YES! I know! I am only on preconference two (just published) on PRE CONFERENCE DAY ONE! – of my posts but think of it this way – you are getting alot of resources for FREE by checking this blog for the next few weeks :)!!! ALSO since life is often this way, we are going to mix it up and just jump to one particular event a few days ahead, and yes, we will come back to that last preconference overview of resources tomorrow. A shout out to Stephanie who inquired (excellent quality that certified school librarians LOVE!) and address something I posted visually, which often causes a teaser for people to hopefully come back to – but did not catch up with in written form – that occured Saturday of this week – (get all that?!)

So to reiterate – Despite still working on and finishing my posts on the precoference workshop information and dissemination to you’all :), from Monday, June 22nd, I am going to jump real quick to one of many significant and unexpected events occurring during the American Library Association Conference of 2022.

During the ALA conference and between workshops, there was always an opportunity to make your way to the exhibit hall, and find a smattering of authors signing their books and a chance to meet a new author, a new book, etc.. I happened to be wandering on this particular day, eaxctly 5 days past the pre-conference day – and there up to this point has been SO MUCH good information shared, presented, and disseminated, it always seemed unreal.

As I was walking the exhibit hall making sure I did not miss anything that shouldn’t be missed – I happened to see a medium to larger line in front of one of the authors, and I took a closser look. Despite a book appearing pretty amazing with the illustration, the title, We are the Water Protectors, glared out at me. With good reason this was a well desererved accolade and honor. Caldecott Medal award winner!

I decided to take a chance, and went into line, and was able to obtain my own copy of this beautiful text by Carole Lindstrom and illustrator Michaela Goade. As I talked with Ms. Lindstrom, we discovered she had visited Delaware and Ocean City and Bethany Beach and more – but, had no idea about The Vince Morris Trail at Chapel Branch! (GASP!)

Okay, so hold the presses – as the Education and Volunteer coordinator of the NRWC (Nanticoke River Watershed Conservancy)- I felt my duty to pass on the address and the invite to The Vince Morris Trail at Chapel Branch, and I did, and she was excited and I think, based on the recent visit to the trail from students at Upward Bound this past Saturday – don’t worry a blog post happening here…

https://harrybrake.com/nanticoke-river-watershed-conservancy-project-page/

…and soon to be updated with what they found – I owed it to the creed of a Master’s Degree earning Information Science earning school librarian to connect the world I know, to someone else who showed us throgh her book the world she knows, and to emphasize the water that surrounds us all – and doing so by showing her the amazing little window we can look in on the Nanticoke with – and it connects with the theme of her book, protectors.

Protectors of our environment, protectors of our school librarians and giving out students the medium, the individual, qualified to bring in qualified writers like Ms. Lindstrom and Ms. Goade to protect our stories that tie us to our community, tie us to the water, tie us to literacy and passing on stories, passing on the ability to create, and on and on- the protection and need for passing this on to generations, making possiblities for creating and connecting all we come into contact with to our immediate environment. Authors do this for us, books do this for us, certified librarians in our schools do this for us, our community leaders can and Do do (not a typo of two do’s by the way!) this for us, and so much more.

Exciting things are happening and we hope you continue to check here to be able to take ideas and opportunities, and see where we can go, who we can pair up with, and what we can do with those possibilities! Thank you Stephanie, thank you Robert and please, if you know from my blogs by now, I always have to get the initial idea down and elaborate and connect later as the syanpses seem to fire way faster than my mouth can get it out (hard to believe, I know, for some!) but, giving each of ourselves the time to be able to go back, reflect, contemplate, and synthesize, and put into action is the ultimate way to fully impact our experience.

The one trick I try to do with blogging, and try to do in writing, is put something out there and hopefully people will want to know more about, and often, this seems to be a good indicator of topics to start conversations, proividing little, and being able to go back and provide more and start a conversation in the process.

Thank you Ms. Lindstron and Ms.Goade for getting this started with your book and we want to meet and greet you at the Vince Morris Trail at Chapel Branch and bring your book to life again and again around us, and ultimately, thanks for providing the incentive and steam to keep pushing past naysayers of why certified librarians, why stories, and why creativity is so important in a world that wants results, and not be aware, or take the time to be aware, of the process in between!