Misadventures of the Monster Librarian

This year is the 15 Anniversary of HP and the Sorcerer's Stone-- the books are being re-released with new cover art. Temple Grandin signing books after her AMAZING lecture! On the left--children's author/illustrator Kevin Henkes! Ann Patchett--I was in the FRONT ROW! Alice Walker! The Diary of a Wimpy Kid bus Exhibitor's Hall before it opened Exhibitor's Hall before it opened My last post was Conference tips, this post will be chronicling all of the AWESOME things that I saw/did at ALA 2013 Chicago! Went to awesome sessions which gave me great ideas and left me feeling EMPOWERED! Talked to cool professional colleagues--met a guy who was the former director of a local library, so he actually had heard of Sticks! Now he's back near Cleveland--good to know if I ever decide to go back out that way... MET!! and had books signed by Katherine Paterson, Patricia MacLachlan, Kevin Henkes Got free yet-to-be-released-books wh...

Was going to post while at ALA, but 1. I didn't bring my computer and 2. though I had access to my iPhone, when I wasn't conferencing I was too busy having fun. I LOVE CHICAGO. It was so nice to be back in the city, a little over a year since my last trip in. I went in prepared to feel a little overwhelmed, which I did, initially--I mean there were about 20,000+ people there!--but, I played it smart and decided to only attend speakers and sessions that were around McCormick Place, choosing to avoid hitting the outlier sessions. Even though I came with a schedule of what I wanted to see and do, I lived in the moment and switched up my schedule if I saw something that caught my eye. I also wasn't sure how much time I would spend in the Exhibitors Hall (7 hours!?) or how tired I would be each day! Things I learned at my first American Library Association Conference: Wear comfy shoes. I chose Tevas, which actually didn't look as bad as I thought they would with skirts. ...

By the time you read this I'm either Chicago bound, or already in the city. I am sooooo excited for my 1st ALA Conference; excited for a weekend break from Summer Reading; super excited to be in Chicago! (I can't believe it's already been over a year since my last visit with the Germans!) All the swanky, big hotels were booked already by the time I decided I was going, so I'll actually be staying in the same hostel I stayed at with the Germans...fine by me, it's right down the street from Chicago Public Library's Main Branch! More details soon!

Not only are we super busy in the thick of Summer Reading--this is week 3 of 6--but now I am getting nervous and trying to get prepared for ALA Chicago. I'm excited for the roundtables/lectures/speakers, etc., it's the logistics that are bugging me out. I am riding in with a friend and fellow librarian, SmuttyNovelHound, early Saturday and am already pondering how to accomplish these things: 1. dropping SmuttyNovelHound's stuff off at her hotel 2. finding parking for my car during conference 3. finding my friend's condo post conference 4. finding parking again Sunday morning 5. making it back to the conference in time for a Sunday session that I am directly involved in, and finding parking!! 6. finding parking again Monday morning 7. getting the hell out of Dodge before the traffic gets bad when we head home Monday! I am reading all the ALA websites, stalking ALA on Twitter, but nothing prepares you for the shittiness that is parking in Chicago, ESPECIALLY duri...

Since I am going to the ALA Chicago Conference next weekend, and will be putting in loads of extra hours, my LOVELY Board approved giving me time off this week. Can I just say, I LOVE my Board, and am so thankful for them! Decided to take my long weekend at the Farm; to see my beautiful Berkshires in summer; to get together with RugbyGirl and KellyBelly and Eliza--my girls who I miss so much; to come to say goodbye to a friend who's moving on; to take a break from the flat Midwest and see the lovely rolling hills of New England again. I left yesterday and stopped en route in Syracuse, NY, where I stayed with my friend Christy--it was a nice time catching up and enjoying a couple meals together. But I was glad to get on the road today, as I was impatient to get back to the Farm; to see the sun shining down upon my beloved Farm, as my last glance of it had been a bleak and snowy day--Christmas Day in fact . When I turned on the road leading to the Farm, I was awed by how beau...