This was my second time attending MLA and my first time presenting. Jody Wacker and I did a DIY Escape Room Workshop session and since it was interactive I had the opportunity to connect with many of the participants. I attended a couple sessions about planning large-scale events–a Harry Potter Yule Ball and Teen Lit Con. While we don’t have the resources to pull off these events at my library, it was still interesting to hear what it takes to plan and execute these events and there were still elements from both that I could use for smaller programs. I also attended the Children and Young People’s Section business meeting, which was a great way to meet other Youth Services Librarians from across the state and find out about professional development opportunities. The session “Goodbye Reading Logs!” gave me a lot of great ideas to incorporate into my summer reading program, including giving participants books at the beginning of the summer and making the big prize something that would be added to the library collection. More highlights included the sessions on Asian American Children’s and Young Adult Literature and Community Embedded Library Services
