{"id":86985,"date":"2015-01-14T08:00:43","date_gmt":"2015-01-14T14:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/?p=86985"},"modified":"2015-01-15T23:25:08","modified_gmt":"2015-01-16T05:25:08","slug":"fun-for-all-that-librarians-call-their-favorite-time-of-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/?p=86985","title":{"rendered":"Fun for all that librarians call their favorite time of year!"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Kate Kosturski<\/a>, MLSIS, Canada and International INALJ Volunteer Coordinator
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Fun for all that librarians call their favorite time of year! \u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

(Now you have the song from A Charlie Brown Christmas stuck in your head. \u00a0\u00a0Sorry about that. \u00a0Okay, maybe not )<\/p>\n

\"kate_photo_2014\"<\/a>Much like the Golden Globes kick off the film awards season, January kicks off the start of conference season in North America, with the ALA Midwinter Meeting<\/a> in the US and one of Canada\u2019s largest provincial conferences, the OLA Superconference<\/a>. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Now I bet at least one of you resolved this year, in a New Year\u2019s Eve streamers-and-champagne induced haze, to not just go to conference, but to go<\/i> to conference – to experience it to its fullest. \u00a0Great idea, but I also bet that you\u2019re a bit clueless as to how to go about that (let\u2019s blame the champagne).
\nAs a conference veteran, I\u2019ve picked up few tips and tricks that I give to people every time this issue comes round, without pause. \u00a0Thus, I present, in no particular order: Kate\u2019s Top 10 Things You Must Do at Conference to Make It Awesome<\/b><\/p>\n

(First, some homework: \u00a0Patrick Sweeney of EveryLibrary and Sunnyvale, CA Public Library wrote a great article about the social aspect of conferencing<\/a> in the 15 January 2015 issue of Library Journal. \u00a0I\u2019ll be touching on some of his tips here, but if your anxieties towards conference lean more towards the socialization aspect, this is worth a read.)<\/p>\n

10. The 3-1-1 Rule: <\/b>Not that TSA rule about liquids, gels and aerosols, but a good rule that I have picked up from my NY Comic-Con experience that makes it more pleasant for everyone: \u00a0Every day you should have 3 square meals, 1 shower, 1 good night\u2019s sleep<\/b>. Trust me when I say we will all thank you later for it.<\/p>\n

9. Open Unless Closed<\/b>: Most meetings at conference are open to all registered attendees unless it specifically says that it is a closed meeting. \u00a0Often these are for committees that decide awards, or have to deal with personnel matters (such as committee appointments). \u00a0Outside of these exceptions, you do not have to be a member of a group to attend the meeting – just go in and sit! \u00a0It\u2019s a great way to observe the inner workings, and possibly get involved (though some committees can be a bit overzealous and interpret attendance as \u201cgive that person a task!\u201d so be upfront with folks about your expectations from attendance).<\/p>\n

This is also a good time to remind those that are attending ALA conferences that the larger meetings, such as ALA Council, ALA Executive Board, and Council Forums are also open to everyone, unless stated otherwise. \u00a0\u00a0It\u2019s a great opportunity to see the inner workings of ALA.<\/p>\n

8. What Is a Comfort Zone?:<\/b> \u00a0Hopefully you have looked at the schedule and have some idea about what sessions\/meetings you need to attend (or, if your employer is paying for your attendance, been told what sessions\/meetings you have to attend). \u00a0\u00a0And even after following item #10, you probably still have some gaps. \u00a0What to do? \u00a0This is the time to find what is fun, or what interests you outside of all obligations. \u00a0Academic librarian? Go to a presentation sponsored by YALSA. \u00a0Cataloging librarian interested in emerging tech? \u00a0Go hang with the LITA folk. \u00a0\u00a0You\u2019d be surprised how easy (and often) ideas from what you would think are disparate organizations easily transfer.<\/p>\n

7. Respect Your Vendors: <\/b>Vendors are businesses that want to make money, and sometimes they do things that make you go \u201chmm?!\u201d but they also want to hear from you. Take the time to stop by, ask thoughtful questions, and thank them for their services (or even fanboy\/fangirl them). \u00a0As a \u201cvendorbrarian\u201d we do love the praise, and we do listen to you when you suggest improvements.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also very tempting to want to crash vendor parties, because hey, FREE FOOD AND BOOZE, but bear in mind that our fabulous events cost money. \u00a0Our goal with these is to promote our product, not just feed you. \u00a0Sometimes the last minute invite is inevitable, but use that time to learn more about the product or service, and not just for cocktail wieners and wine and cheese. \u00a0\u00a0Like tip #8, you would be surprised what could transfer to your job that you don\u2019t expect.<\/p>\n

6. We Built This City for More than ALA:<\/b> \u00a0Our conferences are in fun cities – Chicago, New Orleans, San Francisco, Philadelphia – yes, even Las Vegas. \u00a0\u00a0Make some time to see the city and talk to the locals. Ideally, I like to leave a day before or a day after the conference to play tourist, but even a early morning or late flight\/train back home leaves some time for some fun. \u00a0\u00a0While I\u2019m not looking forward to Chicago in Winter, I\u2019m leaving some time for the Field Museum (hi Sue the T-Rex!) and a good deep dish pizza from Giordano\u2019s.<\/p>\n

5. The Bridget Jones Rule of Introductions:<\/b> It\u2019s a silly tip I picked up from Bridget Jones\u2019 Diary<\/i> (book and film), but one good way to make an introduction is to share a fact about the other person in the party (this could be something you know the two people you are introducing have in common or not). \u00a0Example:<\/p>\n

— \u201cMark, this is Bridget. \u00a0She enjoys finely chilled Chardonnay and works with your law school classmate Daniel Cleaver.\u201d<\/p>\n

— \u201cBridget, this is Mark. \u00a0He has an interest in entertainment law and walking out of lakes shirtless.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Extreme but you get the idea.)<\/p>\n

The goal is these facts are to induce conversation, rather than going back to our respective smart devices and not saying a word to each other.<\/p>\n

(If you\u2019re curious about more formal rules of introduction, you may want to read this post from The Art of Doing Stuff<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

4. That Alcohol Thing:<\/b> \u00a0For the non-drinker or the casual drinker, going to an open bar party (or any bar) can cause anxiety. \u00a0You may also think that ordering a glass of soda will just scream your sober status to the world. \u00a0Try this instead: when my late father had to give up alcohol for health reasons in 2008, he often resorted to cranberry juice with a splash of seltzer. \u00a0Served in a rocks glass, it looks like a vodka cranberry and no one is the wiser that you\u2019re not imbibing. \u00a0(Having tried it, it also tastes really good.)<\/p>\n

3. Recharging Your Batteries and Recharging <\/b>Your <\/i><\/b>Batteries: <\/b>I\u2019m talking about two kinds of batteries here: \u00a0the ones on your mobile devices and the ones that run you. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0For the former, I recommend not relying out power strips and outlet hunting (they\u2019re more rare than a Taylor Swift album on Spotify) and invest in a backup battery. \u00a0Depending on your phone model, this could be an actual spare battery you snap on to your phone, a case with a built in battery, or an actual external battery. \u00a0I\u2019m a fan of the Mophie line of products, in particular their Juice Pack Powerstation X<\/a>, which charges two devices to near 100 percent simultaneously.<\/p>\n

As for your batteries<\/i>, know that it is okay to just take some me time at conference. \u00a0You are under no obligation to see and do everything, or to accept every invitation. \u00a0Know your limits and know your schedule. \u00a0If you have had an intense day of meetings, with an early morning the next day ahead of you, it\u2019s perfectly okay to pass on a party and go back to your hotel and your House of Cards<\/i>. \u00a0(See Item #10 above.) \u00a0I\u2019m very much a morning person, so I lose steam after 9 PM (hey, I\u2019m OLD), and thus, I don\u2019t do many of the late night parties. \u00a0\u00a0I probably miss out on some really cool stuff, but I also know that after 11 PM, I become very NOT FUN, which makes the party not fun for a lot more people.<\/p>\n

2. It\u2019s Okay to Leave Your Buddy at Home:<\/b> \u00a0It\u2019s fun to go to a conference with a friend or significant other, because then you know you always have someone to talk to. \u00a0But there are thousands of other librarians that want to talk to you too, so don\u2019t feel obligated to spend every waking minute of conference with your roommate or spouse. \u00a0\u00a0My partner and I are both librarians, but we also have very different career tracks, so it\u2019s fun to separate in the morning and then meet up for dinner later and compare notes. \u00a0New friends are awesome!<\/p>\n

1. Have Fun! <\/b>There\u2019s only a few times a year that we can be in the same place with so many of our kind. \u00a0\u00a0Enjoy yourself! \u00a0\u00a0Think of it as \u201clibrarian summer camp\u201d – the time of year you get to chill with the people who you only see twice a year, but will be your friends for life.<\/p>\n

I hope to see some of you in two weeks\u2019 time in Chicago, or at San Francisco this summer. \u00a0\u00a0Please, come say hi!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Kate Kosturski, MLSIS, Canada and International INALJ Volunteer Coordinator Fun for all that librarians call their favorite time of year! \u00a0 (Now you have the song from A Charlie Brown Christmas stuck in your head. \u00a0\u00a0Sorry about that. \u00a0Okay, maybe not ) Much like the Golden Globes kick off the film awards season, January…<\/p>\n

Read more \u2192<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":80600,"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":[231,5884,582,3322,6730,4126,4668,6732,10,4432,6004,4139,168,5885,303,356,3896,6733,5873,144,111,6731],"class_list":["post-86985","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","tag-ala","tag-ala-midwinter","tag-canada","tag-chicago","tag-comfort-zone","tag-conference","tag-conference-tips","tag-fun","tag-inalj","tag-inalj-international","tag-inalj-volunteer-coordinator","tag-kate-kosturski","tag-library","tag-midwinter","tag-mlis","tag-networking","tag-professional-development","tag-recharge","tag-sleep","tag-success-story-2","tag-tips","tag-vendors"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/kate-kosturski.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1WoMK-mCZ","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86985","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=86985"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86985\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/80600"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=86985"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=86985"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=86985"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}