ALA Midwinter

Posted January 15, 2016 by Tara Pealer

A scene:

You walk into the Boston Convention and Exhibit center. It’s 7:30 on a Saturday morning, and the sun is still struggling to break through the dawn and clouds. You rush to the table you’re staffing for the day, check in, and then head over to pick up your pass.

You made it.

You’re at ALA Midwinter. It’s official. You have a pass and everything. They even gave you a free tote!

And then, as you’re heading back to the table, you see it.

A wonderland. A dream come true. A place better than Neverland. It makes you feel how Cinderella must have felt looking upon the Prince’s Castle.

You’ve caught your first glimpse of the ALA Midwinter Exhibit Hall. Above the crowd of stations and booths, rise recognizable signs for Ebsco, JStor, and McFarland. Hidden in this huge arena, you know, reside the numerous tables for Penguin and Random House. Authors and illustrators are preparing for signings. Free books, posters, and tote bags are just within reach.

Already, the scene is alive, bustling with people finishing setting up the world below, and, as you tear your eyes away from the scene below, you see that the rest of the convention center is livening up to look just as exciting.

Or, I mean, that’s what I did.

At any rate, ALA was amazing. Besides the number of Advanced Reader Copies, posters and tote bags I got, I was able to meet a lot of cool librarians and vendors. I was staffing a table for one of the ALA presidential candidates, and it was a great opportunity to engage with the library world beyond Simmons. I was able to talk with Librarians about what I enjoyed, what I learned, and what I wanted to do, and they would respond with stories, ideas, and advice about how to get where I want to go. I was also able to talk to vendors and learn more about what they offer libraries.

I also had a great experience working at the ALA Presidential Candidate’s table, because I got to learn about the different visions for the path of ALA, and get information about the ALA elections.

Afterwards, while the midwinter conference came to a close at five pm and we closed up the table to the sounds of the Hamilton Musical Soundtrack playing from Networking UnCommons, a friend suggested we head over to the SLIS After Dark ALA after party.

So, we went and we ended up talking with a couple alumni about who they knew and who we knew, and getting extra free drink tickets. It was inspiring to hear what alumni were doing and the amazing effects of their work. It was inspiring to hear how classes at Simmons helped these alumni succeed.

ALA Midwinter, overall, was an exciting, inspiring, and amazing event. It was packed with wonderful people, interesting events, and educating experiences. I enjoyed every second.