I was able to attend the American Library Association annual conference in San Diego, California from June 27 – July 2, 2024. It was the first time I have had the opportunity to go to the ALA conference. I was able to meet librarians not only from all over the country, but from all over the world. I heard Trevor Noah, Taraji P. Henson, Max Greenfield, and Kwame Alexander speak. I also was able to meet authors like Dan Santat, Raina Telgemeier, Pedro Martin, and Jerry Craft and tell them how much their books meant to kids in my library. I toured the San Diego Public Library and saw some things I could take back to our library, like a small cart with travel-size hygiene items for anyone to take. I attended sessions and learned what I could be doing more of – like looking for grants to get some food in the library for hungry kids in the summer. I also attended sessions and found out that a lot of what big libraries are struggling with, my little library is doing and thriving, such as making connections within the community and working together across departments. It was a fabulous experience, and I hope everyone gets a chance to go.
