#AASL13

American Association of School Librarians Conference 2013

Fun at #AASL13 with Sue Levine, Nikki Robertson, Michelle Cooper & Elissa Malespina!

     Recently, I had the opportunity to attend my first national conference. My road to the American Association of School Librarians Conference started in June 2013 with a simple tweet.  Shawna Ford tweeted that she needed a roommate for #AASL13.  Wow! I wanted to go and tweeted her immediately!  Did it matter that I only knew her from Twitter? No!  She was a librarian, and that meant she would be fabulous.  (Although, Shawna's family & friends were concerned I might be a homicidal maniac!) With the support of my awesome principal, I soon had plans to attend my first national conference. Then Carolyn Foote asked if I would like to present in the eLearning Commons.  Would I? Try and stop me!  I was so excited about AASL would it ever live up to my expectations?

                                                     Presenting in the eLearning Commons

Without a doubt the highlight of AASL was meeting the librarians I admire and respect. I have collaborated with some for years, but have never actually met them in person.  The TL News Night team is fabulous, and I finally had the chance to meet all my colleagues.  Yes, they were just as nice in person as I thought they would be!  The live TL News Night show from the eLearning Commons was a great experience. Usually we only see each other on a Google Hangout, and it was fun to experience the excitement first hand.

There was even an unconference organized by Joyce Valenza that rocked into the night with everyone learning, collaborating and having their voice heard.  The eLearning Commons was a huge success thanks to all the hard work of Carolyn Foote.  A big thank you to everyone involved in organizing the American Association of School Librarians Conference held in Hartford, Connecticut.