I love conferences. It’s so energizing to get out of my routine and meet new contacts, hear inspiring speakers, and soak up new ideas. And I managed to do all of those things at the OLA Super Conference for 2014, fittingly themed: “A Universe of Possibilities.”
I won’t go into all of the details, but here are some of the highlights from this great event.
1. The Expo. This is the perfect place to learn about cool new gadgets, find out about publishers’ offerings for the upcoming year, and get a ton of free stuff. Who knows – you might even win some free stuff, too 😉
(A small sampling of the awesome loot I got at the Expo.)
2. A panel entitled, “Fast Track to Management: How Four New Librarians Learned to Manage.” I may not even be out of library school yet, but chances are, many (dare I say most?) library school students will become managers within a few years of graduation. It was great to hear these four women discuss how they found their feet on the job, since (in my opinion) library schools don’t do enough to prepare us for managerial roles . But that’s a topic for another day.
3. David Usher’s inspiring speech on creativity. This was jam-packed, and with good reason. (I ended up with really lousy photos from being way in the back, unfortunately.) I completely agree with his key point: that anyone can be creative. And even if you don’t have a “Eureka!” moment one day, that’s okay, because creativity isn’t about waiting around for a genius idea to come into your head; it’s a ton of work. I believe that as librarians, creativity is central to everything we do. We don’t just inspire creativity – we embody it. We don’t have to have lightbulbs going off in our brains all the time, but we do have to always keep working at taking ideas and using them to make something new. That creativity is what keeps us relevant in today’s world.
4. Wendy Newman’s speech on library advocacy. I had heard her speak about this before, but I jumped at the chance to hear her again, because she is so passionate and eloquent when talking about her work. She said a lot of great things, but I think her most important point is that people do things for their reasons, not ours. We may think the library deserves funding simply because…well…it’s a library…but not everyone agrees. It’s our job, as library advocates, to make a case for a library that aligns with their interests.
5. Chris Hadfield’s talk at the closing luncheon. This is one accomplished, hilarious man – and he happens to be perfectly suited to a library conference themed, “A Universe of Possibilities!” His key point? Plan for failure – because when you plan for failure, you ensure your success in even the most difficult situations.
A cousin of mine who works in another part of the country couldn’t make it to OLA this year, but told me that it was on her “bucket list.” My first thought was: It absolutely should be. Along with all of these great speakers, and all of my free stuff, I met some wonderful people in Library Land that I hope I will cross paths with again. So, if you’re thinking about going to a library conference as a library school student, I say: If you can get to it, go for it. The people and ideas you will discover (often for a very low price, I might add!) can only help you as you launch your career.
Library students of the world: How do you feel about conferences? Do you find them stimulating, or overwhelming? Useful, or not so useful? And for librarians: What kind of role have conferences played in your careers?
No Library is an Island 