ALA Annual Ignites My Passion for a Career in Libraries

iStudent Blog

Published: July 30, 2024 by Cindy Ries

At the end of June 2024, I was able to attend the ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition in San Diego, CA, with financial assistance through the iSchool’s travel grant. Having just completed my second semester in the program, this was an amazing opportunity to participate in this conference to learn and connect with fellow students and professionals.

San Diego street view

I arrived in San Diego a day early and did some exploring close-by. I was able to take a tour of Petco Park – home of Padres baseball, which I really enjoyed. However, my favorite sightseeing experience was the whale-watching cruise. We were able to see multiple whales, including a blue whale remarkably close to the ship, over a dozen dolphins, and even a handful of huge mola mola fish.

The conference kicked off Friday evening with an opening session that started with the ALA president, Emily Drabinski, and included a few more speakers, such as the prior ALA president, a librarian and a director from the San Diego Public Library, and concluded with Trevor Noah discussing his upcoming book “Into the Uncut Grass.” Every single aspect of the opening ceremony was inspiring and further ignited my passion for my current and future career in libraries.

San Diego mural inside hotel

Within the Library Marketplace, there were over 600 exhibit booths and eight live stages. There were so many wonderful sessions and activities happening that I quickly realized it would be wise to use the ALA Conference app to keep track of everything I did not want to miss. The app was designed well, and I was able to go into my personal schedule and see everything I had marked as important. I highly recommend that anyone attending future ALA conferences download the app and utilize the scheduler feature.

ALA Annual Speaker Session Inside Convention Center

I attended numerous speaker presentations at the live stages, particularly enjoying the Diversity in Publishing Stage, the Podcast Recording Booth, and the Chapter One Stage. Recurring themes I noticed throughout the weekend were: inclusivity and equity, innovation and forward thinking, passion and creativity, connecting with one another, technology and AI, the value of the work we do in the face of adversity, as well as fighting against censorship and book banning.

All the sessions I was able to attend and learn from, and the connections that I made throughout the entire conference, are so valuable. I will carry them with me throughout my studies and future career as a librarian.

Editor’s Note: The SJSU iSchool highly encourages students to attend professional conferences but also realizes that it can be cost prohibitive. Travel grants are available to eligible students to help lessen the financial burden and increase conference participation. iSchool student Cindy Ries received one of these travel grants.

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