Conference Updates

Why Should YOU be at Conference?

Feb 5 2019 - 10:46am

Why should YOU be at Conference?

#NJLA19 is a year to Engage and Inspire, but most managers won’t send us to NJLA just because of a catchy slogan and morning coffee in Atlantic City. Let’s face it, we’re all busy and there are tons of other compelling professional development opportunities out there. So if you need a few reasons why NJLA is worth your time here are 5 reasons why conference is worth it.

1. Networking: Getting to know the New Jersey library community is essential. Cultivating and maintaining those relationships is important. Whether you’re working on a new project, need a little advice, or might be on the job market, being able to connect with other library professionals throughout the state is essential.

3. Inspiration: NJLA is great for forging relationships you might not have otherwise envisioned. Unlike conferences that might focus on our specialties, NJLA specifically allows us to find inspiration at the areas where we might least expect it. When we crossover into sessions or conversations with library professionals who are in diverse positions from our own we have the opportunity to look at our own work differently.

4. Collaboration: Hey, I’ve seen some of you around the internet, but how often do we get the opportunity to bring these things we’re doing out of our libraries and communities and see how we can make them bigger together. Through side-talk, conversations in hallways, and quick chats in front of Poster Sessions come bigger, smarter ways to tackle the rest of our years together.

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4. Learn: Obviously I think there’s immense value in our engaging with each other at all levels, but I won’t undersell the incredible sessions, keynotes, vendors, and sponsors. Returning from conference with all the creativity and new energy of conference allows us to be more sharp and well-informed professionals.

5. Explore: Yes, there’s Atlantic City to explore, but at NJLA we have a dozen little nooks and crannies to take in. From the exhibit hall to the bookstore NJLA has a little something around every corner. If you’ve never been (or never checked them out) NJLA section tables offer a little more information about how to be involved in NJLA year round. The most rewarding aspect of NJLA for me personally has been the ability to get a broader view of librarianship around the state than what I see from my branch, library, system, or county.

Kristen Crepezzi and the 2019 Conference Committee.

Want to be involved with Conference, submit a poster session!

Jan 18 2019 - 11:25am

Poster sessions feature innovative library program ideas, success stories, research studies, problem solving and more! Participants include a wide variety of students, paraprofessionals, librarians, and other library-relevant groups will have the opportunity to informally discuss their presentations with conference attendees.

Submit your poster session here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LHF6W99

Deadline for submission is Friday, March 1, 2019

Program Announcements Coming Soon!

Jan 18 2019 - 8:38am

The holidays are over, 2019 is in full swing, and the NJLA conference committee has met as a whole to review the program proposal submissions. If you submitted a proposal, hold tight! Program announcements will be made in early February. At this time, the conference committee may make notes or give suggestions to some of you who submitted. As always, we’re working hard to create a stellar lineup for this years’ conference!

Happy Holidays from the 2019 Conference Committee!

Dec 12 2018 - 11:00am

Hanukkah may be over, but the holidays are by no means done. Happy holidays from the NJLA Conference Committee! Don’t worry, we’re working like busy little elves to get through your conference proposals. Now that the deadline is past, the conference committee as a whole will meet and sort through proposals. Acceptances and rejections at this meeting aren’t final, and contacts for program proposals won’t hear about the status of their application until early February. Programs may get notes or suggestions from the conference chairs such as adding another speaker or submitting it as a pre-conference or double session instead of the originally proposed format.

In short, you’ll hear back from us as soon as possible. In the meantime, enjoy the holidays and have a Happy New Year! We’ll see you in 2019!

--Stacey Shapiro and the 2019 NJLA Conference Committee

10 things you’ll see at the #NJLA18 Conference

May 29 2018 - 7:17pm

1. People. New people. Reunions. Business cards. Networking. In some cases, we’ve been working virtually with colleagues around the state for months or years and never had the opportunity to meet. #NJLA18 provides the space to start making new connections and reinforcing old ones. Drop by Conference Kick-Off, Ice Cream Break in the Exhibit Hall, the Pool Party, or any of the other formal or informal networking mixers.

2. The undecideds. With so many sessions to choose from, there will always be those of us (read: me) who plan first and second and third options before they go. Will we walk into a selected session and sit confidently in a seat or hover on an aisle so we can scoot to the second session on our list and maximize all possible options? Yes.

3. Library professionals giving back. Whether as volunteers at the conference, ambassadors for their NJLA sections and individual libraries, or through the Donation Drive for Covenant House Teen Shelter, #NJLA18 has New Jersey and surrounding information professionals giving back. Please consider bringing a donation for the drive if you can.

4. All attendees playing the conference wifi game with their devices. Conference wifi in the venue space just isn’t the same as in the rooms. We are going to have to talk IRL.

5. All the swag collectors. Roaming the Exhibit Hall is worth it any day, but the free swag and the ability to sit in all the cushy furniture like Queen of the Library makes this the best downtime hangout. Some of our collective favorite database, media, and book vendors will be represented at #NJLA18 as well as providers that could be your next partnership.

6. Board Games for Everyone and a Unifying Drum Circle. These alternatives to the traditional networking mixers allow for developing relationships and communicating in different kinds of environments that allow for either more structure or community contribution.

7. Lots of book talking. In addition to overhearing probably 20+ introductory conversations of “Which Hogwarts House are you?” followed by either new best friend wand waving or tense argument, there will be talk of books. From the Best Graphic Novels of 2017 to Genre Bending and the Book Club and Brown Bag Lunch plus the 2018 Garden State Teen Book Awards Luncheon, #NJLA18 is the place to be for all the books discussion.

8. Me legit missing sessions because I am deciding between four pairs of book socks in the NJLA Store. Stop judging me, this is an important decision.

9. SNACKS! Obviously, food is important. So there will be snacks. And you can find some each day of conference. Conference Kick-Off, Exhibits Grand Opening & Coffee, and Snack Break with the Exhibits are all sanctioned snack locations. But keep an eye on the schedule (and at booths) for more snacks! Everyone needs snacks.

10. The happy faces when a community occupies a space together. It’s a special feeling when a community gets together in numbers. When the things you need to explain to family and friends are things that are appreciated in the #NJLA18 space because they are our common experiences and values. As much as our individual libraries and jobs differ, as much as we agree and disagree, the NJLA Conference is a place for us all to Speak Freely. And when we get together - we learn, we laugh, we grow. And that energy follows us back home. We are better professionals because we come together.

Kristen Crepezzi is a recent Rutgers MI graduate and Youth Services/Young Adult Services Librarian at the Long Beach Island Branch of the Ocean County Library. She currently serves as intern for the NJLA Conference Committee through the CIP Program and is a proud SlytherClaw. Last year at NJLA she purchased a tote that says “Leave Me Alone, I’m Reading Meow” at the NJLA Store. It took 45 minutes to select.

What's for lunch at #NJLA18?

May 23 2018 - 11:35am

Planning your Conference schedule? Don't forget to refuel!

Click here for more information about our lunch options, from luncheons featuring distinguished speakers & authors to a casual buffet and a brown bag book club option!

A $15 boxed lunch option will also be available.

All lunch options will be available to purchase on-site at Registration.

- Megan Kociolek and the 2018 NJLA Conference Committee

Non-Librarian Presenters Speak Freely at NJLA

May 16 2018 - 11:16am

Did you know that you can learn from professionals outside of the Library world at the NJLA Conference? In this post we highlight some of the terrific outside talent our committees and sections have invited to share their knowledge and expertise.

Who better to talk with us about homeless populations than Ryan Dowd, Executive Director of Hesed House in Aurora, Illinois? Hesed House’s mission is to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless and give people the chance to hope again. Mr. Dowd, author of A Librarian’s Guide to Homelessness, is an expert on libraries and the homeless and will share his extensive knowledge in the preconference Practical Skills for Homeless, Addicted & Mentally Ill Patrons and again on Thursday morning in the session titled Things You Need to Know about Your Homeless Patrons.

During Let's Listen: Presenting Diverse Oral Histories, you can learn about the Trans Oral History Project and Queer Newark Oral History Project. In addition to librarians, who have brought public history into the public library, you will also hear from Kristyn Scorsone, a master’s student in the History Program at Rutgers University – Newark with a concentration in Women’s and Gender Studies. You can read more about Kristyn Scorsone in this earlier conference blog post: http://njlaconference.info/content/program-spotlight-diversity-outreach-section.

And how often do we get to hear from an Education Development Executive at Apple? On Thursday afternoon in Libraries & Information: Change in a Digital Environment, come learn from Matt Brooks about how Apple products can help you collaborate in a digital environment and explore the opportunities that Apple's Everyone Can Code curriculum can open to students and community members to learn how to code.

You won’t want to miss Friday’s session, Full STEAM Together: Social Justice in Programming. Rashmi Drummond, Founder of The DreamGirls Initiative and Amy Cliett, National Outreach Manager for TechGirlz will discuss STEAM programming and the connection to boosting self-confidence and self- awareness. The DreamGirls Initiative focuses on inspiring girls in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math by giving girls access to female role models in related professions. TechGirlz aims to reduce the gender gap in technology fields by focusing on girls in middle school.

Watch this video to learn more about how TechGirlz is helping middle school girls embrace the power of technology through their TechShopz and TechShopz in a Box programs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=So4WB4IbE-s#action=share

--Karen Klapperstuck and the 2018 NJLA Conference Committee

Program Spotlight from the Small Libraries Section

May 15 2018 - 1:46pm

Small Libraries and not so small libraries have the same mission. Join us on Wednesday May 30 from 10 AM - 1 PM for a Preconference session on Building a Future for New Jersey Libraries. As the recent effort to get the Construction Bond Act passed, advocacy is a vital part of our future. Come and hear from your colleagues who helped make this happen and build your skill set to become a better advocate for your library. Adding a Preconference session to your Conference schedule adds more time for networking and getting to know your counterparts in other small libraries. You don’t have to do it alone!

IT in a small library is challenging. Attend Want more Tech? No IT Department? No Problem! on Thursday, May 31 from 3:10 to 4 PM to hear from other libraries who have found some low cost easy solutions to providing technology in their libraries.

Funding is always an issue in small libraries, but come to this session, Visualizing Funding for Libraries: A New Data Tool from Foundation Center, in order to find out how to use this database in order to find institutional funding for your small library on Friday, June 1 from 11:30 AM to 12:20 PM.