitter feed and my regular @baldgekinmd twitterfeeds to see what I am doing at ALA before I write my blog posts.  Or just ask me what’s going on.

An announcement from the ALA Learning Round Table (And I play small role)

ALA Learning Round Table Chooses New Name, Retains Mission

by Lori Reed

The name may be changing, but the mission of the “Learning Round Table of ALA” remains the same. The American Library Association’s round table dedicated to quality continuing education for library workers has changed its name from CLENERT to LearnRT.

Under its new name:

• LearnRT will continue to promote quality continuing education for all library personnel, helping you network with other continuing education providers for the exchange of ideas, concerns and solutions.
• LearnRT will serve as your source for continuing education assistance, publications, materials, training and activities.
• LearnRT is your advocate for quality library continuing education at both the local and national levels.

In addition to the name change the Round Table is sponsoring a new blog/website, “ALA Learning” (http://alalearning.org), which will feature training and learning news, information, best practices and thoughtful discussion from leading trainers and staff development practitioners in the library field.

Contributing authors include:

• Peter Bromberg
• Maurice Coleman
• Betha Gutsche
• Marianne Lenox
• Bobbi Newman
• Lori Reed
• Paul Signorelli
• Jay Turner
• Stephanie Zimmerman

Membership in LearnRT is only $20, in addition to ALA membership dues. Among the many membership benefits, LearnRT members enjoy, through a unique agreement with the American Management Association, the following valuable AMA benefits: Preferred pricing on all AMA seminars-least a 10-percent discount. Unlimited access to AMA’s Members-only Web site – an ever-growing library of both timely and timeless information on practical issues of management. Access to case studies, how-to articles, trend pieces, best practices, profiles of leading executives and companies, best-selling book excerpts, author interviews and recent research results. Interactive self-assessments that reflect the abilities and knowledge of today’s high-value managers. Exclusive discounts and special offers on AMA products and services. Thirty-percent discounts on “Last-Minute Seats” at numerous selected AMA seminars announced each month.

To become a member of ALA’s Learning Round Table complete the ALA membership application: http://www.ala.org/ala/membership/joinrejoinrenewadd/default.cfm.

(Please note that we may be listed as either CLENERT or LearnRT in various places until the name change has fully circulated throughout ALA.)

For more information about LearnRT contact Pat Carterette, president of LearnRT, at  pcarterette “at” georgialibraries.org.

For more information about ALALearning.org contact Lori Reed, managing editor, at webmaster “at” alalearning.org.