Over 20,000 delegates from all walks of librarianship, as well as vendors, students, and “library fans.” All navigating, or trying to navigate, the enclave of Midwest chic that is Chicago. This year the annual conference of the American Library Association was taking place in its home city from July 6-12. Not only was this my first trip to ALA, it was also my first trip to Chicago, and as our school's representative in ALA's Student-to-Staff program, I wanted to be a good ambassador.

In the Student-to-Staff program, each student gets assigned to a particular ALA division, office, or conference function and works for approximately 20 hours during the conference, getting an inside glimpse into the workings of the conference and the association. I was assigned to two very active divisions: LAMA (Library Administration and Management Association) and ALCTS (“"alects”" Association for Library Collections and Technical Services). Some of my tasks were quite mundane—-filling out photocopy requests and packing slips. Others were more exciting, especially taking a cab to Wrigley Field to deliver ball caps to game-going librarians (alas, I could not stay for the game!). Board meetings of both LAMA and ALCTS filled the last day of my duties—-these afforded a unique view into the odd machinations of ALA. This is an organization that operates on parliamentary procedure, so there are rules, forms, and protocols for everything that gets done.

When not working, I had difficulty deciding what to do with my time. Do I go to a conference session? Walk through the HUGE exhibit area? Skip out on the conference altogether and go to the Art Institute? Well, I had time to do all of these, plus a little more. I highly recommend going to conference sessions to hear papers. First, they provide great information. Second, they allow you to become accustomed to the professional conversation in a particular area. Undoubtedly you will find that you want to go to 5 or 6 sessions that are happening at the same time, in at least 3 different hotels. Although the conference shuttles are efficient, they aren't that efficient. (When planning your trip, make sure to budget for cab fares. I had planned on going the cheap route and taking public transportation during my stay, but those cabs are quite convenient, and fares can stack up.)

As a result, the sessions I attended were partially determined by where I needed to be for my ALA duties. One session on outsourcing included the director from Florida Gulf Coast University, who outsourced most all of the technical services functions to get a new university's library up and running in short order. The LAMA President's Program proved to be another compelling session on “multiple generations of users,” featuring Mary Catherine Bateson speaking on the “silent generation,” and other speakers addressing the Boomers and Generations X and Y. Susan Smayda from Wallingford Public Library (CT) attested to the success of her library's book groups and “adopt-a-shelf” program (I love that idea!).

Did I mention yet how HUGE the exhibit area was? Here, you'll find all the major vendors, publishers, and educational/information dot-coms. You'll also be reminded of the more low-profile businesses: the plastic book enclosure people, the bar-code-card guys, the plastic basket folks. And my favorite stall: the commemorative brick people. As students, you probably won't be in the market for a moveable shelving system any time soon, but you can cruise around the exhibits for potential employers.

Networking in the exhibits is one way to find your next job, albeit a slightly low-percentage one in the short-term. A better bet is the Placement Center, also known as the “meat market” (or “"meet market"), where you can submit a resume at the beginning of the conference and check back occasionally to see if an employer wants to interview you. Yes, you can leave the conference with a job! The atmosphere of this place is very much like a cattle call, but I couldn't resist submitting my own credentials. I wasn’'teven thinking of being on the market when I arrived. At the very least, you can talk to some of the recruiters, who are for the most part from public libraries. I chatted with the representative from my hometown, Sacramento.

Or—-and I highly recommend this alternative—-you can go to the bar closest to the exhibits and main conference venue. Sit up at the bar, not at a table. Order a mineral water with a twist if you prefer. On a break between sessions and before dinner, I stopped by the Hyatt Regency bar and ended up talking with Prudence _____, director of the Abbeville-Greenwood Regional Library in South Carolina. Her library had 3 positions open: branch manager, technical services and reference. Not quite ready to relocate, I took some of her cards and passed them out to fellow student helpers who were interested.

There are so many other tidbits that I wish I could fit into this space: meeting students from other schools as well as our school's alumni, talking to representatives from companies such as Ebrary and Questia, and enjoying the Taste of Chicago and the Art Institute. In place of more stories, however, I would rather leave you with a recommendation. Go to next year's ALA Annual Conference, scheduled for June 14-20 in San Francisco (how convenient!). You can meet some wonderful colleagues, participate in conversations about the hot topics facing today’s libraries, and possibly talk with your future employer.

For more observations and tips from Lisa's trip to ALA, and to find out what NBA star she spotted in a hotel lobby, come to the informational session sometime in October (details to be announced a future date).