I’m normally a really heavy conference blogger, but not so much this time. My neck started hurting before the conference began so lugging the laptop didn’t seem like the smartest move, and internet was hard to come by in the hotel area. When I stopped to think about it, this was the first conference that I can remember going to without a laptop with me the entire time. It was an interesting change of pace!

Blogging (now, at least) tends to be less conversational, and more about reporting on the events that have taken place. Instead of my traditional blogging, for this conference I was more participatory on Twitter and Facebook, leading to good conversations and impromptu meetups. I took far fewer notes (mostly on paper) and have a shorter, clearer action list. So, I’m not sure what my computer plans will be for the next conference, but this was a nice change of pace.

This ALA was a particularly good one for me. I caught up with people I’ve been talking with online (hello!) for years, met others face-to-face for the first time, and was introduced to some entirely new-to-me folks. I had some great conversations and made connections that I hope to keep up.

I had a few packed days, like normal, and one that was surprisingly flexible. The packed days were productive and will lead to good things, but the flexible day gave me the chance to connect with folks to learn and share new (not ready for prime time presentation) ideas.

Over the course of the conference I was able to attend three programs, which was a pretty good for me, and the conversations in the back channels were just as interesting and informative as the presentations were, in their own ways.

So overall, this was a really good conference, and a particularly energizing one for me. And I think at this point I’d attribute it to conversations. I know it’s almost cliche to say that the best part of the conferences happen between the sessions, but for me, and in this case, that really rings true. So thanks to all of you who took a few minutes (or hours) to chat, I had a great time!

If you’re actually interested in ALA happenings, see:
Professional Development Blog post 1
Professional Development Blog post 2
Professional Development Blog (All of my library’s posts)