Tuesday, May 22, 2018

SSL 2018 Conference Takeaways

From May 4-6, 2018, I traveled to Long Island to attend the New York Library Association/Section of School Librarians Conference.  It is always a treat to be able to partake in professional development specifically geared towards librarians, but this conference was particularly special.

After spending SSL 2017 as one of the conference co-chairs, it was nice to be able to relax and enjoy the sessions!  I was also honored and humbled to have received the Laura Wedge Conference Award through SSL.  This award is given to a librarian that has been practicing for at least ten years (how time flies!) and helped to defray some of the travel/registration costs of attendance.  Here are some of my top takeaways from the conference.

The Bus Ride
It was wonderful that some school library system directors worked together in order to provide the option of a bus to travel to and from the conference.  Karen O'Donnell, librarian at Batavia Middle School, served as bus captain.  She did an amazing job of making the bus ride extra fun and friendly!  Karen had small gifts available for first time SSL conference attendees, and distributed raffle prizes every 50 miles traveled.  These kind touches were really appreciated and helped to build excitement and camaraderie before the conference even started.

Ellen Oh and We Need Diverse Books
The keynote speakers for this conference were absolutely amazing!  The first speaker for the event was Ellen Oh, the co-founder, CEO, and President of the We Need Diverse Books (WNDB) organization.  I first heard about WNDB a few years back.  Their website provides wonderful resources about diverse authors and books, which has proved to be very helpful in the ordering of resources.  The WNDB short story anthology, Flying Lessons and Other Stories, was an amazing addition to the library.  Hearing Ellen speak was inspirational as well as thought-provoking.  She shared a powerful message about making sure that all children can see themselves reflected through the literature they read.  From the messages shared during the session, I feel even more passionate about building a diverse and inclusive library collection.

 Following Ms. Oh's keynote, I then had the opportunity to attend a follow-up session with a panel of authors affiliated with WNDB.  Author panels might be my favorite part of every conference!  Authors are truly the rock stars of a librarian's world, so any time spent with an author is magical.  This session, facilitated by Ellen Oh, featured authors Kat Yeh, Tracey Baptiste, Karuna Riaza, and Selina Alko.  Although I was already familiar with some of their works, it was helpful to learn more about some of their more recent titles.  I left the session with some great purchasing ideas for the library.

 More Books with Mr. Schu
I had approached the SSL 2018 conference with two goals in mind: I wanted to learn more about current books/authors and I wanted to gain knowledge about the new AASL standards.  Keeping these ideas as focus items helped me to choose from the many interesting sessions offered during each time slot.

It's always a lovely experience seeing Mr. Schu.  His passion and love for literature is contagious, and I leave his sessions with lots of ideas for new purchases.  A popular title (now a few years old) that I had missed purchasing is Wishtree by Katherine Applegate.  Mr. Schu, as well as other librarians in the session, spoke highly of this book.  This is one I'll definitely be adding, in addition to newer releases.

Luncheon Keynote/Follow Up Session: Pernille Ripp
For me, one of the more highly anticipated sessions of the conference was the luncheon keynote with Pernille Ripp.  Ms. Ripp is a teacher and the founder of Global Read Aloud.  When I was previously working at Pioneer Middle School, many classes came to the library to participate in Global Read Aloud activities.  It was a powerful and engaging experience for students!  I'm looking forward to bringing this program to Iroquois Middle School.

Pernille's keynote focused on the power of reading and how educators can grow and sustain a love for reading in students.  She told personal stories from both her family and teaching life.  These reading anecdotes really resonated with me and provided me with insight on ways that I can approach reading enjoyment more effectively with my students.


 After the keynote, I was happy to be able to spend another session learning from Pernille Ripp.  I am eager to read her books, Passionate Readers and Passionate Learners, over the summer.

Author Visit Tips
Stacey Rattner, librarian at Castleton Elementary, is a master at facilitating author visits.  She uses social media and conference opportunities to connect with authors.  The author visits she hosts are extra special events for both her students and the visiting author.  Stacey, along with author/illustrator Stephen Savage, shared practical tips for hosting a spectacular book creator visit.  I'll be able to put these tips to good use when hosting an author next month!

 Up Close with Authors
During exclusive vendor time, I was able to browse the vendor booths, then get a book signed by one of my favorite authors - Gordon Korman!  Mr. Korman was slated to come to the SSL 2017 Conference in Buffalo, but was unable to attend due to weather and travel issues stemming from the NYC area (for once, Buffalo weather was not to blame!).  During 2017, we created a "Flat Gordon" as a substitute and were able to speak with Mr. Korman via Skype.  Even with his virtual appearance last year, Gordon was eager to make it to the 2018 conference in person.  It was a pleasure to meet the author behind so many books I have enjoyed!  Gordon Korman's books fly off the shelves here at Iroquois Middle School.

Flat Gordon in Buffalo, NY - SSL 2017 Conference

"Real" Gordon in Huntington, NY - SSL 2018 Conference
When the Knickerbocker Banquet began on Friday evening, I was given the opportunity to connect with yet another author - Steve Sheinkin.  Steve was the 2018 Knickerbocker Award winner and I was lucky to be able to sit at his table!  His award speech was insightful and humorous.  I enjoyed listening to the audiobook of his book, Bomb, but am now looking forward to reading and recommending even more of his titles.  I learned of a connection that Steve had to my hometown of Springville, NY.  He contacted the town's historical society to gather research about Pop Warner, one of Springville's most famous residents.  It's a small world, for sure.


 Sessions on the new AASL Standards
The American Association of School Librarians recently launched new National School Library Standards.  I haven't yet delved into the details of the new standards, so this conference was a perfect opportunity to get more information about the roll out and implementation of the new standards.  A double session was hosted by Sara Kelly Johns and Dr. Steven Yates (current AASL president).  I couldn't think of two more knowledgeable people to host this session!  This session provided me with lots of new insight on the standards.  I now feel more confident in my ability to implement and embed these standards within the library program at Iroquois Middle School.


 Closing Keynote with Barbara Stripling
Hearing from Barbara Stripling was truly the perfect way to close out this conference.  For anyone that knows Dr. Stripling, she is the real deal!  She has been involved in a variety of leadership and teaching roles.  Her commitment to students and libraries has shaped our profession for the better.  During her keynote, she shared many of her insights and takeaways about teaching, learning, and libraries.  This ended the conference experience on a positive and inspirational note.

 New and Old Friends
What truly makes the SSL Conference special is its people.  After being a member of NYLA/SSL for a number of years, I have made some true friendships with other librarians from across New York.  This conference is also special because it is specifically geared towards the needs of school librarians.  It is powerful and uplifting to participate in an opportunity to learn how to better serve the students and staff that utilize school libraries.

I met Becky Leathersich, the Beatrice E. Griggs scholarship winner.
It's great to see awesome new librarians enter the profession!
This conference could not have been possible without the dedication and leadership of the SSL 2018 Conference co-chairs, Mary Charters and Jo Beth Roberts.  From co-chairing the 2017 conference, I know that hosting a conference of this magnitude is no easy task.  Their love and dedication to providing a wonderful learning opportunity was evident at every turn.  I truly enjoyed the conference from start to finish.
Thank you again to NYLA/SSL, Dawn Pressimone (the SSL Awards chair), and the Awards Committee for the Laura Wedge Conference Award.  Without this financial support, I would not have been able to attend the conference this year.  From all of the conference takeaways, I returned to Iroquois Middle School with new tools and ideas to better support students.
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