Published: August 19, 2024 by Erica Vu

I experienced a warm welcome to San Diego, literally. The weather was kind to the 2024 ALA Annual Conference, with no June Gloom in sight. Up to this point, I had attended only one other conference during my time in the SJSU iSchool’s MLIS program, the 2023 CLA conference, where I spent every day studiously attending session after session. But ALA was going to be a much larger and longer event. Conference guides and tips from past attendees made the conference sound like a rigorous multi-day camping trip. I could tell that solely attending sessions the entire week would not be practical for me this time around, so how would I make the most of the conference without wearing myself out?

There was something I learned about after the CLA conference last year: the existence of different types of conference-goers, specifically, those who present or attend one or two sessions and spend the rest of their time being tourists in the host city. *Insert exploding head emoji here* My rule-following, good-student brain equated this idea to ditching classes. “People are allowed to do that?” I thought. Yes, Erica, because detention doesn’t exist after high school, and what is the point of holding conferences in exciting cities if attendees can’t spend time enjoying them? My perception of conferencing adjusted to resemble a physician’s scale with laid-back tourists on one end and session marathoners on the other. For ALA, my goal was to find balance somewhere between the two.

So, I planned a combination of activities over the span of the conference week that would allow me to be productive and experience the city. I volunteered at the iSchool’s booth; attended the SJSU iSchool Networking Reception; went on a field trip with APALA to the Mingei International Museum and Library in Balboa Park; volunteered at APALA’s Literature Awards Banquet at the San Diego Central Library; participated in a scheduled iSchool interview with my friend and classmate, Cat Tang, to promote the AANHPI iSchool Student Group; and visited the poster session to support the iSchool’s ALASC presenters. Of course, I also attended sessions that aligned with my interests, most of which focused on serving diverse communities.

One part of the conference that I didn’t take into consideration when planning my week was the exhibit hall. The morning before the exhibit hall opened, a friend gave me two words of advice: “Grab. Everything.” The exhibit hall was full of activity stations, presentation stages, featured authors and illustrators, and publishers with books – A LOT of books. It became quite a distraction. I trekked back to my hotel everyday with bookbags dragging me down with their weight. My shoulders temporarily suffered, but it was worth it.

Thanks to the assistance of the iSchool’s travel grant, my ALA Conference experience allowed me to learn about trending topics in the LIS field, meet librarians and other professionals from around the nation, make new friends, and spend quality time with iSchool friends in person. To address the title of this post, is there a wrong way to conference? I’ve learned that conferencing is a vastly different and unique experience for every person. I believe that as long as one leaves a conference with a feeling of satisfaction with their experience, then that person is conferencing the right way. I left the ALA Conference and San Diego satisfied. My note to self for future conferences and advice to any first-time conference-goers is to set clear goals and priorities, but know your limits, be flexible with your time, and make sure you have fun.

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 Erica Vu received one of these travel grants.