One of the songs in the musical in particular makes a strong connection for me.  “For Good” is near the end of the musical and the lyrics really have a message that stretch far beyond the storyline:

I’ve heard it said
That people come into our lives for a reason
Bringing something we must learn
And we are led
To those who help us most to grow
If we let them
And we help them in return

I wholeheartedly believe this to be true.  Sometimes I might not be as aware of it as I should, but truly the connections we make with others is what helps us be a better person whether it be professionally or personally.  I could rattle off pages of folks who have helped me be a better library media specialist, a better educator, and just a better person.

Comments on LM_Net this week have made me think of this song in terms of the professional connections.  Someone posted advising that people skip attending state library media conferences and focusing more on the national and international conferences.  They suggested that the state conferences are often the same old same old thing.  I’ll admit up front that I’ve planned three state conferences and many statewide workshops – so I might be slightly biased.  But, I see great value in the local state library media conferences.

Networking to me is the most important part of a state conference.  That feeling of being alone in our libraries can quickly evaporate when we meet others the next district or county over from us.  Lifelong colleagues and friends develop from these meetings, and I can’t tell you the times I’ve dropped and email or picked up the phone to ask a question when I needed a quick answer.  Sure, you can get this same opportunity from attending national conferences, but sometimes you need someone who knows the ins and outs of your own state.  Keeping in mind, too, that when looking for a new position or when positions are in jeopardy, having a network of colleagues and friends can be an important place to rely on for help and support.

Another thing is to take the time to learn who the local representatives of various vendors are in the state.  I don’t see a lot of salesman reps mostly because I just don’t have time, but I want to know who they are.  If I do need help or do need to order, I can go straight to the local source.  It sometimes can be very helpful with orders to have a local sales rep who can help iron out any problems.  I also tend to only support vendors who do exhibit at our state conferences.  It is a sign to me that they support our professional organization by coming to the conference.

I still get ideas from conference sessions at the state conference.  Often being away for a few days gets my brain moving and thinking and while I’m listening on a session I am listening, but also thinking.  I’m thinking how their ideas might work at my school.  I’m thinking how I could take a piece of what they are doing and maybe alter it or improve it to make it work in my building.  I always come back from conferences with long laundry lists of things to do because I’m excited about the potential.  It may have just been a 5 minute spark from a session that sends me off to think of something new and exciting.

Lastly but not least the last line of the “For Good” lyric quoted above is very important.

And we help them in return

Having planned countless state conferences, it can often be difficult to get folks to turn in forms to present the great things happening in their libraries.  I know in our own state there are lots of library media specialists doing fantastic things, but they often thing it isn’t that cool or no one would want to hear about it or they are too shy to talk in front of a group of their colleagues.  Time to get past that and “help our colleagues in return”.  This helps make the state conference even better when we have a wide variety of sessions and topics.

Finally for those of us that do get to the national conferences, the state conference is a great place for us to go back and share as well.  In our conversations and sessions, we can help bring back the dialogue from the national level and begin to think about it in terms of how that looks or sounds in our state.

I’m an admitted conference groupie, but I think it is because I get different things from each conference all of which are important in helping to move forward and become an even better library media specialist for my students and staff.

Brian’s presentation included seeing the original film that inspired the Caldecott Medal winning book – The Invention of Hugo Cabret. Grimes presentation was very poetic talking about colors and reading many of her amazing poems.  We also got a glimpse into the quick timeframe she had to write Barak Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope.  Unfortuantely, I didn’t get to see Sue Corbett.  I was giving a presentation on how to host an author visit, which was fun and I hope helpful for those attending.

I can’t wait to see who will be coming to Indy for the 2nd Annual Indy Youth Literature Conference in 2010!