Week After FLA 2010

I have had a couple of days to process all that I took in last week in Orlando at the Florida Library Association Annual Conference 2010. I am hoping that writing down what I learned, and mulling it over will help me hang onto the experience longer. I definitely will say that the number one thing that I took from the conference was how it easy it was to network with other librarians, and how receptive almost everyone was to exchanging ideas, and talking about the profession. My goal upon attending the conference was to get on one of the committees and attend as many sessions as possible that are applicable to my job. Instead I was lucky enough to meet a few library system directors, the current President of FLA, several committee heads and members, and some vendors who should prove resourceful.

My goal of getting on a committee should be accomplished as I managed to get invited to the Public Relations Committee meeting, and they were receptive to adding me to their committee. Appointment must come from future president John Callahan, and experience has taught me to not count my eggs before they hatch. A couple of other committees were seeking members, and if I do not get appointed to the PR Committee I will aim for another. I also managed to gather some needed info like the fact that Sirsi should not be crashing on our computers several times a day, how to use Google Analytics for computer stats, and that eGov is indeed looking like part of the future for libraries. The final point makes me glad I chose the Empowerment Zone as my SSLLI project.

I can not emphasize enough how important the convention was from a networking perspective. Being a current member of SSLLI helped me meet many important people, and allowed for many introductions. I was always under the impression that networking involved a certain level of sleaziness, but I learned how to meet and greet while staying true to myself. Having my mentor Daniel around for feedback really helped with this. And anyone who is interested in making a career out of Florida libraries should attend these conferences. If you are looking to get on the fast track then this is the place to be. Just talking about the EZ resulted in the suggestion that I publish an article on my project, and also that I could possibly present at FLA 2011.

Now to take all that I learned and put it to work in my library. More to follow on this...