NMRT (New Members Round Table)

Hello! I'm Ashley Granger, a member of the NMRT Online Program Committee!  This month, we're talking about all things conference!

In June 2023, I was fortunate enough to get an educational award through my university to attend ALA for the first time and WOW - I had no idea how overwhelming it would! I was lucky enough to have a few coworkers who were also attending and had been there before and we met prior to the conference to go over some tips and tricks that really helped me, from what restaurants were the best to making sure you wear comfortable shoes because you'll be doing A LOT of walking! To add to those, I would suggest:

• Keeping a shawl or something in your bag. It gets cold in conferences!
• Bring an external power bank - outlets are often taken up quickly!
• Bring an ipad or hardbacked notebook so you can balance it on your lap - there aren't seats at every session
• Pack snacks! Sometimes you don't have time between sessions to grab something
• As one manager told me, it's YOUR professional development. Don't go to sessions that don't interest you but you feel you SHOULD go to - go to what excites you!

As I mentioned before, I received an educational award through my university, so check out what your institution has available. ALA also has scholarships available: General Scholarships. https://www.ala.org/educationcareers/scholarships/allscholarships as well as EBSCO: EBSCO ALA Annual Conference Sponsorship and the Freedom to Read Foundation: https://www.ftrf.org/page/Conable_Scholarship.

What are your best tips for conference attendees? What kind of funding have you found in the past?

What a great topic! Conferences can seem intimidating and it can be hard to know where to start- especially if you are by yourself, or only a few of you are coming from your library. 

When pre-planning what sessions to go to be realistic! It can be hard to attend two sessions concurrently (are they far apart location-wise? Is one session on a popular topic that perhaps will have a large crowd? ) and attending two at a time is not possible! Also do not be afraid to (discreetly) leave a session if it's not what you expected or of it doesn't apply to your situation. It's ok! 

If you work for a public library, ask if your Friends group provides funding for conference attendance. Oftentimes they can cover your conference registration fee, per diem or travel. 

Maybe if you plan on arriving a little early, you can go over to the conference center and scope out the area- where are your favorite sessions taking place? Also, remember that NMRT provides a conference orientation session where we talk about conference sessions, but also the city where the conference takes place and social opportunities. 

Hello! I'm Ashley Granger, a member of the NMRT Online Program Committee!  This month, we're talking about all things conference!

In June 2023, I was fortunate enough to get an educational award through my university to attend ALA for the first time and WOW - I had no idea how overwhelming it would! I was lucky enough to have a few coworkers who were also attending and had been there before and we met prior to the conference to go over some tips and tricks that really helped me, from what restaurants were the best to making sure you wear comfortable shoes because you'll be doing A LOT of walking! To add to those, I would suggest:

• Keeping a shawl or something in your bag. It gets cold in conferences!
• Bring an external power bank - outlets are often taken up quickly!
• Bring an ipad or hardbacked notebook so you can balance it on your lap - there aren't seats at every session
• Pack snacks! Sometimes you don't have time between sessions to grab something
• As one manager told me, it's YOUR professional development. Don't go to sessions that don't interest you but you feel you SHOULD go to - go to what excites you!

As I mentioned before, I received an educational award through my university, so check out what your institution has available. ALA also has scholarships available: General Scholarships. https://www.ala.org/educationcareers/scholarships/allscholarships as well as EBSCO: EBSCO ALA Annual Conference Sponsorship and the Freedom to Read Foundation: https://www.ftrf.org/page/Conable_Scholarship.

What are your best tips for conference attendees? What kind of funding have you found in the past?

Hello! I'm Ashley Granger, a member of the NMRT Online Program Committee!  This month, we're talking about all things conference!

In June 2023, I was fortunate enough to get an educational award through my university to attend ALA for the first time and WOW - I had no idea how overwhelming it would! I was lucky enough to have a few coworkers who were also attending and had been there before and we met prior to the conference to go over some tips and tricks that really helped me, from what restaurants were the best to making sure you wear comfortable shoes because you'll be doing A LOT of walking! To add to those, I would suggest:

• Keeping a shawl or something in your bag. It gets cold in conferences!
• Bring an external power bank - outlets are often taken up quickly!
• Bring an ipad or hardbacked notebook so you can balance it on your lap - there aren't seats at every session
• Pack snacks! Sometimes you don't have time between sessions to grab something
• As one manager told me, it's YOUR professional development. Don't go to sessions that don't interest you but you feel you SHOULD go to - go to what excites you!

As I mentioned before, I received an educational award through my university, so check out what your institution has available. ALA also has scholarships available: General Scholarships. https://www.ala.org/educationcareers/scholarships/allscholarships as well as EBSCO: EBSCO ALA Annual Conference Sponsorship and the Freedom to Read Foundation: https://www.ftrf.org/page/Conable_Scholarship.

What are your best tips for conference attendees? What kind of funding have you found in the past?

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Ashley Granger
Sr. Library Information Specialist & MLIS Student
University of Missouri - Columbia School of Inf Science & Learning Tech
She/Her/Hers
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