TXLA24
This should have been posted a month ago, but I've been going back and forth on whether or not I wanted this much potentially identifing info about me out there in internet land. As I am posting this, I guess I got over it.
Despite my reservations, not writing about my attendance to my state's library conference feels wrong, especially as this is a library centric blog.
Anyways, I spent the week of April 16-19 attending the Texas Library Association's annual conference in San Antonio. This year marks my sixth time attending TLA. It is always an enjoyable and revitalizing experience.
Each year, as conference season starts to come around, I feel that I'm beginning to feel worn down by the profession. I spend the whole year narrowly focused on my library, maintaining the day-to-day, building programming, etc... It can wear one down. But some magical rejuvenating thing seems to occur each year at TLA and by the end of the week, you're bursting at the seams with energy and ideas for your library. I think it's being surrounded by like minded professionals, all wanting to build upon and improve library services for their individual communities. It's invigorating. I hope that this revitalizing trend of conference attendance continues for me as time presses ever onwards.
So, what does one do at library conference? Each year, it's a little different for me. The sessions I want to sit in on vary depending on where I am in my career and what I am hoping to take away. I used to attend sessions on children's programming when I was in youth services. These days, my conference sessions focus on leadership and management with a heavier dose of networking.
As I climb higher up in the library hierarchy, I am repeatedly reminded how important relationship building with other librarians in similar positions is. It's great to be able to pick up the phone and text a fellow librarian and ask for advice. So, this past year at conference, I spent a lot more of my time talking with others, having working lunches, and attending early morning coffee socials. These activities have already paid dividends for me in the month since TLA.
Other than networking, I did attend several sessions.
One of the big things I noticed with this year's conference was the sheer number of sessions related to AI. I attended a few of them and learned many interesting things about AI and how libraries can, and are, leveraging this new tool for things like workforce development, grant writing, program planning and more.
I have dabbled a bit with ChatGPT for drafting letters, creating policy, fleshing out grants, and writing press releases. It's very helpful in generating ideas, getting those first drafts out of the way.
On the unprofessional side, I have found ChatGPT to be excellent at coming up with mixed drink recipes. Just plug in your liquor cabinet supplies, and it will spit out as many drink ideas as you ask it for. Anyways....
I haven't used any other AI program, but it is definitely something that interests me. Going forward, I think librarians will be able to play a unique role in public education when it comes to AI tools. Especially as we have been trained to help with questions and find answers to those questions. I think librarians will be especially skilled at AI prompt writing.
On the tech side, I also attended a session on library web design as I handle our library's web maintenance. I am by no means a web developer, but I'm not afraid to get in there and fiddle around. Besides, if I can't figure something out, I know someone else out there has already run into the same problem, and the answer is on Google somewhere. You just have to go digging to find it.
Other than AI, I attended a few sessions on leadership and management. One particularly good session was on how to have difficult conversations with one's staff and bosses. I took many notes in that session, and I'm sure I will be referencing them soon when I have to do staff evaluations as the new director.
There were several great speakers this year too. Comedian Leanne Morgan opened the conference at General Session 1. I have not seen her Netflix special, but she was quite funny. Another great speaker this year was the historian Doris Kearns Goodwin. She worked for LBJ and had some amazing stories to share about herself and her husband's time in the Whitehouse. I have yet to read one of her books, but I am a big Teddy Roosevelt fan, so I may have to pick up her book Leadership: In Turbulent Times on Roosevelt and Lincoln.
I know I'm missing and forgetting things, but I feel like this post is getting to be quite lengthy, so I will stop it here.
Until next week.