The Conversation Starts in Seattle

2013 Midwinter Preview

January 7, 2013

Our profession stands at a crossroads: How do libraries meld traditional roles and responsibilities with the changing expectations and needs of the communities they’re in? Joining the many different kinds of conversations at the ALA Midwinter Meeting, January 25–29, in Seattle, Washington, will help attendees address these and other urgent transformational issues facing libraries.

ALA Midwinter Meeting offers opportunities to have crucial conversations with other librarians, thought leaders, vendors, publishers, authors, and others to support an active role in the big ideas that affect our field. ­Attendees will find inspiration in informal discussion sessions led by innovators; make key connections with colleagues from across the world at dynamic networking events; discover exciting new products and services from vendors in the exhibit hall; and find themselves energized through professional development sessions and book and media award celebrations for youth and adults.

Details and updates for all events and highlights covered in these pages are on the Midwinter website and in the Midwinter Meeting Scheduler. You can also keep up by joining the Midwinter Facebook Event, by tracking #alamw13, and by following our Pinterest page.

Midwinter highlights include:

Make your plans with the Midwinter Meeting Scheduler. The Midwinter Meeting Scheduler can help you plan your time at Midwinter, allowing you to create a calendar and find out about Midwinter Meeting highlights as they’re added—speakers, events, networking opportunities, and more.

Books, Media, Awards

Saturday and Sunday, January 26 and 27, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.; and
Monday, January 28, 9–11:30 a.m.
Learn about the latest trends in the publishing world in one convenient place when Book Buzz Theater takes the stage. A full list of participating publishers and the schedule can be found here.

Sunday, January 27, 5–6:30 p.m.
Those seeking to celebrate the best in adult literature will not want to miss RUSA’s Midwinter Book and Media Awards Reception. RUSA’s expert readers’ advisory committees will reveal their choices for the year’s best fiction, nonfiction, and reference sources as part of CODES’ annual literary awards. All Midwinter attendees are welcome.

Monday, January 28, 8 a.m.
For fans of youth literature, Midwinter means the Youth Media Awards. The 19 awards—selected by committees from the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), the Ethnic and Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table, the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table, and the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA)—highlight the very best in literature and media for children and teens, including the honorees for the 2013 Caldecott and Newbery awards, the Coretta Scott King awards, the Stonewall awards, and the Morris and Printz awards, among others. For a complete list of honorees and other information on the YMAs, visit ala.org/yma and join the conversation with the hashtag #alayma.

For other authors not to miss, check the Midwinter website and Scheduler.

Libraries Connecting Communities

Saturday, January 26, 8:30–10 a.m.
In October 2012, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) awarded ALA and the Harwood Institute for Public Innovation a grant to advance library-led community engagement. The Promise of Libraries Transforming Communities project kicks off at Midwinter with a series of events, including a panel session led by ALA President Maureen Sullivan and the Harwood Institute’s Rich Harwood.

Harwood and Peggy Holman, a Seattle-based author and change agent who specializes in guiding large organizations through conversation and social technologies, will lead three facilitated conversations on libraries and community engagement, Harwood on Saturday, 1–2:30 p.m., and Holman Sunday, 1–2:30 p.m. and Monday, 8:30–11:30 a.m.

Sunday, January 27, 3:30–5:30 p.m.
Peter Block, bestselling author of Community: The Structure of Belonging and widely known for his work on community engagement and reconciliation, will facilitate an interactive discussion as part of the President’s Program.

Auditorium Speaker Series

Saturday, January 26, 10 a.m.
The series kicks off with bestselling media theorist Steven Johnson. One of the most brilliant and inspiring visionaries of contemporary culture, Johnson will offer his hopeful, affirmative outlook for the future. At a time when the conventional wisdom holds that the political system is gridlocked with old ideas, Johnson makes the timely and inspiring case that progress is still possible and that new solutions are on the rise.

Sunday, January 27, 10–11 a.m.
The Auditorium Speaker Series features American icon and 2013 National Library Week Honorary Chair Caroline Kennedy, who will speak about the importance of ­libraries, reading, and society.

President’s Program

Sunday, January 27, 3:30–5:30 p.m.
ALA President Maureen Sullivan welcomes Peter Block, bestselling author of Community: The Structure of Belonging and advocate for community engagement and reconciliation. As part of the President’s Program, Block will define how communal transformation depends on leadership that includes role modeling, holding people accountable, and shared ownership. His approach focuses on effecting change through consent and connectedness rather than through mandate and force.

ERT/Booklist Author Forum

Friday, January 25, 4–5:15 p.m.
“The Novel Is Alive and Well”—the 2013 topic of the always popular ERT/Booklist Author Forum—kicks off Midwinter in style, offering the first of many opportunities to hear and see favorite authors up close over the following days. Lively moderator Brad Hooper, Booklist adult books editor, will work his usual magic as he draws out bestselling authors Terry Brooks, Ivan Doig, Gregg Olsen, and Ruth Ozeki on how their books contribute to the thriving of the novel form and the influence of the Pacific Northwest on their work.

A writer since high school with more than 25 books under his belt, Brooks (a former attorney) is author of the Genesis of Shannara novels, the Voyage of the Jerle Shannara trilogy, and the High Druid of Shannara trilogy.

National Book Award finalist Doig grew up along the Rocky Mountain Front and is known for his wit and lively personality. The former ranch hand, newspaperman, and magazine editor most recently published The Bartender’s Tale.

New York Times bestselling author Olsen, a Seattle native living in Washington state, is known for creating detailed narratives that offer insights into the lives of people caught in extraordinary circumstances.

Vancouver-based author Ozeki’s forthcoming novel, A Tale for the Time Being, is her first in eight years and is already creating a buzz, described as being full of her signature humor.

Arthur Curley Memorial Lecture

Saturday, January 26, 4–5 p.m.
Neuroscientist-turned-novelist Lisa Genova has captured a place in contemporary fiction by using her knowledge of how the brain works. Her most recent book, Love Anthony (also her third New York Times bestseller), is about autism. More than 1 million copies of her first two novels, Still Alice and Left Neglected, are in print. Both have appeared on the New York Times bestseller list.

Genova speaks worldwide about Alzheimer’s disease—its causes, treatments, prevention, and what it feels like to live with it. She was featured in the Emmy Award-winning documentary film To Not Fade Away.

The lecture series commemorates Arthur Curley’s lifelong dedication to the principles of intellectual freedom and free public access to information.

Maker Monday

Experience a full day of maker-­related events and activities on January 28.

10:30–11:30 a.m. During Maker Camp, a panel will discuss how ­libraries can participate in the 2013 Maker Camp pilot program with MAKE magazine and Google.

1–2:30 p.m. The New Stacks: The Maker Movement Comes to Libraries, with Dale Dougherty (founding editor and publisher of MAKE magazine) and Travis Good (MAKE magazine contributing writer), describes how libraries can get involved. Good will relay models of makerspaces he saw throughout the country during a recent road trip.

Visit the MAKE magazine booth (#2645) in the exhibit hall and check out the Q&A sessions throughout the day in the Networking Uncommons, where Detroit Public Library’s Steve Teeri will discuss tools, offer ideas, show new maker kits, and let you try them out.

ALA Masters Series

The ALA Masters Series offers a chance to hear and talk to experts from across library specialties in an informal setting as they describe their latest in-house innovations. Attendees can bring their lunch to these fast-paced 45-minute sessions to listen to insights into the hottest trends and how librarians are stepping up to meet them and to share their own thoughts. The three sessions are:

  • Saturday, January 26, 11:45 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
    Two members of the National Library Board of Singapore, Katherina Lee and Lee Kee Siang, will participate in a two-part session. In “Transformation of Libraries in Singapore,” Lee reflects on how the establishment of the NLB changed Singapore’s libraries from operating reactively to anticipating and innovating. In “Library Technology Adoption and Transformation Journey,” Siang describes how transformation became possible through technological advances.
  • Sunday, January 27, 11:45 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
    In “Outreach 2.0: The Digital Revolution of Public Relations,” Facebook and social media guru Ben Bizzle and emerging digital technology expert (and American ­Libraries columnist) David Lee King discuss maximizing the reach and impact of a ­library Facebook page.
  • Monday, January 28, 11:45 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
    In “Library Live and On Tour: Taking the Library to the Street,” librarian Smitty Miller shares an unusual case that shatters stereotypes of libraries, librarians, and literacy. It’s a mobile initiative that delivers the library to people who may not know about it or who have some obstacles to visiting ­libraries. Miller will be parking ­LiLi (short for Library Live), a surprising and eye-catching little vehicle with very unlibrary-like enhancements, in the exhibit hall during Midwinter. Attendees won’t want to miss the chance to see what happens when “you cross a librarian with a hot-rod shop.”

Celebrate Our Future

Saturday, January 27, 8–10 p.m. Enjoy the best of Seattle’s nightlife and make new connections at the ALA–Allied Professional Association Networking Reception and Fundraiser. Proceeds support the organization’s work in promoting “the mutual professional interests of librarians and other library workers” through research, advocacy, and enabling certification for individuals in specializations beyond the initial professional degree. Enjoy drinks, dancing, and more at the glamorous Seattle W Hotel. Tickets: $50.

Emerging Leaders at Midwinter

Friday, January 25. The 2013 class of Emerging Leaders launch a new year of action at a full-day workshop focused on leadership development. Members in this program represent the best new librarians in the field, and many are sponsored by an ALA division, office, or round table. Members of the 2013 class will select their projects and begin planning the rest of the project year during this session.

Put It All Together at Library Camp

Monday, January 29, 3:30–5 p.m. Back by popular demand, the ALA Midwinter Meeting will close out with Library Camp, an opportunity for any and all attendees to reflect on what most inspired them throughout Midwinter. Come prepared to discuss or lead an impromptu session.


 

News You Can Use

Essential Updates from the Experts

Midwinter attendees seeking the latest information on policy, research, statistics, and technology (based on new research, surveys, reports, legislation/regulation, projects, beta trials, focus groups, and other data) should definitely make space in their schedules for these updates. For a complete list, click on “News You Can Use Updates” in the list of meeting types in the Scheduler.

Process the Implications. Attendees can join Unconference on Friday; the facilitated conversations and discussion groups on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday; and Library Camp on Monday afternoon to ask questions, explore options, make recommendations, examine ideas, and reflect on the implications—or follow up with a small-group discussion in the Networking Uncommons area.

Saturday, January 26, 8:30­–10 a.m.
Cook Political Report Senior Editor Jennifer Duffy headlines the ALA Washington Office Update with a review of what libraries can expect from the new Congress, beginning its latest term in January. Duffy will assess the political climate to help library supporters target messages that effectively resonate with legislators. Additionally, she will discuss upcoming congressional legislation on issues that affect libraries.

Saturday, January 26, 10:30­–11:30 a.m.
During the Pew Internet Research Update, Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project, discusses findings from the research juggernaut on what Americans want—and don’t want—from their libraries.

Saturday, January 26, 1­–2:30 p.m.
Finding a successful ebook strategy is a high priority for our industry; find out how ALA has advocated for libraries to be part of the discussion with major publishers and what priorities the Association is setting on this issue for the new year at ALA and Ebooks: Prospects and Directions for 2013. Speakers include Sari Feldman (Cuyahoga County [Ohio] Public Library), Bob Wolven (Columbia University in New York), and Alan Inouye (ALA OITP).

Sunday, January 27, 8:30–10 a.m.
Sunday, January 27, 8:30–10 a.m. YALSA’s Badges for Librarians project aligns competencies outlined in the division’s Competencies for Serving Youth with badges that individuals can display on virtual resumes, Facebook pages, and other sites. Find out the latest about this project at the Digital Badges Update, hosted by project manager Linda Braun, consultant with Librarians and Educators Online.

Sunday, January 27, 10:30­–11:30 a.m.
LITA’s always-popular Top Technology Trends returns to its roots with a round-table session featuring thought leaders and tech experts on this year’s topic, “If Data I Created Resides in a Cloud Environment, Is It Still Mine?” Educator and librarian Carl Grant, of CARE Affiliates, will lead a discussion on the issues and ramifications of storing and mixing library-created data with vendor-provided or licensed data in a cloud-based or hosted environment.

Sunday, January 27, 1–2:30 p.m.
Learn about ACRL’s new IMLS grant “Assessment in Action: Academic Libraries and Student Success in the Update on ACRL’s Value of Academic Libraries Initiative.
 


 

Caroline Kennedy

Auditorium Speaker, Sunday, January 27, 10–11 a.m.

The widely admired Caroline Kennedy, author of 10 books on American history, politics, and poetry, will join ALA President-elect Barbara Stripling for an in-depth conversation on the important role that librarians play in public service.

Kennedy is a serious advocate for reading, literacy, and libraries, which occupy a special place in her life—especially in her work as vice chair of the New York City Fund for Public Schools from 2002 to 2012 and her upcoming participation as this year’s honorary chair of National Library Week, to be celebrated on April 14–20. She was also keynote speaker at the 2011 I Love My Librarian Award ceremony in New York City. In that speech, she said that many librarians she has met are “professionals who are excited about their changing role in a changing world—who are dedicated to serving others, who respect scholarship, and who understand that you are our guides on a lifelong journey of intellectual collaboration and collaborative composition…. Your work is truly life changing.”

Her newest book, Poems to Learn by Heart—due to be published in March 2013 by Disney-Hyperion, an imprint of Disney Publishing Worldwide, with original illustrations by award-winning artist Jon J. Muth. The book is a companion to her New York Times number one bestselling collection A Family of Poems. She selected more than 100 of her favorite poems for the new book, reminding readers, “If we learn poems by heart, not only do we have their wisdom to draw on, we also gain confidence, knowledge, and understanding that no one can take away.” Kennedy’s introductions shed light on the many ways we can appreciate poetry and the special tradition of memorizing and reciting poetry that she celebrates within her own family.

Caroline Kennedy’s appearance is sponsored by Disney Publishing Worldwide.


 

In the Exhibit Hall

Exhibit Hall Hours

 

Friday, January 25 5:30–7 p.m.
Saturday, January 26    9 a.m.–5 p.m.
Sunday, January 27 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
Monday, January 28 9 a.m.–3 p.m.

 

 

 

 

 

With more than 400 exhibitors offering innovative products and services for every library, special pavilions devoted to important niche areas, readings, the ALA Store and book activities at the PopTop Stage and other venues, the exhibit hall at ALA Midwinter Meeting is always buzzing with activity. And a special feature: Don’t miss LiLi (Library Live)—a surprising and eye-catching little vehicle with very unlibrary-like enhancements—parked in the exhibit hall.

Exhibit hall visitors can explore the breadth and depth of library products, services, books, online services, and the tools and technologies available for today’s libraries. See a full list of exhibitors at alamw13.ala.org/exhibitors.

In the ALA Store, #1670, find professional development materials and promotional products from the experts at ALA. Check out the newest titles from ALA Editions, ALA Neal-Schuman, and ALA’s divisions and offices, as well as fun posters and products from ALA Graphics (including materials for National Library Week, Teen Tech Week, School Library Month, and Choose Privacy Week).

Connect with ALA at the Membership Pavilion, #1650. Meet members and staff from ALA’s divisions, offices, and round tables, and find out how ALA membership can help make powerful, personal connections. The New Members Round Table will be on hand to offer special attention to new members.

PopTop Stage

Featuring readings, ­discussions, and presentations, with a book signing after each ­panel. For a full schedule and the most ­up-to-date information, visit alamidwinter.org.

Saturday, January 26, 9 a.m.–4:15 p.m.
Love will be in the air with panelists including Cherry Adair, Julia Quinn, Stella Cameron, Serena Robar, and Margaret Mallory, hosted by the ­Romance Writers of America.

Sunday, January 27, 9:30 a.m.–5 p.m.
The Horror Writers of America will feature a panel of authors who will discuss the group’s relationship with libraries, followed by a panel on ­ebooks at 11 a.m. At 1 p.m., the focus turns to small-press horror, followed by graphic novels at 2:30. The day ends with a discussion of YA horror.

Monday, January 28, 10 a.m.–noon.
Storytelling will come to life as the National Storytelling Association takes over the stage with various events.

Opening and Closing Celebrations

Friday, January 25, 5:30–7:30 p.m.
The Grand Opening Reception inside the exhibit hall.

Monday, January 28, from noon.
Wrap Up/Rev Up starts with special discounts, giveaways, and 501st Legion Stormtroopers before the Star Wars–themed party, 2–3 p.m. in Ballroom 6B. Bestselling authors Tom Angleberger and Chris Alexander will host.

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