ALA 2023- by Andrea DelValle

 In June, I had the privilege of attending ALA’s annual library conference in Chicago. I have never been to Chicago, so this was very exciting for me! The city is beautiful, and I spent some time being a tourist and checking out the sites near my hotel room:

                                                   

      At the Navy Pier            Cloudgate, AKA “The Bean”                                          

The conference focused heavily on intellectual freedom, diversity and inclusion and opened on Friday to a packed house! A wide panel of speakers offered support and encouragement for librarians working to provide equitable service for all in the midst of unprecedented book challenges. You can read more about the opening session here.

Author Judy Blume and publisher Justin Chanda                                                           

Friday’s session closed with beloved children’s author, Judy Blume. Blume is no stranger to book challenges and she shared her thoughts on the matter. When asked what she would say to someone who wanted to challenge one of her books, she replied,“what is it about this book that scares you?” (cue the standing ovation….and maybe a few tears).

Nikki Grimes discussed her collaboration with Jerry Pinkney on a new children’s book called A Walk in the Woods. The book, available in September 2023, features a young person of color who is dealing with the loss of his father. Grimes stated, “too few children’s books feature Black characters engaging with nature, and that was something we were both interested in changing.” In this story, the protagonist finds an envelope addressed to him from his late father. He opens it to find a sort of treasure map of the woods behind their house, and he sets out to discover what his father wanted him to find. At the end of the treasure hunt, the boy finds illustrations of several woodland creatures that his father had left behind. Caldecott winning illustrator Jerry Pinkney sadly passed away in October of 2021. The illustrations for the book were almost finished, but not quite complete. That is when Grimes reached out to Jerry Pinkney’s own son, Brian, for help. In a sense, Brian began a journey similar to the protagonist in the story he was asked to illustrate. He was unsure of how to complete his father’s art and almost declined. He had been experimenting with creating swirls of color prior to his father’s death, but was not sure what to do with them. He then had an epiphany. His swirls of color fit neatly over his father’s pen and ink drawings. He was suddenly inspired to complete the book, and in the process, work through the grief of losing his own father. 

Brian Pinkney demonstrates his swirls of color

Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro discuss their new collaboration The Sun and the Star: A Nico di Angelo Adventure. This is a stand-alone novel featuring one of Riordan’s popular characters in the Percy Jackson series, Nico di Angelo. For those of you who don’t know, Nico, the son of Hades,  is an LGTBQ character. Riordan knew it was important for Nico’s voice to be as authentic as possible, so he invoked the help of Mark Oshiro, an LGTBQ children’s author, to help develop this character. Oshiro is the author of the young adult books Anger Is a Gift, winner of the 2019 Schneider Family Book Award, and Each of Us A Desert, an NPR Best Book of 2020. Oshiro felt uniquely qualified to bring the character of Nico (as well as his boyfriend, Will Solace) to life and called it one of the most rewarding experiences of his life. 

Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro

For fans of the Percy Jackson franchise, Riordan surprised us with news of a new novel in the original Percy Jackson series! He has not written anything in this series for ten years, but the 6th book is set to be released in September of 2023! He wrote it as a way to convince Disney to launch a new live-action Percy Jackson series. Riordan said that the film franchise didn’t do the books justice (but we already knew that), so this is his way of making it up to us! Each book in the Percy Jackson series will make up one whole season on Disney. I am very much looking forward to watching and reading all of the new stuff! As a side note, Riordan had been accepted into a doctoral program at Harvard University to study Irish lore, but had to turn it down to focus on Percy. That’s a pretty big deal!

NOTEWORTHY SESSIONS:

Re-engaging Readers with Multicultural Literature

Books are mirrors when readers see their own lives reflected in the pages. Books are windows when they allow readers a view of lives and stories that are different from their own. Books become sliding glass doors when readers feel transported into the world of the story and when they feel empathy for the characters. It is important for everyone to be able to see themselves in a book and to imagine what it would be like to be the main character. The book Wildlife Divas Adventure Team combines at-risk youth with endangered animals, and focuses on STEM themes throughout. Why is this important? Because a career in a STEM field can break the cycle of generational poverty.

Communication Strategies for Engaging Non-Native English Speaking Library Patrons

New York Public Library offers several options for non-native English Speaking Library Patrons: Informal classes:  English conversation, Citizenship preparation, professional development

Utilize open source information called We Speak NYC

Formal classes: ESOL, ESOL/job readiness, Adult basic literacy

Assessments given before and after to measure effectiveness

Classes meet both in person and online

Registration is required

When conversing with a patron who’s first language is not English, it is important to speak clearly and to emphasize the main ideas of what you are trying to communicate. Non-verbal gestures can be helpful as well. Consider terms that may sound like jargon, for example, “check-in” and “check-out” can be confusing to some people. Use terms such as “borrow” and “return” instead.

Hear Me Out: Podcasting as Community Connection

Gwinnett County Library hosts three very different podcasts:

Flip the Library: This podcast focuses on how and why the library offers the programming and services that it does. Past episodes have delved into the library’s volunteer program, the summer reading challenge, the GCPL-hosted robotics team in FIRST LEGO League, and what makes each branch unique. The Learning Labs provide fodder for many episodes of the podcast, including showcasing winners of the Teen Film Challenge who have gone on to continue their film careers.

Spill Lit: Each episode, YA superfans Katharine and Patty try to convince non-fan Sarah of all the merits of YA books. Listeners will hear their takes on different titles, and what they liked and didn’t like about all aspects of each book; from the writing style, to the plot points, and the cover art. Titles from a wide variety of genres are discussed, as well as what elements of a book draw them in (talking animals, found family, romance) and what turns them off (aliens, detectives, serials.) Find out more about featured YA books in the library’s catalog and discover new titles that you would like to check out yourself! Different perspectives can provide more interest to listeners who may or may not enjoy a certain genre.

Authors Annotated:  Authors Annotated features conversations with authors who visit the library about their work, their creative processes, and their love of libraries. Episodes cover a variety of subjects including fiction, non-fiction, fantasy, thrillers, romance, cooking, sports, and more.

Some tips for creating engaging content: Podcasts are an informal medium and sound best when the guests are having a real conversation, rather than talking in sound bites.

You don’t have to be “radio perfect” — in fact, being too slick can sometimes be a bad thing. Podcast listeners want to hear the real you, and they want you to enjoy yourself. If you’re reading prepared responses, it’ll sound more stilted, but if you're having fun, they'll love listening to you.

Jumpstart Your Library Career with Committee Work, Reviewing and Community Engagement /Projects

Have you ever wondered who reviews the books for Booklist or Kirkus? Did you know that librarians can apply to review books and get paid for doing so? Apply with your ALA membership number to get approved automatically. Reviewing books looks great on a resume and can provide a little extra cash. FYI Kirkus pays the most, but they also require the most amount of work.

You can also join an ALA committee or round table; lots of things require just a minimum amount of participation, often just one meeting a year.

Participating in community organizations is a great way to market yourself and your library system while building partnerships in your community.

A Bird in the Hand: Strategies for Retaining Library Employees

This event was packed and so it was difficult to see and hear much of the presentation from where I was standing. With that said, opportunities for employment have shifted as a result of the “Great Resignation.” Libraries need to focus on retaining employees by providing continuous employee engagement and development opportunities. In addition, not all turnover is bad. It is important to focus on building a team that can work effectively together. Libraries should also focus on providing accessible work environments for people of all abilities and identities.

Ending the Spread of Misinformation and Disinformation: The Library’s Role

Librarians should be aware that there is a spectrum of media fluency. It is important to be aware of which sources are credible and which are not. Students often use less credible sources, such as YouTube and Chat GPT to help source their papers.

Chat GPT can be a great tool for research, but we need to become familiar with the limitations of this technology. When prompted to cite a source, Chat GPT will make up citations, listing authors that don’t exist. It is important for librarians to become familiar with this kind of technology in order to determine its credibility. 

SOME FUN AND NOTABLE MOMENTS FROM MY TIME IN CHICAGO:

I met Jerry Craft! Twice, actually. The first time, we were getting on an escalator together. He let me go first, and when I turned to thank him, I recognized him and told him how much I loved his book, The New Kid. He told me to come to his book signing the next day, so I did. He signed a copy of School Trip for me!

OCLC hosted a night at the museum for librarians at the Art Institute of Chicago. I registered and attended, not knowing what to expect. I was impressed beyond words at this event. We were able to check out parts of the museum’s collection of modern and contemporary art. This included several works by Picasso, Mondrian, Matisse, Chagall, Andy Warhol and Brancusi and more. The food was excellent and there was live music, too. I highly recommend attending this event if you ever have the chance. 

                              

        “Interior at Nice”                                “The Old Guitarist”