VLA: Day 1

I had such a great time at my very first Virginia Library Association conference!

If you click HERE you can access the archives for the session notes, so all I have decided to post is the sessions I attended, some useful links and what I took away from them.

Thursday, 1:15-2:00pm
Anime for the Rest of Us by Jes Fessler and Katie Walton, Chesapeake Public Library

-Links to useful resources:
                        - www.crunchyroll.com
                        - www.hulu.com
                        - www.graphicnovelreader.com

What I took away from this workshop: I am not sure that RPL would have the man power necessary to do a mini Anime Con (or a mini Con of any kind) like they do in Chesapeake, but it would be interesting to see if we had the interest. I would like to start by doing an Anime movie film fest at my library during the summer.

Thursday, 2:15-3:00pm             
Writing Effective Cover Letters for Library Positions by Susan Vandale, Hollins University

-Links to useful resources:
http://opencoverletters.com à has great, successful example cover letters for library positions
http://www.career.vt.edu/jobsearchguide/coverlettersamples.html --> Virginia Tech’s Career Center

Vincent, Clement. “The rejection letter I wish I could send.” Chronicle of Higher Education.

What I took away from this workshop: Even though this workshop will provide me great tips for any future jobs that I apply for, that isn’t why I took it.  Every day it seems like I am helping patrons with resumes and cover letters. We talked A LOT about resumes in the College of Business at JMU and we created new ones almost every class during my last three semesters. I took advantage of our career center with the mock interviews and resume critique services they provided. But, not once, do I ever remember talking about, creating, or even thinking about a Cover Letter. Now I feel like I have a basic foundation for both myself and to use when assisting patrons with their job searches.

Thursday, 4:00-4:45pm             
Tween Reader’s Advisory by Capital Choice by Bridget Harvey & Rebecca Purdy, CRRL

The 30 featured titles for Tweens (ages 10-14) from Capital Choices.

Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart by Candace Fleming
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
Bluefish by Pat Schmatz
Bootleg: Murder, Moonshine, and the Lawless Years of Prohibition by Karen Blumenthal
Breaking Stalin’s Nose by Eugene Yelchin
Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos
Drama by Raina Telgemeier
Flesh and Blood So Cheap: The Triangle Fire and Its Legacy by Albert Marrin
George Bellows: Painter with a Punch! by Robert Burleigh
Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans by Kadir Nelson
How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous by Georgia Bragg
Inside Out & Back Again by Thanha Lai
Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine
Lost & Found by Shaun Tan
Okay for Now by Gary Schmidt
One Year in Coal Harbor by Polly HorvathSilhouetted by the Blue by Traci L. Jones
Son by Lois Lowry
Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz
The Summer of the Gypsy Moths by Sara Pennypacker
Temple Grandin: How the Girl Who Loved Cows Embraced Autism and Changed the World by Sy  
              Montgomery
Ten Miles Past Normal by Frances O’Roark Dowell
Titanic: Voices from the Disaster by Deborah Hopkinson
A Web of Air by Philip Reeve
Wonder by R.J. Palacio

What I took away from this workshop: Even though I am a YA Librarian and I feel really confident with Reader’s Advisory, I think that Tween (10-14) is more of a gray area. I am excited to feel prepared with solid recommendations, especially when I have read a few of them. Also thought the Q&A was wonderful, especially the tip about what to do when parents are concerned about their children reading specific books. Listening to the audio book with the child sounds like a great solution, that way parents can address concerns in a timely manner and answer questions.