Observing, Learning, and Socializing at ALA Annual in Chicago

During the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago, I had the opportunity to observe many of the inner-workings of the ACRL Board of Directors, Budget and Finance Committee and Professional Development Coordinating Committee, among others with which I am more familiar already such as the Communities of Practice Assembly (formerly the Sections Council). None of the work of these groups is secret but I, like most ACRL members, hadn't spent time attending these meetings as an observer before. There is a lot of work in both the preparation for and execution of these many meetings and their accomplishments!

I learned a great deal and in large part due to the gracious efforts of Erika Linke, then ACRL President, Lori Goetsch, then ACRL Vice-President, and Mary Ellen Davis, then and now ACRL Executive Director, along with all of the talented ACRL staff. I began to feel acculturated to the organization in a new way and socialized into my upcoming roles. I also gained a great appreciation for the dedication and commitment that we all bring to the joint effort of making ACRL the best possible organization that it can be.

It was also just plain fun! Interacting with wonderful people, while also pursuing meaningful goals, is really a joy and how I believe work should be.

ACRL Vice-President/President-Elect

What an honor to be elected ACRL Vice-President/President-Elect! I have gained so much from my experiences in ACRL and I'm thrilled for the opportunity to give back.

Not surprisingly, there is a long list of duties for the VP and one could easily be caught up in logistics and minutiae of many of the tasks. But, I intend to keep my vision set on bigger picture issues, specifically advocacy - in the profession and in higher education, member engagement in ACRL, and professional and pre-professional education as well as other issues detailed in the ACRL Strategic Plan.

Because ACRL is a member association, I feel passionately that ACRL leaders need to be in conversation with members - listening and sharing information. Technology offers new opportunities and interesting approaches to doing so in this 2.0-world. I hope to use this blog to share my experiences over the next three years in order to make some of the workings of ACRL less mysterious as well as to get insights that can guide my thinking and to highlight the great work academic librarians are doing.

It will be a privilege to serve the association and its members in the coming days. Please let me hear from you - email, phone, IM, Facebook, or even an in-person chat!