This was the first time I’d attended a conference since 2015 and it felt good to be back in the swing of large-scale, professional development. By far my favorite part of the conference was, as always, catching up with old friends and colleagues. Several of my former supervisors were there and I had a great time hearing how and what everyone has been up to since we parted ways.

I attended a few very useful sessions that were mostly technology- and teen-oriented. No surprises there. But I was pleasantly surprised by how much I was engaged and interested by a panel of reference librarians speaking about how they serve their communities. Though I am not strictly a reference librarian, I find that my time on the reference desk is my best contact with the student body and informs a lot of the subsequent programming choices that I make. I have long considered my time at the reference desk, in public libraries and in school libraries, ad hoc opportunities to teach. The micro lessons that I teach on the fly at the reference desk are so tailored to the student’s specific needs, that I can’t help but feel that these lessons are probably the most relevant ones I deliver. The reference librarian session also reminded me that, although I’ve always hated tracking the questions that come up, doing so will help us find trends and better serve our students. We don’t currently have a system for inquiry tracking, and I think we should start one. This suggestion may not be popular among some of my colleagues.

The sessions on tech speak and social media were good for me to hear, but another surprisingly interesting session was one I attended on meeting room policies. I went to the session thinking it might give me ideas for solving the issue we have with study room use. The session ended up being much more focused on library rental spaces, but was nonetheless helpful in thinking about how our policies are worded and implemented.

The keynote sessions both days were incredible and focused a lot on diversity and inclusion. It’s funny how my old career is now merging with my new one. I am very happy that conversations about representation, appropriation, identity, diversity, and inclusion have strengthened within the profession. I walked away from both keynote addresses with a long reading list for my own edification.

Since these entries are mostly for me, I will end here. It feels good to have gone to a conference and add some fuel to my professional fire.