After three years as a youth services librarian in Wisconsin, I’m preparing to say goodbye—to the children who have grown up attending my storytimes, to the families who have trusted me with their kids’ first library experiences, and to the colleagues who have inspired and supported me. I’m moving to Minnesota, where I’ll be teaching preschool. While it’s bittersweet transition, I know that if I’m reading with kids, playing with them, and helping them explore the world, I’ll be happy.
The Self-Care Shelf: Handling Change with Grace
Change is an inevitable, if uncomfortable, part of library life. Whether it’s a staffing shift, program pivot, budget redistribution, or full-blown reorganization, change disrupts our rhythms. While we can’t stop those changes, we can choose our response. Over time (and with plenty of practice), I’ve built a small but sturdy self-care shelf. These tools help me manage change with more grace and less burnout. I still struggle with change, but returning to this shelf keeps me grounded. As ALSC heads into a season of transition, I want to share five items from my shelf. Perhaps they’ll help you, too.
#ALSCJOY Lighting the Way Forward, Part Two
In my first blog post, I spoke of the high energy that I experienced during the 2025 ALA Annual Conference in Philadelphia. The energy at the conference was electric and overwhelmingly positive even in the face of new challenges for our library profession.
Crashing a Membership Committee Meeting
When I first joined ALSC in 2023, I enjoyed seeing all of the great posts come through ALA Connect and reading the ALSC blog posts, but knew that I was craving more in terms of connecting with others in the field. Upon renewing my ALA/ALSC membership earlier this year, I decided to do something about that. So I crashed a Membership Committee Meeting. I started to panic during the meeting when I realized everyone in attendance already knew each other, but was quickly welcomed by all. This crashing of the meeting turned into a happy accident for both myself and the committee. ALSC members are able to attend process committee meetings (just not awards committees) to check out what work is being done! It turned out that the Membership Committee needed additional members at that time and I was able to contribute my expertise right away by taking over blog…
Host Site Selected For 2026 Children’s Literature Lecture with Cynthia Leitich Smith
ALSC is proud to announce that the 2026 Children’s Literature Lecture will take place at the Elmer L. Andersen Library, University of Minnesota Libraries, Minneapolis, Minnesota. The application was submitted by Lisa Von Drasek, librarian and curator at The Kerlan Collection of Children’s Literature, University of Minnesota Libraries. Award-winning author Cynthia Leitich Smith (Muscogee Nation) will deliver the lecture in spring 2026. Per The Minneapolis American Indian Center: Minneapolis is a…”large and tribally diverse urban Native population, numbering well over 35,000 in the 11-county Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area.” Additionally, there are numerous community partners, including 5 academic libraries, 3 public library systems; an independent book store specializing in native books and art; and a literary center. The Children’s Literature Lecture (formerly May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture Award) celebrates scholarship and critical thinking about literature for children. The Children’s Literature Lecture Award centers on the distinction of its winners, whose diverse…
ALSC Blog Overview – January through June 2025
Twice a year, in January and again in mid-summer, we offer an ALSC Blog overview, and take a look at what has happened with the blog in the past six months. It’s fun to look at what improvements have been made, which posts were most popular, who has worked to make the blog successful, and to see the blog’s continued growth.
Celebrate Disability Pride Year-Round through Collection Development
This Disability Pride Month marks the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). However, the fact that I spend most of my time in school libraries (open every month except July) and that my blog falls at the end of the month is good reason to celebrate Disability Pride year-round through collection development.
ALA Annual 2025: Another Exciting Year! #alaac2025
ALA Annual 2025 in Philadelphia wrapped up on Monday, June 30 – and it was a huge success! More than 14,000 people attended the conference, experiencing everything from membership events, to major speakers such as George Takei and Carla Hayden, and networking with fellow library workers. While there were hundreds of programs and events to choose from, here are some of the highlights from ALSC.