Robert F. Asleson Memorial ALA Conference Grant

A few words of thanks from Catherine Larson,
2011 Robert F. Asleson Memorial ALA Conference Grantee

            Have you ever eaten blackened alligator? I hadn't until recently. At the end of June of this year, I had the opportunity to visit New Orleans for the American Library Association's Annual Conference as the 2011 Robert F. Asleson Memorial ALA Conference Grantee. Without this grant I would not have been able to meet with my peers, listen to speakers discuss the use of technology in libraries, and yes, I would not have been able to try alligator.

            From what I have learned, Mr. Asleson had been a strong proponent of education and providing assistance to young professionals. Attending the ALA Annual conference offered me that assistance in preparing me for employment, learning about librarianship outside of the classroom, and - without a doubt - offered me the opportunity to advance my professional goals in the field of Information Science, for which I am extremely thankful.

            As I waited for my plane to arrive, I was feeling a mix of both excitement and calm. Some of the best advice given to me about the conference was to go with a plan and then be prepared to have it change. I had my schedule planned out, but I knew to “just go with it.”  I also knew that with the many thousands of attendees, I would be sure to meet some interesting people. I was not disappointed. ALA's Annual conference is different from other conferences in that it has many smaller meetings throughout the weekend, not just the larger events. To get a greater picture of the event, I balanced my time between meeting with my committee that I volunteer for and my section's presentations, as well as attending some of the larger presentations.

            One such presentation was the Public Library Association (PLA) President's Program. There I heard David Simon, the creator of the Wire, and author Laura Lippmann talk about their creative process together. I believe ALA knows its audience well and brings authors to the event to introduce us to new and old works alike. I also attended a session with Sue Gardner the Executive Director of the Wikimedia Foundation. In my library courses we have discussed Wikipedia's role in research, and in how the public gets its information, so I was curious how the presentation would go. The presentation was well done and upbeat. Ms. Gardner ended her session by urging the audience to add to the on-line encyclopedia ourselves. While it was a good presentation, I found myself preferring the smaller sessions because of the ability to converse with fellow attendees.

            I had never been to the city of New Orleans prior to the conference and regrettably, I only had a glimpse of the city while I was there but this was only because my time was so well filled with speakers and exhibits. In many ways, the conference was a blur due to how many sessions were occurring and the throngs of librarians filling the conference halls. But I feel I am on stronger footing for the next time that I am able to attend the conference. I am so thankful that I was given this opportunity to meet with my future fellow librarians. I have learned during this experience of being an award grantee that along with the man the grant is named for, the people Mr. Asleson surrounded himself with have also made a difference by creating this grant. I thank everyone involved in the making of this grant, and I hope to see it grow as it continues to help young professionals such as myself take steps our out into the library world. I thank everyone in their generous work and contribution towards this grant and wish it well in the future!

Sincerely,

Catherine Larson

To learn more about the grant and Ms. Larson read: http://www.clcd.com/news/pr_2011_0822.pdf