Last week I was mentally, if not completely physically, on Spring Break, and this week I’m already in full-on ACRL Conference mode. The Critlib Unconference takes place tomorrow (Wed) and I am so looking forward to driving up to Baltimore to learn from smart enthusiastic colleagues and chill with old and new friends. Despite living only two hours away I rarely make it up to Baltimore, so this is a great opportunity to see more of the city, and–let’s be real–eat, drink, and shop my way through Fells Point and Hampden.
Shameless Plug Time
I’m presenting a conference paper with my wonderful colleague Joanna Gadsby, Instruction Coordinator & Reference and Instruction Librarian at University of Maryland, Baltimore County, on Thursday at 4:00pm (to 4:20pm) in Room 310. It’s called Gendered labor & library instruction coordinators: The undervaluing of feminized work, and you can read our paper or take a look at our presentation slides if you won’t be attending ACRL.
Sessions on My Must-See List
I’ve been combing through the conference schedule trying to mark a few must-attend panel sessions, papers, posters, and discussion roundtables, and although I’m nowhere near done, I thought I’d share a few that stood out to me (as of today). If you’ve put any of these on your list, let me know! Maybe we can meet up.
I’m also planning to hang out in the Art Lounge a bit and perhaps learn to crochet (finally), as well as attend the keynotes by Roxane Gay and Carla Hayden.
Thursday
*Library Leadership and Gender: Expectations and Lived Experiences
Jennifer Brown, April Hathcock, Erin Leach, Jessica Olin, Maura Smale, Michelle Millet
8:00-9:00, Room 309
*How it all Comes Together: The Theory & Application of Intersectionality Studies in Academic Libraries
Annie Pho, Azusa Tanaka, Isabel Gonzalez-Smith, Juleah Swanson, Rose Chou
8:00-9:00, Room 341-342
*I might get some cardio in and dash between these two sessions.
Resilience, Grit, and Other Lies: Academic Libraries & the Myth of Resiliency
Angela Galvan, Jacob Berg, Eamon Tewell
9:40-10:40, Room 308
Embedded Peer Specialists: One institution’s successful strategy to scale information literacy services
Marc Levis-Fitzgerald, Annie Pho, Danielle Salomon, Casey Shapiro
3:00-3:20pm, Room 321-323
Friday
Who Steers the Boat? On Women in a Feminized Profession
Roxanne Shirazi, Emily Drabinski, Nicole Pagowsky
8:30-9:30, Room 327-329
Reclaiming Knowledge as a Public Good: Librarians Leading Campus OER Initiatives
10:30am – 11:30am, Room 327-329
Suffering from Midcareer Malaise? Re-energize your worklife!
10:30-11:30, Roundtable 7
How would you like to be remembered? Expanding your pedagogy & professional practice
Nicole Cooke
4:15-5:15, Room 314-315
Saturday
Student-led Educational Experiences: The Risks & Rewards of Letting Go
8:30-9:30, Room 327-329
Try Something New
I am also trying to leave plenty of room in my schedule to attend sessions that don’t immediately stand out to me, or are completely outside of my usual professional focus. What sessions are on your must-attend list? Anything stand out to you? Is there something you’re presenting that you’d like to plug? I’d love to hear what everyone is doing.
