by Emily Woodcock, Senior Assistant, INALJ Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island

8 must haves for going to a Library Conference

In the near future, I am going to be attending my first library conference. I am going to the OLA Super Conference in Toronto, Ontario at the end of this month. I haven’t been to a large conference before, so I have been reading some articles and blog posts in order to figure out what to expect. This list contains things I have learned are must haves while attending a conference.

1. Business Cards: having a piece of paper that has some of your basic information on it to give to other people is the top must have. Even if you are shy person you will meet people that you want to stay in contact with.
2. Comfortable but professional looking shoes: this is a must have since all days will be long days.
3. Nice business attire: even if you aren’t working at the conference, you will want to look professional in order to network  with people.
4. Something to take notes with: whether it is an old fashion notebook or the latest tablet you will want something to take notes with.
5. A way to access Twitter: tweeting while at a conference has become a very big thing in the past couple of years. Even if you don’t want to join in you will want to read the tweets other people are writing in order to be in the know.
6. Reusable drinking containers: water and coffee, the two liquids, the majority of us will live on during the conference. Bring a travel mug and water bottle so you can always have them on you when you need them.
7. A map of the city and building the conference is being held at: if the conference is in a city/building you know well you most likely won’t be in need of these but other wise they are very important, so that you don’t get lost and miss that session you really wanted to see.
8. The perfect bag that fits all but is still small in size: you are going to need a bag that can hold everything you may need in a day at a conference. Its really up to you, but if you are going to get the most possible out of a conference you will spend morning, noon, and night there. This means you will need a bag that can fit all the items listed here and more.