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.
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