Volume 7, September 15, 2011 for the WSL Updates mailing list

Topics include:

1) VOLUNTEER ENGAGEMENT WORKSHOPS

2) RETHINKING REFERENCE COLLECTIONS

3) ONLINE NORTHWEST CALLS FOR PROPOSALS

4) SURVEY – PROFESSIONAL IDENTITIES AND SOCIAL NETWORKING

5) FUNDAMENTALS OF PRESERVATION

6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK

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Volume 7, March 31, 2011 for the WSL Updates mailing list

Topics include:

1) RESOURCE SHARING GRANT Q&A SESSION

2) FIRST TUESDAYS – SEARCH THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES

3) FUNDING FOR LIBRARY SUPPORT STAFF CERTIFICATION

4) NEW YORK TIMES AVAILABLE THROUGH LIBRARIES

5) MAKING SENSE OF THE CIVIL WAR

6) CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK (SOME FREE, SOME NOT)

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Volume 7, February 17, 2011 for the WSL Updates mailing list

Topics include:

1) FREE GENEALOGY EVENT – BING CROSBY’S FAMILY HISTORY

2) WLA ANNUAL CONFERENCE – REGISTER NOW

3) PUBLIC RECORDS & OPEN MEETING FORUM

4) FREE WEBWISE CONFERENCE

5) HOST THE KING JAMES BIBLE TRAVELING EXHIBIT

6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK

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Volume 6, December 23, 2010 for the WSL Updates mailing list

Topics include:

1) NAVIGATING THE RIVER OF CHANGE WITH PNLA

2) GRANTS FOR NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBES

3) EARLY LEARNING GRANTS AND SPONSORSHIPS

4) CONNECTING TO COLLECTIONS – ARCHIVED WEBINAR SERIES

5) PROQUEST PLATFORM MIGRATION MATERIALS

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Volume 6, September 2, 2010 for the WSL Updates mailing list

Topics include:

1) FIRST TUESDAYS PRESENTS the Career Bridge database

2) CONNECTING THE DOTS WEBSITE

3) FIND AN EARLY LEARNING FAIR IN YOUR AREA

4) BOOKS FOR BABIES

5) CIRCLE OF LEARNING SCHOLARSHIPS

6) ALA ANNUAL CONFERENCE FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

7) UPCOMING FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES

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Volume 6, May 27, 2010 for the WSL Updates mailing list

Topics include:

1) NO LIBRARY IS AN ISLAND – THE 2010 PNLA/WLA ANNUAL CONFERENCE

2) WASHINGTON LIBRARIES RECEIVE FREE LYRASIS TRIAL MEMBERSHIP

3) BRUSH UP YOUR PR SKILLS – JUNE FIRST TUESDAYS

4) FREE BOOK – GARLIC AND SAPPHIRES

5) TECHNOLOGY AND ITS IMPACT ON THE FUTURE OF LIBRARIES

6) POWER TO THE USER – INTERACTIVE ONLINE REFERENCE SOURCES

7) RE-TOOLING FRONTLINE STAFF WITH E-GOVERNMENT RESOURCES

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It was an interesting ride, being an ALA Emerging Leader in the Class of 2009. The upshot: I got to work with a great group of people, create some cool videos, and met a lot of really interesting librarians. The downside (downshot?): I’m not really any more interested in getting active in ALA committees than I was beforehand (and that, I think, is really the point of the whole thing).

That said, I recommend the program to other emerging librarians for a number of reasons.

1. You’ll meet a bunch of young(er), active, new(ish) librarians with lots of energy and great ideas.
2. You’ll get to collaborate on a project at a distance with a group of people you don’t know very well. Okay, this sounds like a con, but really, I think this type of work, and being able to do it effectively, is becoming more and more important as we get more and more online and virtual.
3. You’ll have an excellent excuse (and possibly a sponsorship) to attend both ALA conferences for a year. Attending an ALA conference won’t make or break you as a librarian, and you may or may not get a whole lot out of the sessions provided, but either way it’s an excellent opportunity and shouldn’t be passed up (especially if you’ve never been to a big library conference before).

One of my fellow ELs has written much more prolifically on the topic than I have (or plan to), including her “10 Reasons to Apply for Emerging Leaders 2010.”(See also 2, 3). The deadline for applying, including ALL supporting documents, is July 31st. So hopefully you’re already underway, or you can type really fast and have some letters of recommendation already sitting around … Apply to become an Emerging Leader for 2010 here.

What follows are some of my thoughts on the EL process, why it’s valuable, and where it’s not. These are broken down into two parts: my thoughts after attending ALA Midwinter, and; my thoughts after attending ALA Annual (and finishing the EL program).

If you want more info on other EL projects, documentation, and some behind-the-scenes stuff, you should check out the ALA Emerging Leader wiki, where each project is outlined and deliverables are linked.

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