WLMA Conference 2007 - Be The Link

What a great conference in Yakima! I went to some wonderful sessions. There's something about driving over the mountains that clears your mind and relaxes your body. It allows me to be open to new ideas and possibilities.

Pre-conference

At the Pre-conference I heard a truck-load of ideas for new books from Peggy Sharp and learned many ways to advocate for school libraries - we had to set a goal for advocacy. My goal is to write monthly for the school newsletter. It seems simple, but we'll see.

Meals
I attended the lunches and Friday's banquet. Friday's business lunch was fun. My WCCPBA (Washington Children's Choice Picture Book Award) Co-chair, Karen Huebschman won the elementary Teacher-Librarian of the Year award. I happened to visit Karen a few weeks ago at her library in Vancouver, WA. It was an incredibly warm place. She is well-deserving of the award. During Friday's banquet, Luis Rodriquez was an incredible speaker, he shared his experiences. It was inspiring to hear about his hopes and fears. A memorable evening. Judy Schachner was the speaker at Saturday's Luncheon. She was wonderful, definitely an "abstract random." What a neat sense of humor. She shared her home life as well as the experiences which allowed her to be creative. At the close of the luncheon the new officers were introduced and I began my first moments as WLMA President-Elect. First official duty...a photo (photo #2)!

Sessions / Key Note
I went to many of the sessions. I attended a great session by author Betty Birney. She wrote the "According to Humphrey" books, which my students love. She had a great sense of humor and shared how her writing career has developed. Nadean Meyer and Joanna Freeman's session on Web 2.0 (interactive elements of the web) got me inspired to start this blog! Friday's keynote speaker was Eric Liu. He was very inspiring, speaking about mentoring and being mentored. We really have the ability to touch so many people. I also enjoyed the small group discussion of the conference book "The Book Thief." I read this incredible book over the summer. It was fun to talk about the book with others.

Social Life & Autographs
Other fun things I attended was social hours sponsored by the University of Washington, WLMA Small Districts & Private Schools, and Mel (men of WLMA). Some of the librarians from the Edmonds School District also got together Thursday evening to discuss the pre-conference and what sessions we'd attend. I got to meet librarians from all over Washington throughout the conference standing in line for meals, sitting at sessions, and moving between the convention center and the hotel. I also enjoyed getting Judy Schachner's autograph on a "Skippyjon Jones" book that I'll either give to a student or put in my school's collection. I was the last person in the autograph line (she signed for a long time - at least 45 minutes after her scheduled time). One of the conference organizers was trying to get her ready for her luncheon, so I promised I wouldn't talk to her....she promised the same. A silent autographing (photo #1). What a great sense of humor!

I can't wait for Conference 2008 in Portland, Oregon!