ALA Preview
The ALA Annual Conference 2003 will be held June 19-23 in Toronto, ON in conjunction with the Canadian Library Association Annual Conference. These annual conferences are always hectic affairs, with thousands of librarians assembling for workshops, programs, ceremonies, and the occasional cocktail hour.
For those of you also attending your first conference, here is a list of tips I (Katie) have compiled from speaking to wiser though not necessarily older people:
1) Study the program preview printed in the March 2003 issue of American Libraries (available in the SIS library) or on-line at http://www.ala.org. Especially helpful is the Event Planner, which allows you to create a customized daily planner. In order to use this feature, you must be registered for the conference. The planner is available at http://planner.ala.org/index_main.asp.
2) Plan a back-up for each session time, in case the session you want to attend is cancelled or eye-crossingly dull.
3) Have business cards with your contact information on it to hand out. You can order business cards free online at http://www.vistaprint.com. Or, you can have the cards printed for a nominal fee at the Kinko's, located about three blocks west (that is, heading away from the Carnegie) of Hillman Library on Forbes Avenue.
4) Write down
the names, organizations, and other pertinent information for the people
you meet. This is networking smarts and can serve you well when you
need to start looking for a job. After you return from the conference,
use this information to send follow-up letters.
5) Check out the tips given by Mark Wolfe, chair of SCALA, after he attended the PaLA conference in November: http://www2.sis.pitt.edu/%7Ebiblio/archives/PaLA11-30-02.html.
6) Take advantage of the resume services offered by NMRT (New Members Roundtable). This should be your first stop arriving, after the registration table. You DO NOT need to be a member of NMRT to use this service. Go early, go often if needed. For more information: http://www.ala.org/nmrt.
7) Take advantage of the conference recruiting service. This service allows for job seekers to post resume information and for employers to post job openings. For more information, go to http://www.ala.org. Click on "Education and Careers". Click on "Employment Opportunities." Go to "ALA Placement Services." Finally, go to "Current Conference Placement Services."
8) If you are traveling on a budget, take a travel coffee mug, granola bar-type food, and an apple or two. These will tide you over between grazing sessions. Remember, vendors and workshops will be giving out food. A careful scanning of the program and listening to the word on the street should allow you to score free meals, which can turn into leftovers. Student poverty does not need to equal student hunger.
9) Dress nicely but comfortably. This is especially important if you plan on interviewing. In that case, bring a suit. No shorts. Also, choose your shoes carefully. Sessions will be spread across several different sites. You will be on your feet, a lot.
10) Bring your passport or a birth certificate and photo ID. Canada is another country, after all. You want to be able to cross the border without difficulty.
11) Stick to your own schedule and planned sessions. Just because your roommate wants to visit a session on the finer points of Dewey 21 does not mean you have to. You have your own goals for the conference. Make sure you meet them.
12) If you are worried about SARS, check out these sites:
http://www.ala.org.
http://www.cdc.gov/travel/other/sars_can.htm.
http://www.who.int/csr/don/2003_05_26/en/.
13) For general Toronto and conference information, check out these sites:
http://www.ala.org
http://www.torontotourism.com
http://www.travelcanada.ca
http://www.travel.state.gov/tips_canada.html
14) Have fun! Take pictures, buy tacky souvenirs, and submit a short write-up of your adventures to Bibliofile upon your return.
BACK to Bibliofile's
Homepage
5) Check out the tips given by Mark Wolfe, chair of SCALA, after he attended the PaLA conference in November: http://www2.sis.pitt.edu/%7Ebiblio/archives/PaLA11-30-02.html.
6) Take advantage of the resume services offered by NMRT (New Members Roundtable). This should be your first stop arriving, after the registration table. You DO NOT need to be a member of NMRT to use this service. Go early, go often if needed. For more information: http://www.ala.org/nmrt.
7) Take advantage of the conference recruiting service. This service allows for job seekers to post resume information and for employers to post job openings. For more information, go to http://www.ala.org. Click on "Education and Careers". Click on "Employment Opportunities." Go to "ALA Placement Services." Finally, go to "Current Conference Placement Services."
8) If you are traveling on a budget, take a travel coffee mug, granola bar-type food, and an apple or two. These will tide you over between grazing sessions. Remember, vendors and workshops will be giving out food. A careful scanning of the program and listening to the word on the street should allow you to score free meals, which can turn into leftovers. Student poverty does not need to equal student hunger.
9) Dress nicely but comfortably. This is especially important if you plan on interviewing. In that case, bring a suit. No shorts. Also, choose your shoes carefully. Sessions will be spread across several different sites. You will be on your feet, a lot.
10) Bring your passport or a birth certificate and photo ID. Canada is another country, after all. You want to be able to cross the border without difficulty.
11) Stick to your own schedule and planned sessions. Just because your roommate wants to visit a session on the finer points of Dewey 21 does not mean you have to. You have your own goals for the conference. Make sure you meet them.
12) If you are worried about SARS, check out these sites:
http://www.ala.org.
http://www.cdc.gov/travel/other/sars_can.htm.
http://www.who.int/csr/don/2003_05_26/en/.
13) For general Toronto and conference information, check out these sites:
http://www.ala.org
http://www.torontotourism.com
http://www.travelcanada.ca
http://www.travel.state.gov/tips_canada.html
14) Have fun! Take pictures, buy tacky souvenirs, and submit a short write-up of your adventures to Bibliofile upon your return.
Publication of the Department of Library &
Information Science
University of Pittsburgh
135 N. Bellefield Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
Last updated May 30, 2003