Making the Most of Midwinter 2018

Library professionals have a lot of roles to fill in our changing world. Data is becoming vaster, service needs more varied, and information more important than ever. At the American Library Association’s (ALA) 2018 Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits in Denver, attendees can envision these roles by learning from industry experts and leaders, discussing innovative and diverse strategies with peers, and bringing home invigorating ideas to transform their libraries and communities.

Looking forward

ALA’s Center for the Future of Libraries presents the second annual Symposium on the Future of Libraries, included with full registration for Midwinter. On Saturday, Sunday, and Monday (February 10–12), attendees can explore near-term trends inspiring innovation in academic, public, school, and special libraries and longer-term trends that will help professionals adapt to their communities’ needs. Advance registration is not required.

The symposium integrates and builds on Midwinter’s popular ALA Master Series and News You Can Use updates, which highlight library advances. It will include:

plenary sessions with the civic, education, and social innovators who are creating what’s next for cities, campuses, and communities
insights from library professionals introducing new services, spaces, collections, and partnerships
discussion with experts and thinkers from allied professions and disciplines sharing their visions for the future and helping us think beyond our current work
emerging products and services for libraries in the exhibit hall

Compelling speakers

Midwinter showcases high-profile speakers, including bestselling authors, thought leaders, industry icons, and technology innovators.

Hear from acclaimed author and 826 National cofounder Dave Eggers at the Auditorium Speaker Series (Saturday, February 10). Eggers will be on hand to discuss his recently released nonfiction picture book, Her Right Foot (Chronicle Books, September).

Performer and slam poet Elizabeth Acevedo will present the Arthur Curley Memorial Lecture (Saturday, February 10), commemorating Curley’s dedication to intellectual freedom and the library as a center of transformation. Acevedo’s debut novel The Poet X (HarperCollins Children’s Books) will be available in early 2018.

Science educator, mechanical engineer, and TV host Bill Nye and science journalist Gregory Mone will headline the Closing Session (Monday, February 12). Nye and Mone are coauthors of Jack and the Geniuses, a middle-grade series designed for STEM education (Amulet Books).

Attend the ALA President’s Program (Sunday, February 11), where Jim Neal will introduce a community conversation on the “neutrality of libraries,” including a formal debate, a panel of commentators, and audience discussion.

Be a part of the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Observance and Sunrise Celebration (Monday, February 12), honoring King’s legacy and recognizing the connection between his life’s work and the library world.

The exhibit hall

With more than 450 exhibitors, the exhibit hall offers attendees a breadth and depth of new and favorite library products, services, books, online services, tools, and technologies. Attend signings, take home ARCs, and enjoy specialty pavilions and live stages including the Book Buzz Theater, PopTop Stage, and What’s Cooking @ ALA Cooking Demonstration Stage (Friday–Monday, February 9–12). Visit the website for more information.

Peer-driven sessions

Check out a wide range of institutes and ticketed events offered by ALA divisions, offices, and round tables for conveniently timed and in-depth professional development. Find details and register at the website.

Celebrations

Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction winners will be announced at the RUSA Book and Media Awards Ceremony and Reception (Sunday, February 11) alongside the Notable Books, Reading List, and Listen List selections and the Dartmouth Medal and Sophie Brody Medal for Jewish Literature recipients.

Honoring books, videos, and other outstanding materials for children and teens, the Youth Media Awards (Monday, February 12) will reveal the winners of the Newbery, Caldecott, Printz, and Coretta Scott King book awards and medals, among others.

Want to discover Denver?
Visit the informational website created for ALA by the city of Denver—which includes a list of attractions and special offers.

Need to convince your boss?
ALA has resources to help you make the case to your supervisor for attending. View outlined benefits, a budget worksheet, and testimonials from previous attendees.

Have career questions?
ALA’s JobLIST Placement and Career Development Center will again offer free career counseling and connect job seekers and employers (Saturday and Sunday, February 10–11).

Stay Updated

Visit alamidwinter.org
Track #alamw18 and follow us at @alamw on Twitter
Join the Facebook event
Follow the Pinterest boards
Keep up with #alamw18 on Instagram
Be sure to check out the Midwinter Schedule in November—with mobile app to be released in December—to receive updates, organize your events, get tailored recommendations, and create a shareable calendar.

Latest Library Links

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Rachel Hendrick writes: “Students and library vendors are pushing AI adoption in higher education, but there are very few resources that help librarians and scholars separate the wheat from the chaff. Luckily, we here at Choice love a good assessment rubric. (In fact, we made a PDF of our assessment rubric.) Even the least tech-savvy of us can use a very simple AI literacy framework to think critically about whether an AI application is worth your time.”

Choice 360 LibTech Insights, Nov. 13
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ALSC Blog, Nov. 15
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ALA Communications, Marketing, and Media Relations Office, Nov. 14
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Emily Weak writes: “Something I always hear from hiring managers is that they want to build a resilient, diverse workforce. Sometimes we say we want a resilient workforce, but what we mean is that we want staffers who are willing to go above and beyond, or to do more with less. These concepts are deeply entrenched in librarianship, but I think we’re beginning to see how they can cause problems. Instead of trying to hire people who will do more with less and who will thrive amid adversity, let’s think about resilience as an organizational feature.”

American Libraries column, Nov./Dec.
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Elisabeth B. White writes: “How can librarians ensure their instruction materials are as accessible as possible? One way is through Universal Design for Learning Guidelines, a set of best practices to improve teaching and learning and create inclusive and equitable educational experiences for all students. The guidelines include three principles that instructors must provide via multiple means: engagement (the ‘why’ of learning), representation (the ‘what’ of learning), and action and expression (the ‘how’ of learning). However, to create a truly equitable educational experience, school library workers need to consider accessibility principles as well.”

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Book Riot, Nov. 11
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Jay Peters writes: “Bluesky gained more than 700,000 new users in the last week and now has more than 14.5 million users total, Bluesky COO Rose Wang confirmed to The Verge. The ‘majority’ of the new users on the decentralized social network are from the US, Wang says. The app is currently the number two free social networking app in the US App Store, only trailing Meta’s Threads. Instagram-bootstrapped Threads, which recently crossed 275 million monthly users, is still significantly larger than Bluesky. But the independent platform has seen a lot of growth in recent weeks.”

The Verge, Nov. 11