All of ALA - Cheresse

I finally caught up on my sleep after four incredibly long busy days. I'll be posting more indepth information later on some of the programs I attended, but in short it was a great first time ALA Annual experience. I fit in about as much as I possibly could, and heard some great speakers on a variety of topics. This is what I'll be writing about:

Friday

• Got Tweens? Serving Younger Teens & Tweens (Yalsa preconference)

Saturday

• PLA 101 Annual conference tips for first time attendees
• Exhibits
• Public Programs in a Shoebox: What if you don't have a meeting room?
• Teen Parents Raising Readers: Teen Staff Making it Happen
• Science Fiction & Fantasy: Looking at Information Technology and the Information Rights of the Individual (it was a PACKED house, I had to STAND for the entire program)

Sunday

• Beyond Gaming Tournaments (I just commented on Jessi's post)
• Winning Over Boy Readers w/ California's Teacher of the Year (just commented on Jessi's post again)
• Exhibits
• Hey! I want to do that Too!: Gaming and the Elementary Age Child

Monday

• Reference Services to Teens
• Research Fuels the Author’s Fire
• The American Drea @ Your Library (I just commented on Truc's posting)
• Exhibits again
• Proquest's Lunch & Learn (free lunch!!)
• YALSA President program and Teen Third Space (I commented on Jessi's post)

What I am doing at ALA 2008 by Jane Gibson

On Saturday, I am emceeing the LIVE! @ your library Reading Stage from noon -4PM
http://www.ala.org/ala/ppo/calendar/ac2008/LIVEstage2008.cfm

Then, at 4PM I’ll attend the PPYA Business Meeting (Popular Paperbacks Committee—I am chairing the list called Journey> Destination and serving on the committee for Spies and Intrigue:
http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/booklistsawards/popularpaperback/nominations.cfm

On Sunday morning I have my PPYA Committee meetings to discuss the titles already nominated. This is an open meeting—so you should come to it—here is the schedule:

8:00 - 9:30 - Death
9:30 - 11:00 - Spies
11:00 - 12:30 - Journey
12:30 - 2:00 - LUNCH!!
2:00 - 3:30 - Fame

It is located in the Disneyland North Exhibit Hall J

In the afternoon on Sunday I am attending
Fostering Youth Advocacy: How Libraries Can Help

I don’t have a cell phone, but I am staying at the Crowne Plaza Resort-(714)867-5555

Posted for Jane by Jessi

Getting Ready--Jessi

I feel like I have been getting ready for the ALA Conference in Anaheim for months. I registered back during the early bird to save $25 on the fee, then slowly booked several flights to and from Anaheim and Long Beach. Why, you may ask? Because my son and I will be taking a vacation just before the conference at Seal Beach, staying with a friend, which has made things slightly more complicated. Flights are a lot more expensive this year, sometimes doubling the price they were just a few months ago. The Boy (as my son is referred to in my blog) will come back to Washington on June 26 and I will move into a hotel in Anaheim on the 27th.

Lately, aside from my pre-travel fretting, I have been trying to lay out a schedule of the sessions I want to attend. I put them all in my Google Calendar (thanks to the Google Gods) and as you can see (from the blurry image), I have a lot on there.



I know that the schedule will likely change, but it always makes me feel better to know I have a preliminary plan. Most everything is YA related, but I hope to add/substitute a few other areas of interest to gain a more rounded experience.