Midwinter in Chicago

Chicago in January? I am nothing short of terrified about the weather. But, after one more "listening weekend," I'm off to ALA's Midwinter Meeting in mere days.

I have a lot of anxiety about being away from the library with so many things going on there. I decided I just couldn't swing ALISE, a bit ironically since I had University funding for that one. As it is, I have six very busy days ahead, for the USBBY program, Odyssey Award deliberations and announcement, a handful of other meetings, and, since it's my first time in three years not serving on Council, I can go to more publisher events.

Last Midwinter, Angie Manfredi got me up early and into some excellent seats for the Youth Media Awards (above), but this time I'll be walking in with my committee members. Just the thought makes me giddy!

This is my tenth Midwinter. I have had a minor existential crisis since finishing my dissertation. I've been a student for so long that I never bothered to consider what would be next. Now I'm deliberately shifting some of my energy away from professional associations and into more local endeavors. But speaking of ALA, I feel real gratitude for the leadership and negotiation skills I have learned through the organization. I feel like working for them has given me insight into so many different areas of the profession, of non-profits, of government agencies, and public funding. It's been really invaluable in preparing me to take on new things. I know I certainly wouldn't be president of ALLA were it not for ALA.

Meanwhile, the flu is ripping through school. Off to sanitize everything...