{"id":71216,"date":"2014-05-09T11:30:40","date_gmt":"2014-05-09T16:30:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/?p=71216"},"modified":"2014-05-08T18:26:24","modified_gmt":"2014-05-08T23:26:24","slug":"dos-and-donts-for-your-first-ala-annual-conference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/?p=71216","title":{"rendered":"Do\u2019s and Don\u2019ts for your first ALA Annual conference"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Ruth Lincoln, Head Editor,\u00a0INALJ Washington, DC<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Do\u2019s and Don\u2019ts for your first ALA Annual conference<\/span><\/h3>\n

\"ruth.lincoln\"<\/a>The American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference is just a few weeks away. If you\u2019re\u00a0heading to sunny Las Vegas for your first (or 15th) conference, keep these tips in mind to reap\u00a0the most from this great experience.<\/p>\n

Do:<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. Wear comfortable shoes.<\/strong> You\u2019ll be walking A LOT! If you don\u2019t already have a broken-in pair, here\u2019s<\/a> a good place to look.<\/p>\n

2. Examine the schedule before.<\/strong> For every step you\u2019ll take, there\u2019s probably an available\u00a0session, exhibit, or interest group awaiting your attention. You don\u2019t have to (and\u00a0shouldn\u2019t) schedule every minute, but do pick out some \u201ccan\u2019t miss\u201d sessions and add\u00a0them to your calendar before heading to Las Vegas.<\/p>\n

3. Talk to strangers.<\/strong> You\u2019ll never be surrounded by more librarians, so take advantage!\u00a0Make new friends while waiting in line for coffee, the exhibit hall, or at your hotel (it\u2019s\u00a0always fun to play \u201cspot the librarian\u201d). Like you, librarians are super friendly. And if you\u00a0tweet, it\u2019s a great time to meet some followers in real life. \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n

4. Attend a keynote.<\/strong> ALA brings in some big names<\/a> (ummm, Jane Fonda!), so definitely\u00a0find your favorites and check them out.<\/p>\n

5. Bring your chargers (and extra batteries!).<\/strong> Enough said!<\/p>\n

6. Check out your graduate school alumni event.<\/strong> Most library schools\/iSchools will\u00a0organize some small event for alumni and current student. It\u2019s a great chance to gather\u00a0in a smaller group and meet & reconnect with your fellow alumni. And there\u2019s probably\u00a0free food, too! Check with your university ahead of time, as many require RSVPs.<\/p>\n

7. Pack your patience and keep an open mind.<\/strong> Yes, there will be lines, low cell phone\u00a0batteries, and never enough coffee. But there\u2019s also thousands of really cool, interesting,\u00a0SMART people with enthusiasm you can\u2019t escape. So enjoy yourself. If you come home\u00a0exhausted, you know you had a successful conference!<\/p>\n

Don\u2019ts<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. Attend EVERYTHING.<\/strong> It\u2019s too tempting to fill every hour. Some of your most meaningful\u00a0connections and experiences will probably happen outside the formal sessions. The best\u00a0conversations happen when you\u2019re charging your phone or waiting for coffee. Make sure\u00a0you get outside the convention center and remember you\u2019re in a really fun city!<\/p>\n

2. Overdue it in the Vegas heat.<\/strong> This one is location-specific, but be careful of the\u00a0scorching desert heat. Drink lots of water, wear sunscreen, and take it easy in the heat.<\/p>\n

3. Expect to leave with a job.<\/strong> Las Vegas will have many workshops and other events\u00a0<\/a>for job seekers. But don\u2019t put pressure on yourself to leave with a job. Consider it\u00a0an opportunity to learn and improve your resume\/cover letter and make valuable\u00a0connections. All these pieces play a role in your road to your next job.<\/p>\n

4. Forget a sweater!<\/strong> If there\u2019s one thing Las Vegas loves more than poker and buffets, it\u2019s\u00a0air conditioning. Even if it\u2019s 115 degrees outside, count on a frozen tundra inside.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Ruth Lincoln, Head Editor,\u00a0INALJ Washington, DC Do\u2019s and Don\u2019ts for your first ALA Annual conference The American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference is just a few weeks away. If you\u2019re\u00a0heading to sunny Las Vegas for your first (or 15th) conference, keep these tips in mind to reap\u00a0the most from this great experience. Do: 1.…<\/p>\n

Read more \u2192<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":58800,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[145],"tags":[4344,69,3592,4126,5963,4668,5872,3637,4720,111],"class_list":["post-71216","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","tag-ala-conference","tag-article","tag-blog","tag-conference","tag-conference-first-timers","tag-conference-tips","tag-inalj-dc","tag-inalj-washington-dc","tag-ruth-lincoln","tag-tips"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/ruth.lincoln.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1WoMK-iwE","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71216","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=71216"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71216\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/58800"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=71216"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=71216"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=71216"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}