ALA Conference 2016 Orlando
The meeting point
It’s a big conference.
With nearly 60,000 members, the American Library Association is the biggest collective of librarians and information professionals in the world, so naturally its gatherings get big. Many thousands of members attend the annual conference. You can spend almost a week there and never spot the classmate or colleague you were hoping to see, if you didn’t prearrange a meeting point.
But you can also meet a diverse bunch of new and interesting people you never even knew existed before you arrived. You’ll queue up with early-career newbies and old-timers. You’ll see people studying paper program books, people monitoring e-gadgets, and people with the latest mobile device in one hand and a shopping bag, overflowing with new analog reading material, in the other. You can learn new things. You can make your case or change your perspective. You can have civil conversations with people who disagree with you. You can cross paths with people of virtually any color, gender, religious persuasion, or personality type on the map.
They’re all here, and all share a common bond: their belief in the value of libraries and literacy and community learning spaces.
At ALA, that’s the point where everyone meets.
Laurie Putnam
SJSU iSchool Lecturer
@NextLibrariesÂ
Meeting point photo courtesy of Laurie Putnam
ALA Orlando Highlights– by ALASC Chair Tiana Trutna
This year in Orlando was my first experience with the ALA Annual conference and as I reflect upon it, I came away proud to be pursuing the library profession. 
What made me proud was the intentional attention to increasing diversity, and all the efforts of inclusion. Read More…
Musings from a Student on #ALAAC16 — by ALASC Regional Events Coordinator Stephanie Barnaby
From the minute I stepped off the plane in Florida, the heat was oppressive. There were palm trees everywhere! I didn’t feel totally prepared for Orlando in the dead center of summer. The picture included here is of a gecko I saw by the hotel pool. I hadn’t seen one before and it took me the whole trip to get a picture of one. They move so fast! Read More…
Student Anna-Carin U’Ren Receives a REFORMA Travel Grant and Enjoys her First Professional Conference
This June I was fortunate enough to attend the American Library Association Conference in Orlando, FL. I suppose I had never considered attending a conference prior to this one, probably because I was so focused on my classes and had never actually worked in a library. Read More…
The ALA Spectrum Leadership Institute Opens Doors by iSchool Student Clara Asuncion
When I first received the phone call from Gwendolyn Prellwitz of the American Library Association Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion about my Spectrum scholarship, I was so excited I want to jump and shout. Read More…
Reflections and ALA Updates from Chapter Councilor and iSchool Instructor Patty Wong
As one can imagine, the tenor of the conference was both somber in light of the recent shootings at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, but hopeful in terms of the future and the roles we can and should take part in providing a better world for our communities. Read More…
Be sure to mark your calendar for the ALA Mid-Winter Conference in Atlanta, Georgia from January 20-23, 2017. Look for more details on the ALA website.
Upcoming SJSU ALASC events:
New Member Meeting: Monday, September 12th @ 6pm PDT
SJSU School of Information Group Showcase Panel:
Wednesday, September 14th at 7:00PM Pacific Daylight Time
Location:Â Online via Blackboard Collaborate
ALASC chair Tiana Trutna will be there to highlight events and activities and discuss the benefits of joining our student chapter.
Session Link: https://sas.elluminate.com/d.jnlp?sid=2011274&password=D.3AC3B9C4CB7C753…(link is external)Individuals requiring real-time captioning or other accommodations should contact Dr. Sue Alman as soon as possible.
To keep up with future ALASC events, be sure to check the calendar on our website.
Show your ALASC spirit and check out the winning t-shirts from last year’s contest.
