SLA 2011
by ClassicyLady
I always say my favorite thing about becoming a librarian is how supportive this field is and my time at the SLA annual conference this year did nothing but confirm that for me. I was welcomed everywhere and scolded for introducing myself as “just” a student. I got a ton of great advice and was always encouraged to reach out to anyone and everyone I met or even just heard in my sessions. My favorite sessions were:
- Job Hunting in a Tough Market: full of great tips for everything from the actual way I would go about searching for a job to how to write my resume/cover letter to preparing for the interview to the interview itself and even how to appropriately follow up.
- Career Connection One-on-One: totally invaluable. I got to sit down with a career coach for a solid half hour on my own to ask questions and get feedback on my resume.
- 60 Apps in 60 Mins: I didn’t go to the 60 sites in 60 minutes, but I really loved the apps one. Lots of fun ones and even more useful ones. I probably added half of them to my phone.
- MAHDness at the Free Library: I’m in the Museums Arts and Humanities division so I wanted to go to this to meet a few people, but I also really thought it was great to get out of the convention center and walk on down to the Philadelphia Free Library. Plus we got a special little tour of the Prints and Pictures department which was really cool.
- Alternative Uses for a Library Degree: probably my favorite. Panel of 4 talked about their highly untraditional jobs and what they think is in store for the world of libraries. Plus I found out how much more I could be using my LinkedIn account so I’ve been really updating and adding to that since I got back.
The open houses and receptions were also just so much fun. I am normally quite the introvert but I really let myself come out of my shell and it paid off. I’d love to thank everybody who took the time to speak with me and who reached out and offered this shy student some great advice for the future, both in regards to my last year in school and what I’ll do after graduation. My favorite thing about being in the Special Libraries Association versus the American Libraries Association is the incredibly diverse world special libraries make up. It really shows me how large my range of options is for when I actually start deciding where I want to be come graduation.
I have lots of blog ideas inspired by the conference that’ll I’ll spread out over the next week or so. I think in the end I just feel really energized by the whole thing and more confident than ever that I’m in the right field. Can’t wait for SLA 2012.
