I knew I forgot one session from Sunday!

I attached the notes below, but this workshop, titled,

Second Session on Sunday –

Collaborate  21 – Admin – teacher – Librarian – Technologist Collaborative Team can integrate common core, AASL, STATE, and National Standards

on Sunday, June 30, 2013 – 3:00pm to 4:00pm was

pretty informative.  I liked the fact that one of the presenter’s elementary daughters was on the presenting staff, to show and explain in details of her project.  This is a great way to expose students to seeing how their work is appreciated by others!

Using Ipads, students did a genealogy project and captured details verbally to videos.  It was excellent to see how they matched standard and admin, teachers, and librarians worked together, an among different school buildings as well.

This project sounded hands on and was fun, letting students and teachers meet standards effortlessly.  GREAT session!

And I though Mondays were boring!  NO WAY!  LOVED, loved seeing, hearing, and meeting Oliver Stone and Petter Kuznick, amazing amazing stories and connections to libraries.  Sure sure, the comments that he is always on the controversial side of thing, but, I LOVE the fact that he is unwilling to roll over and accept things at facevalue as well.

The notes

Monday Sessions Stone and Kuznick

cover the whole time and questions asked, as well as my links to videos that appeared on UTube following this opportunity.

A GREAT way to end Monday! 🙂

June 01 Midday Session

The Sacred and the Profane : The Library and campus Identity in the 21st Century BES-BCUL

AMAZING!   This was a GREAT GREAT look at how architects, administration, and libraries work together  (and not) and the international perspectives as well.  I could have sat here all day this was so technical but interesting!

This is the Prezi presentation:

And the web address for the Prezi if it freezes!

http://prezi.com/gop1oq5gzn1n/academic-libraries-in-context-the-international-perspective/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy#

and the notes from the Workshop that ROCKED!

MONDAY SESSION Sacred and Profane

I like these two quotes to summarize the libraries and how they should be as well:

The best libraries are the ones that support the campus via architecture and the mission of the school relate to the feel of the campus through the library.

and

in response to this question:

Why do we need them (comfortable spaces) in the library?  Library space is expensive compared to other spaces.  Why important?  Multifaceted spaces – places students can record using microphones, digital media, and can have spaces to read as well.

Need social spaces as well.  Reading rooms made for groups as well.  Small and large learning groups, communal spaces, etc.  Different functions of the library, traditional groups studies, students reading, lounge area and open – transparency.

That’s right, no matter where you are Monday is Monday.  🙂

However, I found out the amazing workshops I found began to occur Monday, I had been able to find workshops that were powerful and effective moreso after the weekend if I sought hard enough.

The first workshop was again packed and out the door, but I was able to do alot of followup and obtain many many resources the following were able to present:

Rachel Fershleisher      rachelf@tumblr.com | rachelfershleiser.com    @rachelfersh

Molly McArdle      mmcardle@mediasourceinc.com | tumblr.libraryjournal.com  @mollitudo

Erin Shea   eshea@darienlibrary.org | darienlibrary.tumblr.com     @erintheshea

Kate Tkacik    katelyn.tkacik@bmo.com | thelifeguardlibrarian.tumblr.com  @lifegdlibrarian

Here the the really brief notes I took as again, the lines was out the door…

MONDAY SESSION Tumblarians

and the very very priceless links that would prove, and do prove worth following up even more:

http://tumblr.libraryjournal.com/post/54393731900/tumblarian-101-a-starter-kit-welcome-to-tumblr

http://reviews.libraryjournal.com/2013/06/in-the-bookroom/post/the-library-is-open-a-look-at-librarians-and-tumblr/

and the Powerpoint for this presentation:

Tumblarian101

I like the following quote:

“WE’RE SHARING INFORMATION ABOUT LIBRARIES AND LIBRARIANSHIP WITH THOUSANDS OF NONLIBRARIANS.”

and the following is very good to know after reading one of the above articles:

THE TAGS

“Tags are what make Tumblr go round. The tags Tumblarians primarily use are #libraries,#librarians, and #tumblarians, with an occasional helping of #politics, #history,#education, #lit, and #tech. (You can find a list of popular, curated tags at tumblr.com/explore.)

One important tip to keep in mind is that Tumblr only makes your post searchable by the first five tags you include. You can go over that number, but your post won’t appear in searching for keyword number six and beyond. Choose wisely.”

I can testify to the power of Tumblr as we used Tumblr thanks to Alia and a few others to collect submissions for the magazine and our submissions SOARED for Repentino.  As anything, I feel with a strategic plan, this becomes a powerful tool!  I loved this workshop even though I did not catch all of it and it DID make Monday so much worth waking up to.  Wait until you see the next workshop and information – AMAZING and very inspiring!

Waking up at 5:00 AM on Sunday normally, you’d think, “Am I crazy?!” Yet, I did this on Saturday thinking THAT was the 5k, dressed, waiting for the shuttle outside, THAT was great!  🙂   I actually made it back out to the same spot today, still nervous, and ta da!, a shuttle was waiting!    There were four people From the Chicago Hilton as well, so it was easy to start a conversation in the morning with them.

This particular 5k, was as you read last post, was the Think Fit 5k exclusively for ALA members.  The whole way there I wondered, “I wonder how many librarians run?  Or will run?  Turns out we have between walkers and runners, a total of 158 ready to roll.

It was odd doing stretches without the XC team, yet I ran through the same drills as we used to.  The location was the McCormick Bird Sanctuary, and a GREAT view of Michigan Lake.  The wind was up and I was grateful for the wind.  The course was an easy down and back, slight inclines, but nothing compared to the hills and routes that were marked in PA we used to run.

The event was timed and organized by To the Finish, LLC, and they did a great job of informing everyone, timing with chips overall, and just the management of the race itself.

I have to say overall, with the state of my shoes, and the lack of preparation for the 5k, I was pleased with a 29:15 finish, with under 30:00 being my outset goal.  I was 15th of 22 males, and felt I could have done better in that department.  I still did not have a mastery of my breathing, which made me stop and walk for about 20 seconds three times but it did give me much to be aware of and set to do better for next time.  I was very glad I pushed myself to get registered and follow through with this opportunity!

chicago 5k

We received some cool door prizes (pedometer, sunglasses, banana, awesome oatmeal and trail mix treat which honestly was DELICIOUS!) and we didn’t wait for awards so we could take the shuttle back to the Hilton to get showered and back to the Conference.

I have to say, I was proud and wanting to flaunt the fact I had gotten myself out of bed early and ran a 5k and was back again ready to head to the conference when I stepped off the shuttle and saw the conference attendees just getting up waiting to head to the conference.  I just always wanted to be that person that took the extra initiative to be healthy and have an all around lifestyle that promoted health, and I vaguely remember, an Intermediate High moment. I was in Home Economics, cooking, and we were discussing what we would be like as we were older.  I stated I would be athletic, more in shape, and conscious of my lifestyle, and the girls at the table laughed.  I was a total geek back in those grades, Intermediate at least and not really on grades, yeah, just a geek. So it was not far fetched to find this funny, but I am glad that the part of my life with being aware of the healthy aspects did turn true!

Sessions stopped today being Sunday at around noon, but the next session I did attend was …well, believe it or not I forget the title but I do remember the notes below:

Sunday sessions First one Emerging Technologies   LITA

http://www.ala.org/lita/    & http://connect.ala.org/lita (Library & Information Technology Association)

http://ala13.ala.org/node/11093

and I realized in some aspects, this was VERY technical, way over my head as far as what the speaker was doing, but LOVED the fact that the library as becoming an outlet for discovery and causing people to say, “I didn’t know the library did that!”

I met three awesome people at my table and we discussed what emerging technologies we were seeing our library challenges, etc.  One was the idea that some staff were jumping into technology while others were not, and the challenge to have that aspect to associate with the patrons.  One was the use of Dropbox among the librarians and how some feel uncomfortable with it so far.  We brought up the use of Camptasia, Jing, and the use of Libguides.  Also the old list of 23 things, a Gallaway list, of what would be most useful n technology, although outdated, we did see how this would be a good starting point for people that might feel uneasy at first with technology bursting at them all of a sudden.  While some of the topics brought up were way way into programming, this did let us discuss and exchange ideas, as well as what technology impacts us as a public school, community college, or high school librarian, even as an up and becoming librarian which was represented by everyone at our table!

The time after sessions ended, since early today, I took pictures and sampled the areas that Chicago had to offer for touristing.  I LOVE, LOVE the Chicago Public Library and you will see in the last post of what I left behind in leaving Chicago what I discovered!

Closing out Saturday night, as I had attended a few sessions but nothing record breaking, lol, I dived into the exhibit hall and searched for the information out of hundreds of vendors that would benefit us in Latin American the most.  From archiving/digital saving of records to Ebooks, to database and online services, I managed to organize ad grab at least 36 vendors’ information and have organized them in a spreadsheet below:

Exhibitors Information

I always ended up coming home with business cards and flyers, as well as packets and forgot half the information that interested me in the first place.  This way, I organized it before I forgot the purpose!

I settled in after exhausted from visiting so many vendors and passed out in sleep, ready for what Sunday had to bring!  (Oh, did I mention I had signed up for the 5k, and though when I awoke it was Saturday morning, when in reality I could have waited to get dressed for running until Sunday, when the race actually occurred…:)   So Sunday would bring my first 5k run in years!  🙂

One of the films that showed today (Saturday) was the following: Now Showing @ ALA: Bonsai People – the Vision of Muhammad Yunus

and here is this particular film preview: Muhammad Yunus

As well, there were others at ALA2013 showing such as the following, definitely worth grabbing onto when they come out in the full versions.

Returning Fire

Hugo

Free for All : Inside the Public Library

Liberal Arts

Ferlinghetti: A Rebirth of Wonder

Brooklyn Castle

The Rosie Project

Login 2 Life

The Untold History of the United States

Electric Signs

56UP

Saturday June 29th Session 1

AASL Best Websites for teaching and Learning

So far I felt this was one of the most crucial and hands-on workshop from the very beginning when this workshop began. Attached are the detailed Apps chosen in a document,

Saturday Session AASL Best websites for teaching and learning

as well as the details/description that goes with them, AND with the interviews of the owners for some of these apps, this is a great opportunity to use tools that can impact the classroom and students to a great detail.

To carry this further, the following address:
40 Great Apps for Mobile Reference and Outreach

as well as

Kiera Parrott’s Picks from the Best Apps for Teaching and Learning | ALA 2013

and

ALA LITA Awards and Top Tech Trends 2013 Chicago

This was one of the most interesting workshops to create a lifetime resource for referring to and ultimately using.

July 28th ALA Opening Session Speech –

Open Session of ALA Friday Night notes.

After you see the above link to the attachment that details the key points made by the Chicago Mayor and Stephen Leavitt, aside from the humor it is great to see the public efforts that are important to bringing attention to libraries, as well as the creative approaches that are brought to education. It is amazing how everyday things can be made interesting, andI feel that Mr. Leavitt’s class at the University of Chicago is one of the most interesting because he can tie everyday events and occurrences to the analysis of economics. This is the best way students learn, I have found, is by tying the idea to something that they are familiar with or have some prior knowledge about but maybe not 100%.

I liked the idea that the community is being reined into the needs and operation of libraries, and how the Mayor mentioned that the division between public libraries and school libraries are now being streamlined to increase an awareness and initiative to increasing reading.

Following the Open Session Speech, I hit the Opening of the Exhibits to grab some books for my library. While in the Opening Sessions, I was lucky enough to have met a great person named John, who worked as a cataloger. We talked and laughed at how people lined up hours before the exhibits opened to get everything they could free. Even with waiting until the Opening Session was done, and not skipping it to obtain free items, we walked away with so many free books, it was sick (in a good way!).

By the end of Friday, on the shuttle home, yes, I was EXHAUSTED, and have to say, so far, I have been able to get much inspiring information as well as ideas that reach into every discipline involving research, Liberal Arts projects, and improving educational support from the library!

To start off the day, BLACKHAWKS celebration!  Yes, today was the day of the parade, and all had been warned of the hassle it would be with shuttles to and from the conference.  As usual, I walked across the street from the hotel and began to see mass numbers, the like I was still amazed at.   I vaguely remember the crowd in St. Louis, when I was there for NCTE and the parade was me in the middle of things.  THAT sea of red was amazing before and after.  This was no backseat either.  I saw amazing amounts of people crowded in spaces I thought would never work.  Yet, despite the heat, maybe the three hour wait?, the picturesI had of fans was amazing, the pictures of the team came out perfect, and I couldn’t believe I had timed it right to be there, in the middle of 2 million fans, and (yes 2 MILLION!) and also able to catch the convention, business as usual.  Life was good!

My original plan was to attend the Conference 101 by the New Members Round

Table Session, 1:00 – 2:30 PM but by the time I was there, the line was out the door!

Soooo, in place of that, I wandered the Convention Center and settled on the 2:30 – 4:00 PM Session, International Librarians’ Orientation, that seemed to fit!  I was amazed at how many people were from other countries at ALA!  Pakistan, the U.K., Canada, Egypt, Australia, Ghana, Nigeria, and more, 14 pages of a spreadsheet we were given, all people from other countries!  AMAZING!  TONS from Canada!  We were given a raffle ticket and there was a gift bag in the middle of each table, and we had a chance at winning.  We thought that would be pretty good since only 3 people were at the table at first, then by the time the ceremony started, a packed table!  What was nice was this was similar to the orientation I received and try to participate in, within Mexico City, so it was nice ALA was being made familiar thanks to this orientation, and I was able to get into this one!

The International Relations Round Table does a GREAT job in getting information to everyone, our folder was packed with the poster sessions, workshops, and other functions that involved all things international.

It was exciting to meet and greet those around us, and have the possibility of seeing ALA through the eyes of an international librarian.  🙂  To sing up for a free bimonthly e-newsletter involving all things international, the following address allows you to do that:

http://bit.ly/OHJkuW

and the website for the International Relations is the following!

Website: http://www.ala.org/iro

Twitter: http://twitter.com/ALAIRO

in Spanish!: http://twitter.com/ALA_en_espanol

and on Facebook! : http://tinyurl.com/ykes8d7

The next big event was the speaking of Steven D. Levitt, (Author of Freakonomics) for the official opening session of ALA!  🙂  I knew nothing of Mr Leavitt, so look for the next post highlighting his speech!