2015 Conference Returns to Long Branch

We are happy to announce that the 2015 New Jersey Library Association Conference will be April 20-22 at the newly renovated Ocean Place Resort & Spa in Long Branch. Ocean Place boasts 40,000 square feet of meeting and event space, plus a newly renovated pool, indoor bar area, outside tiki bar, and a private beach ideal for networking and social events. The resort is just steps away from Pier Village, a popular destination for dining, shopping, and an active night life. 

So mark your calendars, and join us at the Jersey Shore this Spring for your favorite New Jersey library conference!

Spreading the Word . . . Round 3

Sections and Committees have really outdone themselves this year! Great job with promotion, ya’ll! (Nice work, Emerging Technologies!)

Find a full listing of programs with dates/times under the "Schedule" tab, and we'll see you at Conference!

Minecraft Programs at Your Library, Tuesday @2:00 p.m.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTk8Q5orefw

Code Name Genesis, Wednesday @11:30 a.m.: http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/22849046/

Why I'm STILL Excited about the NJLA Conference

I have been a librarian for a very long time (got my M.L.S. – no M.L.I.S for me! – in 1979) and I’ve been a member of NJLA since at least 1986. I remember the first conference I attended; it was in Cherry Hill and I knew NO ONE. But, from a chance meeting at that conference, I started getting involved in the Administration Section and…well, I don’t want to go on about all of the various sections, committees, and positions on which I’ve been active.

I’ve attended countless meetings over the years and traveled thousands of miles for these meetings – in the year I was President, I drove over 4,000 miles! I’ve met librarians from north, south, east and west New Jersey and I consider many to be friends.

Learn something!

But, the conference – that is the special experience I look forward to each year. First, there is always something new to learn and, if you stop learning, you stop growing. And, learning from colleagues that, after the conference, you can just contact for an exploratory chat is truly valuable.

But, may I also be frank? Sometimes hearing a presentation just validates that what we are accomplishing in our own library is really something we should be proud of. Who hasn’t attended a program and thought – we were doing that a year ago?! So, that should spur us to get involved in committees or sections and share our own achievements. It’s not bragging, it’s pride in the good work of a team in the library.

Connect with people in your profession 

Second, all of the surveys of the conferences I have seen over the years (and, I have seen a lot, as I have chaired the conference five times) have indicated that one of the reasons librarians value the conference is the opportunity for “networking”. That is code for “seeing people I don’t normally get to see outside of formal meetings and just talking”. That means checking in to see how they are doing and sharing your latest triumphs or tribulations (conversations along the lines of – am I crazy or are they?) That means a chat about fun interests, then circling back to professional issues. It may mean having a drink or a cup of coffee with a colleague while you figure out a difficult situation.

This kind of exchange almost never happens during the rest of the year. People are busy, meeting time is limited (or is online), schedules are crazy. This is an opportunity to connect with people in your profession, the profession you chose for whatever reason, the profession of which you are proud to be a part and the folks who occupy that profession with you.

The perpetuation of tradition

Now, many people won’t necessarily agree with this reason, but the idea of the tradition of the conference, and the little bit of pomp and circumstance that we inject into it, really appeals to me. This association began in 1890 (and the first President was the President of the Board of Trustees from Paterson, by the way) and we are still going strong. The Leadership Luncheon, the Badge of Office with the names of the Presidents engraved in it (if you haven’t seen it, you must, must, must be sure to track down the President or President-Elect to do so), honoring our best and brightest at the Awards reception – these all remind me that we come from a proud tradition and I will do my best to help that tradition move forward.

While it is true that we no longer induct the President at an evening reception at which the women wear cocktail dresses, I believe it’s important to recognize that being elected to that office is quite an achievement, as well as a responsibility. But, we can still have fun and celebrate, cocktail dresses or not!

-Cindy Czesak, Director, Paterson Public Library
NJLA Executive Board, Member-at-large
NJLA Urban Libraries Section, Chair

Still Time to Register for the 2014 NJLA Conference

Today marks the end to pre-registration for the 2014 NJLA Conference. This means that if you'd like to register online you need to do so by 11:59 PM tonight! Failure to do so could mean missing out on keynote addresses from NYT Bestselling Author Steve Berry and Nate Hill, creator of Chattanooga Public Library's 4th Floor project, not to mention the President's Program: Libraries in Space with Helen Klein Ross. You could miss out on regular session programs on hot topics like infographics, 3D printing, RDA, common core, coding, the changing social media landscape, and serving diverse communities, plus traditional favorites like Book Buzz and the Year's Best Graphic Novels. If you don't act now, you run the risk of missing out on all the social events like the NJLA Awards Reception, State Librarian's Breakfast, Leadership Bonfire and any number of happy hours at Revel Resorts!

So register today, and join us in Atlantic City for innovative program topics, fun events, and all the networking you can handle.

But don't worry, if you really can't make it happen today, you can always register on-site at Revel. See you in AC!