Sailing to ACRL

[all opinions expressed are solely of the author, Athena N. Jackson athena_n_jackson@yahoo.com]

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I was thrilled when I received word of having been awarded the ACRL Library School Student Scholarship to attend the ACRL Conference in Baltimore last month. I made my travel/lodging plans, downloaded the itinerary for the event, and started to plan my journey. [By the way, take a look at the headliners. They were fabulous speakers, all~]

I chose to attend panel discussions covering a wide array of topics, such as ways to get next-gen librarians into the field, a discussion on blended librarianship, up-to-date analyses of burgeoning institutional repositories, special collections’ roles in faculty support, and social networking. I could not possibly do justice to the presenters, their topics, and the breadth of their knowledge in this small blog entry; but, I will say, each panel was chosen due to my own interest in the topics. I came away from every one having a better feel of the pulse of many activities in which I hope to some day take part.

Outside the meeting rooms, I meandered through the vendors section, chatted with various reps about their products, bumped into people I met in sessions (who were always gracious to this budding librarian), and noshed on the free food. I also visited the lively poster presentations. It was a big crowd to navigate through, but well worth the effort: superb fodder for various and sundry topics related to academic librarianship.

I also attended the REFORMA Round Table Discussion. I met an amazing group of active librarians exploring ideas about identifying, recruiting, and retaining Latino/a academic librarians. It was a candid and thoughtful discussion, and I felt at ease sharing my opinions as it relates to my small slice of life. Just to let my fellow distance-learning readers know, I made sure to explain that recruitment needs to go beyond the institutional walls and out to a student population that may be spread far and wide.

ACRL also made the effort to make new attendees, like me, feel welcome with a New Attendees breakfast and mixer. There were tables and balloons (yes, I’m a sucker for carnivalesque flash!) and every conceivable ACRL group was represented and ready to discuss their issues/foci with new attendees.

As an added bonus, by being a Scholarship Recipient, I didn’t have to scurry to the keynote addresses: we had saved seats in the front. I felt a rush being able to be up close and personal with Michael Eric Dyson, making eye-contact with the infectiously hilarious John Waters, and feeling in the presence of greatness being so close to Nina Totenberg. Yay, NPR!

Throughout the event, I felt welcome and invigorated by the professionals in the field of academic librarianship. I cannot express enough how important it is to get a feel for this profession while we are still students. From calling a local librarian and requesting a chat to joining a professional organization and attending its conference, you cannot go wrong in getting your feet wet as early as possible...