ACRL hits Philadelphia tomorrow, and there are plenty of opportunities to meet up with other librarians, even if you are not attending the conference. Join SCALA for dinner Friday night, meet iSchool students and faculty at Drexel's reception, and get your groove on for a good cause at Bibliodiscotheque! Here is a rundown of events, followed by some general conference-going advice in the SCALA's first DOs and DON'Ts post.
Wednesday night: A Conversation with Colleagues & Future Academic Librarians at Hagerty Library, 33rd and Market streets (RSVP requested)
Thursday night: Bibliodiscotheque!
Friday night: Dinner with other library school students? Drexel student or not, let us know if you're interested by filling out this form.
Ready to take on the conference? Here's what you need to know.
If you registered in advance, DO bring your badge and remember to stop by the registration table.
DO plan ahead. Take a look at the schedule and note which events interest you most. Have a backup plan, too. The conference schedule lets you search by keyword, date, and track (pre-determined lists of related events).
DON’T be married to your schedule. Opportunities come up, sessions may not be what you expect, and you want the flexibility to make the most of your conference experience.
DON’T feel like you have to suffer through a session that is not what you expected or that you are not interested in. You can attend more than one session in a given time period. DO sit by the door or the aisle if you plan to bolt.
DO attend the fun events – Bibliodiscotheque, the reception, the keynotes. You can sleep on Sunday.
DO attend the exhibits on Thursday or Friday (it's free!), Bibliodiscotheque, and the Drexel reception Wednesday night even if you are not attending ACRL.
DO tweet during the conference! If you are a Drexel MS(LIS) student and @DrexelSCALA isn’t following you on Twitter, let us know.
DO bring a bag large enough to carry home more than you brought. ACRL is not providing tote bags this year, so any swag you pick up will have to be carried another way.
DO wear layers and comfortable shoes. Hotels and convention center rooms can be chilly, and freezing is far from fun.
DON’T dress too casually. Library conferences are far from formal affairs, but that is no excuse to wear a high school theater T-shirt, ill-fitting jeans and flip-flops. Even if you are not job-hunting now, you want to put your best self forward.
DO meet new people, students and otherwise. Exchange business cards or contact information, and remember to follow-up later, especially if they work someplace you would love to be someday!
DO make up some simple business cards with your contact information and your status as a student. You never know who you’re going to meet. DON’T be afraid to give your card to someone, no matter how important they are in comparison to you!
DO bring a few copies of your resume to be reviewed at the Placement Center, or to hand out if someone asks (but DON’T plan on handing a lot out – people don’t want to be burdened with a ton of paper).
Got comments? Post them on Twitter or in the comments below.
— Catherine and Andrea
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