A Library State of Mind

A little over a week ago I attended the "Library State of Mind" joint conference of the Illinois School Library Media Association (ISLMA) and the Illinois Library Association. This is the first time the conference has been joint. It was different than our normal state School Library conference and I for one had a great time meeting all different kinds of librarians! I liked the feeling of being connected to a greater group, from public librarians to corporate librarians.
I always leave these conferences a bit overwhelmed, but I want to reflect on a few things I took away from the conference.
I went to a great session called 52 Weeks of STEM @ Your Library, The presenters, Heather Love Beverley and Heather Thompson from Cook Memorial Library, do STEM activities each week. The best part is they document all their activities on their website, http://steminlibraries.com, and describe the grade levels, time, supplies, and what they would do differently. I love being able to learn from their experiences (and mistakes!) I can definitely see myself using this as a resource for STEM and maker activities! 

I went to another fabulous session called Voices and Images: Diversity and Children's Books Panel. The panel was led by B.A. Binns, author and member of WeNeedDiverseBooks. The discussion centered around how authors, illustrators, and librarians can work to empower readers and make sure libraries' diverse patrons can find themselves reflected on the shelves. This is so important - I'm actually working on revising a selection policy for my district and including the point that all students need to be able to see themselves reflected in my collection, and not just in traditional "stereotypical" ways. My favorite quote: "Librarians are generals in the war on ignorance."
I was a little nervous/antsy during this amazing presentation though, because it was right before my own presentation on Linking the NGSS Standards to your Library! I worked on a committee to match Next Generation Science Standards to our Illinois School Library Standards, so was asked to give this presentation! Exciting stuff. :) 

I also greatly enjoyed the deadpan sarcasm of Daniel Handler (aka Lemony Snicket)'s keynote. However, the highlight of the conference for me was seeing Katherine Applegate receive the Bluestem Award (Illinois' Student Choice Award for 3-5) and hearing her speak in another session. I had just seen her a few weeks ago in Naperville but it was absolutely awesome to see her accept the award and answer all of our questions.