Jo Alcock (judge)w/Battle Decks judges/participants CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 The Shifted Librarian (link below)

To learn more about Jo please read her short interview.

ALA conferences are truly like no other library conference (not any I’ve experienced anyway!). I’m a UK resident and our ‘large’ library conferences have maybe 300 delegates – that’s not even 2% of the typical numbers attending ALA Annual so there’s quite a difference in size!

I was really fortunate to have been able to secure funding from the John Campbell Trust and support from my employer to attend my first ALA Annual conference last year, and absolutely loved every minute of it. I thought I’d write some tips for first-time attendees (this is from an international perspective but many will be applicable to anyone).

1. Find out more about the host city to make the most of your visit – I found some great restaurants to try and also managed to fit in visits to local attractions before and after the conference.
2. Use the online conference schedule before you leave – I didn’t get chance to spend time scheduling whilst I was there so was really grateful that I’d picked a few sessions that I definitely wanted to attend (and some extras that I’d quite like to attend) before I left.
3. Consider travel time between sessions – I hadn’t really realised just how far apart the sessions were and missed most of a session I really wanted to attend because I messed up my scheduling and travel plans. Some hotels are over the other side of the city, and even those in the main conference venue might be a good 10-15 minute walk (the convention centre at New Orleans is over a mile long!). Use the conference shuttle bus to get between venues (this is a great way to meet new people too), but make sure you know the shuttle timetable so you know where to be and when to leave to get to your session on time.
4. Vote with your feet – don’t be afraid to switch sessions if something isn’t what you had hoped, or leave early if there’s another session you want to attend. It’s always polite to sit near the back if you think you might leave early, but there’s so much going on that people really do understand and won’t take it personally.
5. Don’t try to do the whole exhibition in one go – it’s a large exhibition so I found it best to split it up and view certain sections at a time between sessions.
6. Don’t be afraid to schedule in down-time – you really will need it!
7. Take advantage of the free food/drink – I didn’t manage to maximise this and it was definitely a mistake. Vendors often have sponsored breakfasts or drinks receptions (sometimes with buffets), this can really save some money!
8. Carry snack food with you – it can be difficult to schedule in eating, especially if you have to find somewhere to get food and queue up too. Sometimes you will want to hook up with friends to eat, but other days you just might not have time, so carry some cereal bars or crisps (potato chips) to keep you going. A water bottle comes in handy too – I was constantly refilling mine throughout the day.
9. Be comfortable – you’ll be walking lots during the conference, and you’ll be in a variety of different environments and temperatures. Wear layers, and comfortable shoes; I wore Fitflops in New Orleans and they were perfect during the day (though probably wouldn’t be suitable for the more formal dinners if you choose to attend those).
10. Be flexible with your plans – both for the sessions and in your freetime. There will be loads of great opportunities so grab them whilst you can. Chat to everyone you meet; librarians are such friendly people – and the ribbons on people’s badges (which show which groups people are members of) can be a useful way of knowing a little about them or a potential conversation starter. Most of all – ENJOY IT!

The best piece of advice I can give anyone considering attending an ALA conference is to #makeithappen! Grab any opportunity you can to get yourself there, it really is worth the investment. I loved it so much that I’m going back again next year – I was encouraged by many people I met at ALA Annual to apply for ALA Emerging Leaders and I was delighted to be offered a place on the 2012 class (now I just need to source funding). I hope to see some of you at ALA Midwinter in Dallas and ALA Annual in Anaheim!

Image Credit:

2011 Battledecks contestants, judges, emcee, Vanna, and timekeeper

CC BY-NC-SA 2.0  via The Shifted Librarian

ALA New Orleans

Greetings!  If you will be attending ALA 2011 here are some places you might find me. I only guarantee to be there if I’m speaking since plans can easily change on a dime at conference time

Thursday 6/23

7:30-9:30pm Spectrum Professional Options Fair (ACRL RIG Table) 300 Bourbon St, Grand Ballroom

Friday 6/24

9am Breakfast w/Jennifer Waller

8am-12pm ALA Town Hall on Diversity RM 265 Convention Center

4pm – 5pm Sci/Tech Librarians & Friends at PJ’s Coffee of New Orleans, Near Lafayette Square.
~0.5 miles/10 minutes from the convention Center
If you want  to attend let me know, so far it’s a small group 4-5 people, but I want to make sure we don’t outgrow the venue.
PJ’s Coffee, 644 Camp St, New Orleans, LA 70130-3424

5:30pm Exhibits Open

5:30pm – 8:00pm LITA Happy Hour Howlin’ Wolf Den Tbl 1, 907 S. Peters St. (Cash Bar)

6:30pm Dinner W/Jen Lanzing & Friends

7:30pm-8:30pm NMRT Mentoring Social, DOUB Rosedown A

10 pm – Midnight ALA Dance Party, Oz New Orleans, 800 Bourbon St

Saturday 6/25

10:30am – 12pm Sociology Librarians Discussion Group (ACRL ANSS) - Marriot- Mardi Gras f-g, Panelist – Promoting Your Institutional Repository to Faculty

3pm-5pm Diversity and Outreach Fair Room 260-262 Convention Center

5pm-6pm Former Diversity Scholars Meetup

5:30pm-7pm ACRL University Libraries Section Netowking Reception Pirates Alley, 1622 Pirates Alley

7pm-9pm Tweetup Bar Uncommon http://baruncommon.com

7:45pm-10pm JCLC Fundraiser, Hilton Riverside, 2 Poydras, River Room

9pm-2am  Facebook After Hours Social Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop 941 Bourbon St. (This is a great place to meet people, esp around midnight when other things are shutting down, it makes a good last stop before bed.)

Sunday 6/26

7am Breakfast w/Bohyun Kim

8am – 10am ACRL RIG Meeting

8am – 10am LITA Emerging Tech
Lost in Translation: the Emerging Technology Librarian and the New Technology, Convention Center Rm 274
Speakers: Bohyun Kim, Florida International University, Jacquelyn Erdman, U.S. Green Building Council

10:30am-12pm Data Panel Sheraton Borgne Room

(Lunch w/Placement Center)

1:30pm-3pm ALA Placement Center Networking in a Tough Economy:  Using Social Media to Build Your Personal Brand and Improve Your Chances of Getting Hired.  Speaker: Pt 3 Putting it together: being professionally consistent online and in person.

7pm-10pm Creole Queen STS/HSIG Dinner Cruise

Monday 6/27

8am-10am LITA Emerging Technologies Interest Group Convention Center RM 341

See you in New Orleans!

Thanks to @catladylib and @KrisKreidler and those who anonymously submitted questions about attending ALA Annual 2011 as library school students and new librarians.

Introducing Yourself

I have to admit this is the one thing I really hate about meeting new people, introducing myself.  It often feels rude and presumptuous but most people expect to meet new people at conventions, they just want the you to introduce yourself so that they don’t have to feel awkward and introduce themselves to you.  Here’s a few things you can do, please feel free to suggest more strategies if the comments:

Hi I’m [insert name] from [insert organization], and you are?

My name is [Insert Name] and I’m a [insert title/library school student/etc.], what do you do?

A good way to decide who to introduce yourself to is to pay attention to speakers and people who ask questions in Q & A portions.  When someone says something interesting in a presentation that’s relevant to me I’ll often approach them afterwards either to ask a questions and/or exchange contact information.

HI, my name is [insert name] and I really enjoyed your talk/presentation, [insert question].

Networking 101

You may feel like you have to attend a presentation or workshop in every single time slot, here’s the problem with that.  You can’t network, also known as getting to know people, when you’re in a room where 1-4 people are doing all of the talking.  Attending and giving presentations is good but you should be spending just as much time getting to know people are you do attending sessions.

The biggest secret is not to be so worried about building your network, get to know people and the your network will grow. Don’t look at people as potential network contacts, look at them as interesting individuals and talk to people who you have something in common with.  What you have in common could be your specialty, a hobby, a love of debating, even your shoes, if you don’t have anything in common you won’t maintain the contact.

• Schedule your sleep time, if you don’t you will fall asleep halfway through the receptions and networking events.  You will also get sick, very sick.  I’m not joking this happens every conference to a significant number of people, you’re traveling and lack of sleep just kills the immune system. (It’s okay to sleep in or take a nap in the middle of the day.)
• Keep in mind that Friday / Saturday / Sunday night it’s normal to stay out till between midnight and 2am, some people are still living it up even when you leave at 2am.
• Schedule your networking events.  Write down every networking event you think sounds interesting even if they overlap, then ask your friends to trade schedules with you, write down any events that you had missed.  This will maximize your opportunity to socialize and learn from other librarians.
• Don’t be a snob, go to events that interest you outside your specialty. It’s amazing how much you can randomly learn from librarians who work in completely different areas than you.
• You don’t have to drink alcohol to be social but it’s good to at least have a glass of water or soda if you’re at a reception or event, if you haven’t had something to drink in the last hour you probably need a little water anyway to be properly hydrated.
• If someone starts a conversation with you while waiting for an event to open or sharing a seat on the conference shuttles don’t be afraid to be friendly and respond (unless they are being a creepy stalked type person in which case feel free to avoid them at all costs.)
• People love to be asked for advice or their opinion take advantage of this to learn more about others and help them stand out in your memory.
• Don’t ask for a job unless you are interviewing, it’s a major turn off. Do ask for job hunting advice and let people know if you are looking and what types of jobs you are interested in.

You might also be interested in my ACRL 2011 conference handout:
Staying Genuine And Creating Connections: Networking And Involvement For Introverts (PDF)

Getting on Committees
It’s true, committees are always short handed.  Most people want to attend events and consume materials not create them.  If you show up at a committee meeting (almost all of them are open meetings) and participate in the discussion you will most likely be drafted if you don’t volunteer to help with something first.  They are also good places to get to know other professionals and library administrators.

What to Wear

*Please keep in mind this advice only applies to attending conference activities, not going out for fun with your friends.

Think about what types of events you will be attending and keep in mind that you will be in New Orleans and it’s summer time.  Cotton, silk, bamboo, and other natural fiber should be your first choice, they breath well and help keep you feeling cooler.  Woven clothes can be cooler than knit because they don’t cling so much to your body.  Whites and light colors are the most light reflective.  Rethink the nylons unless you’re attending something formal, women from hotter climates like myself don’t wear them much for a reason.

Going to something sure to draw lots of administrators or a committee meeting?

Think about wearing business casual.

Hitting the exhibits, hanging out with friends, doing something touristy?

Nice casual is fine (i.e. jeans and a nice t-shirt).

Shirts with collars and longer sleeves are seen as being more professional.  If you wear long sleeves go for cotton or linen (may need ironing).

Never Okay:

1. If you would have been embarrassed to be seen in the outfit when you were in a highschool gym class just say no!
2. If it looks like you slept in your clothing take the time to iron them or have the hotel clean your clothing to remove the wrinkles.  An easy way to avoid horrendous wrinkles is to take your clothes in a carry on garment bag or to roll your clothes. (A few wrinkles are okay.)
3. If you would be in danger of being arrested for indecent exposure leave the outfit at home.If your outfit is see through in strong sunlight it’s not conference appropriate.

Business Cards

You need to bring plenty of these, Stephen Abram once told me they should be passed out like after dinner mints.  It’s old fashioned, but it works.  Double points for having a QR code on the card people can scan to get to your website or work contact info.  This lets people choose scan the code and have one less thing to carry around, and those of us who like a Rolodex to have a card to stick in our file.

For more tips you can read my previous post:
Make The Most Out Of Your Conference

From Others:
Conference Attendance Advice by Erin Dorney
27 Things To Do Before a Conference by Chris Brogan

Have more questions or advice for attending ALA Annual?  Please leave a comment below.

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