Student Comments from the
American Library Association's Annual Conference,
San Francisco, California, June 2001
I thought the ALA Conference was a wonderful experience.
Although it was quite overwhelming, the enthusiasm from
librarians and vendors across the country was phenomenal.
I enjoyed all the services that were provided, not to
mention the free books, tote bags, pens, pencils, and
prizes. I found the huge book for the conference confusing
and difficult to use, and I missed meetings I would have
attended if I had known about them. I also attended
meetings that turned out to have a different focus than
what I expected due to the lack of descriptions of the
meetings. I am glad that I interviewed with so many people
even though I am not graduating until December. I enjoyed
meeting alumni at the Pitt breakfast on Monday. Good food!
San Francisco is a beautiful city overall, but by the end
of the conference, I was grateful to return home.
__________________________________________________
Rene Ojeda
This was my first library conference. I was given the impression
that it would be an overwhelming event--I did not find it so.
I thought
that it was well organized and that it operated rather smoothly.
I had a
problem with my registration, but it was taken care of
without too much delay (and
little persistence on my part). Transportation to and from events
outside
the Moscone Convention Center was provided for by chartered
conference buses.
This made getting to events easy.
The conference offered a wide range of activities
in many areas: tours, events,
presentations, and exhibits.
I was able to attend talks on 1) renovating library buildings,
2)environmentalism and librarians, 3) emotional intelligence,
and 4) telecommunications and
libraries. There were many exhibitors at the conference and one
could
generally speak with them at length about their products or one
could
attend one of the many mini-presentations they provided. The
exhibitor
space was very large so it never seemed crowded.
The weather was great for the conference: warm, sunny days, with
a gentle
breeze.
All in all, I think it was a very succesful and enjoyable conference.
Sharon Vaughan
The Rules for Attending ALA Conference
Rule One: Go to a least one program not in your specialty area. It can be in a specialty area that you do not know anything about. For instance, if your specialization is Children and Youth, try to find something that you are interesting in such as Information Services or Information Access. You will have a chance to learn something new.
Rule Two: Plan to arrive at your programs and meetings early. Some of the programs or meetings that I wanted to attend were filled once I arrived, so I chose alternative programs and meetings that were in the same location or by a closer hotel. If you do not like the program you are attending, do not be afraid to leave or walk out. You do not have to stay for the entire program session.
Rule Three: Start networking with people. Get involve with a discussion at a program or meeting and talk to people you do not know at ALA. This procedure is very useful, especially if you are job hunting. You will have to assume that anyone you talk to at ALA can be your next potential employer or lead you to your potential employer. Follow-up on your contacts you made.
Rule Four: Go to the exhibits-spend at least 3 hours there. Pick up items that are beneficial for your library such as posters, catalogs, and bookmarks. Look critically at the exhibits and talk to the vendors. Do not overstay your welcome at the exhibits; you will be very tempted, since the vendors offer free promotional items. If you do, you may miss the programs and meetings you want to attend.
Rule Five: Get a book signed by an author. It could be adult or children’s authors.
Rule Six: Once you figure out the organizational structure of ALA (Roundtables and Divisions). Volunteer to join a committee. Do not join a committee where you are a body and you cannot participate in. Join a committee where you believe you will be active in ALA.
Rule Seven: Wear comfortable shoes, you will do a lot of walking.
Rule Eight: Buy books that you need for yourself or at your library
from publishers at the ALA. Most of the publishers that were
in the exhibits gave discounts on the price of their books.
Elizabeth Jean Brumfield
This was my first ALA Conference and I must say I was overwhelmed, the
exhibits were wonderful the presentations, the array of authors,
the keynote speakers, etc. I was very impressed. My only complaint
is that for some of the events scheduled after the sessions I wished I
had received more information on how to locate restaurants, bus transportation,
etc.
Publication of the Department of Library & Information
Science
University of Pittsburgh
135 N. Bellefield Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
Last updated July 9, 2001