PSLA Annual Conference: A Homecoming

Last school year, I attended the American Association of School Librarians National Conference in Columbus, OH. I had a blast teaching and learning from librarians located all over the country (and even the world!). But unfortunately, this meant that I had to miss the Pennsylvania School Librarians Association Annual Conference in Hershey last year. AASL was a wonderful experience; however, coming back to PSLA this year felt like coming home. I missed running into colleagues with whom I collaborate on the listserv and Schoology, and I missed the chocolate, of course! Speaking with librarians from other states at AASL also made me realize just how special of an organization PSLA is, and how lucky we are here in Pennsylvania to have such supportive and involved colleagues.

A highlight for me this year at PSLA was meeting with my team members for the Regional Leaders Academy over dinner on Thursday night. I am very much looking forward to working with them throughout the next year. Another wonderful experience was attending the Advisory Council lunch and meeting some of the people that make this organization what it is. Hmmm...I'm sensing a food theme here...

I also appreciated learning more about Future Reading Librarians - this was an initiative that I had heard a little bit about but didn't quite know how to incorporate into my own program. Shannon McClintock Miller, spokesperson for the Future Ready Librarians initiative, shared more about the various roles that future ready librarians must be able to fulfill. Participants had an opportunity to discuss which roles we already perform well and which roles are still challenging. I identified that I am proficient in leading PD, I am always working to cultivate instructional partnerships, and I have just begun working on community partnerships. Luckily, we received a wonderful resource for future reference as we continue to grow our programs: bit.ly/PSLAfuturereadylibs.

I was extremely excited to share my love of Google Street View and Google Cardboard during my session Come Fly With Me: Virtual Field Trips. Participants seemed to really enjoy using Nearpod to explore VR, and they also seemed pretty amazed at the places they could visit using the Street View and Cardboard apps. One participant taught me about a United Nations Virtual Reality website, which features a number of important stories in VR. Additionally, we had a great discussion about videoconferencing with authors. I learned that the most important prep a teacher can do is to test out the equipment ahead of time! Overall, I was really happy with how the session went, and I will continue to incorporate short bursts of discussion and tech practice during upcoming workshops. I know that I've said this before, but I truly do lead workshops on topics I am passionate about in part so that I can learn from other experts in the room.

The school librarian community is just that: a community. And this group is giving and kind and smart and helpful. I am always thankful to be a part of PSLA.