HackLibSchool Conversation Starter

I am pleased to say that HackLibSchool will be holding two events at this years ALA Annual conference. Awhile back, I wrote about trying to bring HLS and the issues we care about to the conference level. Well, I’m happy to say that our Conversation Starter was accepted! To be honest, this is the first year that they have done the Conversation Starter series, so I’m not sure what to expect. However, our session is intended to be a moderated discussion – not like a traditional panelists just talk at you presentation. We want your input on what topics you want to discuss.

Potential guiding questions:

• What aspects of library school curriculum prepare you for the job?
• What emerging technologies helped you hack your education?
• From a student’s perspective, what advice would you give to a veteran? or a potential boss?
• What would you tell yourself going into library school, knowing what you know now?
• Should every student be required to take at least one online class? Why?

Please add more potential questions in the comments! We want to talk about things that are relevant to you! Also, we only have 45 minutes to talk so I would like to invite everyone to come meet and talk with the Hackers at the HackLibSchool/ Library Boing Boing meetup! It’s going to be fun, and hope to see you there!

How to Hack the Academic Conference

Planning Quasi-Con

This post was collaboratively written by Quasi-Con planners and School of Information Master’s candidates Kelly Davenport, Peter Timmons, Ilana Barnes (ALA chapter president), Kim Miller (vice president), Katy Mahraj (treasurer), Ryan Clement (webmaster), and Mariah Cherem (social media coordinator).

The DIY Library Conference: A Quasi-Guide

It was an experiment.

When Ilana Barnes pitched the idea of a student-led library conference at the University of Michigan School of Information (SI) during her tenure as ALA Chapter president, she chose the following theme: “The Future of Libraries?!”

Ultimately, we didn’t need the question mark. More than 70 students, professionals, and alumni gathered in January for the first Quasi-Con, a hybrid unconference and professional conference. We’re here to tell you how we organized it, and why we think you should plan your own Quasi-Con, in three easy steps.

Why you should register for a conference ASAP

Here we are in the second month of the semester and if you are new to your LIS program, you’re probably just trying to get your feet under you (as I was a year ago). Old hands are re-acclimating to the familiar not-enough-hours-in-the-day feeling and we are all looking at due dates, reading lists and task lists with dread.

For the first time or the 10th, you might be drowning in a sea of acronyms and the thought of adding ALA, MLA, SLA, or AMIA seems like it will shortcircuit your brain. Believe me, though, the effort of finding a good conference and then attending is going to save you tons of time, energy and even money in the long run.

It is worth it to add this to-do to your plate in a place of priority. Hack Library has published some great resources for hacking a conference, particularly the Grandaddy of them all ALA (here, here, here and here). Even if you can’t make it to Anaheim this summer, you ought start planning to attend at least one LIS Conference in the next year. Let me explain through my experience.

ALA Midwinter – Quick Preview

In case you haven’t yet had the opportunity to be introduced to the idea of professional networking, here’s a quick intro: librarians near and far, from all varieties of the field, twice a year attend gigantic conferences hosted by our preeminent organization, the American Library Association. There are constant debates about the value of membership in this organization, and we highly encourage all readers to throughly investigate how and where they plan to invest their professional time. That said, I (Micah) think its important to be part of ALA for the very reason this blog exists, to support the idea of “Big Tent Librarianship” and build connections with peers and colleagues in different areas of work.

So, I’ll be attending ALA Midwinter in Dallas this weekend, along with my fellow HackLibSchool writers Teresa and Ashley. Here are a few tips/pointers/suggestions if you’re a student or recent grad heading to the conference:

1. Bring a water bottle

2. Carry your phone charger with you

3. Wear comfortable shoes (but fashionable, of course!)

4. Contact the ALA New Members Round Table (NRMT) – they’re here for you!

5. Get out, be personable and meet people!

6. Contact Micah (micahvandegrift [at] gmail) if you want to be added to the ALAMW GroupMe group chat/text thingie. Smart phone not required! Great way to stay in touch, find out where the good sessions are, organize a lunch or breakfast, and generally make new friends!

7. Use ALA Connect’s Conference Scheduler to get organized and plan out the sessions you’re attending. Seriously. Invaluable.

And to facilitate #5, we are happy to promote several social events that are a great way to connect with new colleagues.

• NRMT Midwinter Social - Saturday 5:30-7:30 at City Tavern
• 5th Annual Newbie and Veteran Librarian Midwinter Tweetup – Saturday 7:30- 10:00 at Anvil Pub

(and selfishly, two events close to our hearts):

• New Members Discussion Group: What I Wished I’d Learned in Library School panel discussion. Sunday 10:30am -12:00 pm at the Sheraton Lone Star Ballroom, C3. (Micah is one of the panelists.)
• Hack Library School/Library Boing Boing Meetup – Sunday 7:00-9:00pm at Adairs Saloon.

Hope to see some of you in Dallas! Don’t be shy, come up and say hello!

Bonus: Check out this series of posts from last year’s ALA Annual Conference to get a sense of how we hack conferences.

HackLibSchool at ALA Annual

ALA Conference Scheduler Stats from ALA Staff on Flickr

Hi Everyone – Just a quick short note here. We’re very excited to be a part of reshaping ALA, as you can probably tell from some of our recent posts. The first step is getting involved, which we will be kicking off this weekend at the annual conference. Annie, Lauren and Micah will be attending the conference (and wishing everyone else could make it too!), and feeling out the pulse of our profession – Annie as an MLIS student and Lauren and Micah as n00brarians. Aside from the great sessions and speakers, we are excited to get out and meet folks, friends, readers, peers and leaders in the field.

There are plans(?) to try to do some short posts from the conference, although we’ll see if/how that actually pans out. Micah will be wandering around collecting sound bites for the ever-popular Two Minute Insights that we sorta gave up on, but are hoping to revive. We have applied to iTunes for our podcast license, and for now you can listen to the past TMI’s below. Keep an eye on our Twitter and Facebook page for new TMI’s from the conference.

Thank you again for reading and supporting us, and please, do come up and introduce yourself. We’re shy too.

Hope some of you will make it to the HackLibSchool Meetup at Avenue Pub, Sunday night at 8:30ish!