Will you be at ALA Annual 2010?

I am so excited for ALA Annual this year!  I was talking to a friend about it yesterday and freely admitted that my library dork side takes over for conferences.  While I have yet to experience a meaningful local conference, I always come away from the national ones feeling inspired and rejuvenated, and having learned something – actually, many somethings!

If you haven’t planned on attending but are local to the D.C. area, you might want to reconsider.  Registration is still open.  Even if you just spring for the $25 exhibit hall pass, you can get a lot out of the exhibits: freebies, author readings and signings, cooking demos, networking…check out all the options related to graphic novels alone!  A not-so-secret secret is that some vendors give out free passes for the exhibit hall.  If you are local and are interested, leave me a comment before Thursday morning and I’ll forward you some of the emails I have received.

If you cannot attend, you can always consider the ALA Virtual Conference.

If you will be attending, please say hi!  I am seriously shy in person and am often sitting alone, keeping myself busy by reading or checking my phone, so feel free to come up to me.  Here is a picture of me from last weekend so you might recognize me:

I do have long hair, but due to the D.C. hotness, I will probably have it back or up a lot anyways.

As the chair of the YALSA Local Arrangements committee, I am required to attend a lot of the YALSA events.  You are guaranteed to find me at the following:

Thursday:

7 – 9 pm: Spectrum Scholars Professional Options Fair

Friday:

9 am – 5 pm (will leave early): YALSA pre-con It’s Perfectly Normal

4 – 5 pm: YALSA 101

5 – 7 pm (at some point): YALSA happy hour

7 – 9 pm: Kidlit happy hour

Saturday:

8 – 10 am: YALSA Leadership Development

10:30 am – 12 pm: YALSA All Committee

12 – 1:30 pm: Margaret A. Edwards Luncheon

4 – 5:30 pm: Lights! Camera! Booktrailers!

Sunday:

9 – 10 am: YA Author Coffee Klatch

10:30 am – 12 pm: 2010 Alex Awards

Monday:

10:30 am – 12 pm: Yes We Can

12 – 2 pm: YALSA Membership Meeting

8 – 10 pm: Michael L. Printz Program and Reception

I have many other things I hope to attend, but those are the things I am committed to attend.

I hope to meet people and reconnect with friendly faces!  Please say hi if you see me!

Where Has Dog-eared Gone Wednesday?

Oh, beloved blog, how I have missed you!  I must apologize to my blog and to any readers I might have. (Anyone? Bueller?)  April, May, and June have been ridiculously busy: work, YALSA committee stuff, personal things, house projects, life in general.  Something had to fall by the wayside and it has been my blog.  (Better my blog than my husband, dog, or job, right?)  I also have barely read anything.  Some weeks I finish Sunday’s paper on the following Saturday.  My magazines are backing up.  I have given up on much of my TBR pile.

There are many beautiful things in the world.  One of the most amazing are fireflies.  I spent the past 10 minutes just sitting here on my deck, watching the fireflies rise from the lawn.  There are so many!  Late they will be up in the tears, looking like summer’s answer to Christmas lights.

Anyways, back to my blog!  School ends this week, and while I am working part of summer school, I will have no excuse to not get back to blogging!  So stay tuned for review catch-ups!  I’ll also share my ALA schedule in case any readers will also be at Annual! I can’t believe that is next week!