Today's the day...

For all the events... This morning I had a pretty good workshop on collaboration: Maximizing Your Impact. There were decent lesson plan examples that could help me. An ongoing issue I have though with information literacy attempts is that I haven't found a good curriculum set for high school students. Most of the stuff I encounter is for the younger-aged student (middle-ish) or the college student. Has anyone in high school found a way to not re-invent the wheel?

On another note, I got Francesca Lia Block's autograph this morning on my very own copy of Weetzie Bat. Next up, I am going to hear her speak (or read). Then it's off to hear Greg Mortensen (Three Cups of Tea). Pictures to follow this evening!

Nothing official to do today...

Well, as there was nothing official to do today, I spent the day planning my attack. It took considerable time and I haven't really gotten it worked out yet. There is always too much to do. I am pretty excited for tomorrow. My mom has put me in charge of getting my picture taken with Greg Mortensen and I am stoked to get my picture taken (or maybe just a dorky autograph) with Francesca Lia Block. I am so in love with Weetzie Bat. My favorite book in her series though is definitely Missing Angel Juan. Other highlights for tomorrow are a workshop on information literacy collaboration and if I can squeeze it in a workshop on the Millennials and one on ethnic literature. The title of that one has evolved from Street Lit to Bestsellers of a Different Color. I like the second title better.

Yesterday was a pretty amazing day of presentations from some of the big names in diversity and librarianship. I got to meet my personal library celebrity, Sandra Rios Balderamma. I read many of her publications when I was doing research for school. At one point after I had completed my last culminating paper (Topic #2 2005, about the diversity among library employees), I wrote her an email to tell her how much her writing meant to me in the process of my experience in school. She wrote me back with a gracious reply and thanks. So, it was pretty awesome to meet her to say the least.

The pre-conference was a pretty small group of people, 30 or so. It was a great thing to be able to have conversations with the presenters and with each other about our experiences with diversity work. I shared with the group about my own attempts at diversity work and they were incredibly supportive. It was pretty powerful that the people I look up to professionally applauded my attempts to create a more accepting environment.

So far, so good...

Jeez.... I am here.

Well, I made it via the ATL. So far so independent and fancy free. I checked in and snagged one of three hard-wired internet rooms. (The wifi is acting funky here at the Best Western: Stovall Inn. Beware.) I moseyed to the 7-11 and got myself some cereal and milk for tomorrow morning (mmm... Grape-Nuts), checked in with the local labor dispute folks about the Garden Walk development, and I took some photos for this here blog on the way home. Look, they put our name on the sign...!

I also connected my bloggie and my Twitter to the ALA wiki. It was great fun. I am coming to realize that this blogging stuff takes time to do well even with a snazz-o-rama computer and DSL in the hotel room. I like it. Nerd-out!

Forever off topic!

I hope to finish the 2.0 lessons in the near future. The last few seem to have not gotten done yet now that it is summer. But they will. Soon-ish.

In the meantime, I am going to the ALA conference tomorrow. So, I think I am going to use this here blog to do what lots of other folks will be doing too, blog my experience. Woohoo! Stay tuned.