The CLA Experience, Part 2

After the presentations that I went to on Saturday, I went to a library student mixer and a reception held by my program department. Normally I hesitate to socialize when I know virtually no one (I can be a shy little mouse at times), but I'm very glad I went--and this can stand as an example of why I should socialize, especially at a conference. I got to meet a lot of students that are also in my program at the same school, including a couple that are graduating very soon and several that are starting their program in the spring. At the reception, I got to meet some of my instructors face-to-face including one I currently have (so nice to put a face to the name on the screen and the voice in my lectures!), and one who is the outgoing CLA president (we have a lot of really incredible people on our faculty). I was able to reconnect to my adviser who I really like and work with on one of the school committees. I even met the director of my MLIS program. All these names that I see all the time in email messages, class pages, and online discussions and never have physically met. That is certainly one downfall of an online program--the isolation not only from students, but in some way from faculty--but perhaps it made the in-person meetings all the more enjoyable.

The Sunday presentations were also enjoyable, highly informative, and very interesting. I don't think there was a single presentation I went to where I didn't come away with several ideas to try and implement and lots of useful information. One I attended on online learning actually had a faculty member from my program's department as a speaker, and she provided a very interesting dialog of the instructor's perspective of the classes within my program. I would definitely say that this conference was worth what I paid in attendance, gas, and parking (which all came out of my own pocket). I would love to try and attend 1-2 conferences a year (did I mention that already?) so that I can keep learning about new and fresh ideas to help revitalize my library.

With my first conference over, I have some practical advice for any new conference-goers (ALA Midwinter is coming up fast!).
1. If you live local to the conference (meaning you are not staying at a nearby hotel), get there early! Parking can fill up fast and you may be stuck trying to find parking and be forced to miss activities and presentations you hoped to attend.
2. Bring a resume and business cards, even if you don't think you'll need them. There will be librarians in all kinds of positions that attend, including those that may help with their library's hiring. Who knows if you might meet someone that has a position open? Also, networking becomes a lot easier if you are able to give your card to those you connect with (I traded a cards with a lot of people myself).
3. Bring water and keep it with you! The conference organizers were thoughtful enough to provide water at many locations around the conference, but that might not always be the case. Plus, it would be a pain to have to step out of a presentation to get water.
4. Dress in layers. The A/C in some of the rooms was working full-blast, which is nice for a meat locker but not so much for people sitting in a presentation. Bring clothing that you can take off and put back on if it gets too hot or cold.
5. Explore the exhibition area. There are lots of freebies, and the companies and organizations there are willing and wanting you to take them in the hopes that you will return to them for future business or contact--so don't feel bad about taking them. On a side note, a conference for librarians seems to mean that some of those freebies are books! Scooter sighed at me a couple of times because of the stack of free books I brought home (which included novels, an anthology, and a non-fiction book).
6. Attend social events. I don't think I can emphasize this any more than my comments above already did.
7. Scope out the layout of the presentation rooms so you know where they are. The conference actually took place in two connected buildings and the signage left something to be desired (they could learn something from libraries!). I found my initial walk-through to note room numbers to be very useful.
8. If you enjoyed a presentation, go up and talk to the speakers. They won't bite, and normally they seem to expect and welcome those attending to approach and talk to them. That's how I managed to get a contact for a possible virtual internship next semester (which I really hope will work out!).
9. Bring pen and paper. This may seem obvious, but I'm embarrassed to say that I forgot to do so my first day (I had to resort to taking notes on my phone, which worked better than I thought it would).
10. Follow-up with any contact you make at the conference. You have their business card, so send them a quick note on how much you enjoyed talking to them. You can even connect with them on social media (especially LinkedIn) if they have a profile.

And so ends my very first professional conference--definitely fun, definitely want to do it again!

The CLA Experience, Part 1

I am attending the CLA (California Library Association) conference this weekend and figured this would be an excellent topic to write about, especially since this is my first professional conference ever.

When I first got here yesterday, it was a bit overwhelming. Even just after the first day, it was obvious that I was in the midst of many librarians with a lot of experience, a lot of skills, and a lot of creativity. It is hard for a conference newbie not to feel intimidated by the vast ocean of talent to be found here. There is a lot to learn from everyone, and I really hope I can get over my initial shyness and take advantage of the networking opportunities. I've already come away with lots of good ideas, some that I think can be adopted as is and some that may need some adaptation but I think they would be worth it.

I also got to volunteer at my program department's booth. This was absolutely fabulous. I got to meet a lot of current students, from the very brand-new to the almost-done, and alumni and faculty. The time flew by and I ended up staying longer than my shift because I was having so much fun. The two members of the administration complimented me on how I interacted with those who visited our booth. Definitely a boost to overcome my shyness and start building confidence for the conference.

As I write, I am waiting for my first session of the day to start...

And now that it's over, I have come away with lots of ways to improve how I use social media at work. There's a lot more that we can be doing right. I hope my boss has a nice block of free time when I return on to work on Monday. If this is any indication of things yet to come, we'll need a few hours to debrief! I'm hoping that what I take away from this whole experience benefits the library and campus where I work enough that they will want to send me to other conferences.

My head will be very full by the end of the day.