ALA

Since deciding to become a Librarian, I have found the stars are beginning to align. I was accepted, received financial aid that would enable me to focus on my studies, and meet students at SJSU through random encounters.

The best part about this "timing" thing was this past weekend when the American Library Association (ALA) held their Mid-Winter meeting here in San Diego.

Since I am a student (and this would be my first professional conference), I choose the Exhibit Supreme pass over any of the other bigger priced passes. There was a part of me that was a little sad that I wasn't able to attend some of the meetings. Yet, after walking through the exhibit hall after the first evening, I felt overwhelmed with the amount of information.

The exhibit booths were AMAZING. Just the idea that publishers want you to take a copy of their new books was the best part. And since I'm trying to catch up on a larger amount of the Young Adult titles that are available, it was the perfect opportunity to load up on some of these titles. In the coming months, you'll see some of those titles reviewed on this blog.

Walking the exhibit floor was a great introduction to the world outside of the library. The types of technology that are available to library systems is vast and expanding. Though eBook readers usage is rising, the amount of physical copies still available lead me to wonder when the larger switch from physical to digital might occur.

I know that this is an exciting time to enter the world of Library Science because this is a time for change. What that change will be, and how it will translate it modern libraries, is what excites me and what was fun about the ALA Mid-Winter Meeting.