NMRT (New Members Round Table)

Registration for ALA 2026 Annual Conference & Exhibition will be opening soon! This massive conference is a fantastic opportunity to learn new skills, spark fresh ideas, and connect with fellow library folks so now is the perfect time to start thinking about how you want to approach your conference experience.

Let's use this thread to share planning strategies, tips, and lessons learned from past conferences. I'll start us off:

There are tons of sessions included with your registration, but many popular tours and events require an additional ticket. Be sure to pay close attention to scheduling so you don't accidentally double-book yourself. Speaking from experience! My first year, I bought tickets for a very cool ghost tour and the Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction ceremony-only to realize they were happening at the same time. Difficult choices were made.😅 Learn from my mistakes!

To help kick off the discussion, feel free to share:

• How do you decide which sessions or events are "must-attend" versus "nice-to-have"?

• Favorite networking strategies (or ways to make it feel less awkward)?

• For first-time attendees: What questions do you have about planning or navigating ALA that others might be able to answer?

Looking forward to learning from everyone's experiences!

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Emily McQuade
Public Services Librarian
Winter Park Library
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I just joined ALA yesterday, so I have no clue what the conference is like!  Any notable things from past years?

It's been a long time since I attended a conference-type-thing, but if the pricing is decent for my part-time employed self it'd be nice to attend the ALA conference. In the past, I find myself having not a lot of stamina for long or multi-day events, and I always keep my kindle and my earbuds with me if I need an escape. Walking lots is great though, it's more the social thing that wears me out sadly. Listening to others in a discussion is still useful even if I don't have much to contribute. Even with all that and the potential difficulties, I always want to be proven wrong and have a great time.

I work at a largish public library in Columbus, Ohio, and for the past few years we have a day each year where all staff attend, hear speakers, eat a mid boxed lunch, etc.

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Kristin Bandy
Columbus Metropolitan Library
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Thanks for the topic, Emily! 

My first ALA was in San Francisco in 2016 and I was the only librarian from my system, the conference was literally on the other side of the country from where I lived and I knew no one. It was intimidating! Thankfully, I was a member of the Quick Picks Reluctant Young Adult Readers Selection Committee and those meetings were truly great. I really recommend if it is your first conference that you go as a member of something- NMRT, another round table, etc. I do well with a purpose and those meetings and/or affiliations give that purpose. 

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Morgan Brickey-Jones
Director of Community Engagement
University of Texas At Arlington
She/Her/Hers
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Thank you for the questions!

I could only attend my first conference for one day, since it was in the middle of a vacation. I recommend trying not to overbook yourself. I had one day, and I was a bit ambitious in trying to see everything. I ended up exhausted by the afternoon 😅.

There are also a lot of opportunities to pick up free stuff. I've gotten reusable bags, pens, insulated bags, candy, and more. I recommend leaving some room in the suitcase for goodies if you like to pickup free stuff.

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Kathleen Corcella
She/Her/Hers
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While I have never attended ALA, I have attended many other large, national conferences. Some advice I'd like to give to anyone attending a conference is to spend time looking at the events program ahead of time. Highlight 1st, 2nd, and 3rd choices for each time slot. This way, you have a variety of options to choose from once you are in the conference. For example, your 1st choice seminar might be jammed packed with no extra seating or possibly located on the other side of the convention hall. Having options eases stress and fatigue. That being said, don't be afraid to take breaks. While I tend to over schedule myself before the conference begins, once I'm in attendance, I pay attention to what my body and brain need in the moment. When I'm feeling tired, hungry, over-stimulated, I sit out a session. It can be helpful to go outside and get some fresh air and be completely out of the conference environment for a while. Lastly, dress for comfort.

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Melissa Herzberg
Instructional Design Librarian
University of Alabama
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Last year was my first ALA conference. Before that, I was a regular attendee at the AWP conference, so I brought in a bunch of strategies I'd learned from that.

Best piece of advice I can offer: pace yourself and drink water. Don't try to do everything. Intentionally set aside breaks in your day to rest and recharge. 

Second best piece of advice: set a budget, add $50 (or a bit more if you can afford it), and stick to it as best you can. There will be more conference goodies for sale and more new releases/advance copies than you will expect. The sellers will likely also offer discounts, particularly as the conference goes on, because it's more cost-effective to sell out your stock than ship extras back home. Despite this, you don't have to buy everything right away. Take photos of the books/goodies that catch your eye, grab folks' business cards, and follow up when you get home (or in a few months when your finances recovered). If it's not a conference exclusive or a limited edition art print, it can wait.

For deciding which events/sessions to attend, I usually try to find an even mix of sessions that are directly relevant to my current job, continuing education sessions that relate to my long-term goals/interests, and a few sessions that just sound fun (author readings, book signings, trivia, etc). I'll mark a few sessions as "MUST ATTEND" from the first two categories (relevant to job/long-term goals) and mentally note the rest as "this would be nice, but it's not the end of the world if I miss it for whatever reason."

For off-site/social events, I know my limit is usually one, maybe two things per night at most. Last year, I bought a ticket for an early evening walking tour and timed it so I could walk directly to a Round Table meetup with a meal break in between.  I ended up grabbing dinner with some other ALA folks on the walking tour, so that was a rare three-event night for me. I met another poster presenter at the dinner, which was a nice point of connection. I also met some familiar faces at the meetup, so all three events felt like just the right level of meeting people and reconnecting with folks. I made a point to have dinner alone the next night in a different corner of the city, just for a treat. For me, that felt like a good balance of socializing and taking time to enjoy the city on my own. 

I hope this helps. Have fun in Chicago, y'all!

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Ron Martin-Dent
Archives and Special Collections Librarian
Fort Hays State University
Forsyth Library
He/Him/His
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