Thursday Institute part 2

Whew! What a day! In our afternoon session "The real low down: LIS education vs. your first LIS job and what you need to know before you get out there," the speakers had a wealth of advice for the Scholars.

I liked Tracie Hall's analysis (Ass't. Dean at Dominican Univ. GSLIS): "In your job, if there's no friction, there's no motion...when sand gets in your shell, move on or deal with it...if a little of your talent is going down the drain at the workplace, that's too much...have a sense of what you want to accomplish and don't leave until it's done...we are not to be Gatekeepers, but Gate openers."

Later on in the afternoon, the Scholars had a time for their resumes to be reviewed by various professionals in the fields. After dinner, we attended a 2 hr. "Professional Options Fair." Over 50 professionals from all types of libraries and ALA groups were represented, including 6 from AASL. The trifecta of presidents was there: Cyndi Phillips (past pres.); Sara Kelly Johns (current pres.); and Ann Martin (pres. elect.) Also in attendance were several AASL council members, including Hilda Weisburg.

I glued myself to their table for most of the evening, and we had a wonderful time of discussions regarding Spectrum, as well as the current state of school libraries, how to combat problems in the workplace, our husbands, family and other fun stuff. In between, we entertained various Spectrum scholars from across the country who were interested in school librarianship and had questions.

Tomorrow, the Institute ends with remarks by Camila Alire (ALA pres. elect) as well as the Institute Closing Ceremonies. The last day is always an emotional time.