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8 COGNOTES NOVEMBER MIDWINTER 2016 PREVIEW

ASCLA Events During Midwinter 2016

Institutes

The Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA) is proud to be kicking off the Midwinter Meeting with two noteworthy Institutes. Friday January 8, from 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., our full-day workshop, “Assembling a Consulting Toolkit” is designed to prepare participants to begin — or advance — a successful consulting career. If you don't have a full day to dedicate, then our half-day workshop is the one for you. “Sustainable Staff Development” from 9:00 a.m. — 1:00 p.m., addresses the ongoing need that all libraries face in encouraging professional development and growth amongst staff. Both workshops will be presented at a conference hotel, which will be announced mid-November. Read more here. Register here.

*Registration for the 2016 Midwinter Meeting is not required in order to purchase a ticket. Membership in ASCLA is not required in order to participate, but ASCLA Members’ receive the best registration rates on all of these events; learn more about ASCLA and join today.

Join ASCLA at Happy Hour

Join the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (AS-CLA) at an informal happy hour (cashbar), where you will be able to mingle and meet the ASCLA board members, committee chairs, and interest group leaders, and have a little bit of fun to start Midwinter (and the new year!) off right. ASCLA's small size allows its members and guests a warm and unique opportunity to network and connect with each other. The ASCLA happy hour gathering is a perfect place to come if you want to find out more about its interest groups and or volunteer for an ASCLA committee. Past, present, and future ASCLA members are all invited to this event on Friday, January 8, from 7:00 — 8:00 p.m. at a conference hotel, which will be announced mid-November. Learn more about the division at www.ala.org/ascla.

Leadership Session

Join author, Stephanie Capparell and the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA) Saturday January 9, 10:00 — 11:30 a.m., for a riveting conversation about her best-selling book, Shackleton's Way. All members are invited to attend the Leadership Session. More details will be posted to the ASCLA website as they become available. Learn more about the division at www.ala.org/ascla.

Consultants Networking Luncheon Ticketed Purchase Required

Join the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies, (ASCLA) for a Networking Luncheon, Saturday, January 9, from 12:00 - 2:00 p.m. The Library Consultants Interest Group supports the work of library consultants nationwide and holds this event as a forum for face-to-face networking among consulting colleagues. If you are a library consultant, or would like to become a library consultant, then this event is for you! This event will take place at a conference hotel, which will be announced mid-November. Purchase your ticket here. Learn more about the division at www.ala.org/ascla.

Aging Pre-Conference

Lifetime Arts, a national leader in arts education programming for older adults, and the American Library Association will offer a pre-conference workshop about the growing field of creative aging at ALA's 2016 Midwinter Meeting in Boston.

The day-long session, “Creative Aging in America's Libraries: Improving Older Adult Services through Arts Education,” will be held from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Friday January 8, at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. Registration is now open at http://2016.alamidwinter.org.

Participants will learn why and how libraries across the U.S. are improving services for older adults by incorporating creative aging programming into their adult services menu.

“The training provided by Lifetime Arts inspired our library program planners to up their game,” said Melinda Ludwiczak, project manager at MELSA, an alliance of Minnesota metro public libraries.

Curriculum topics include, but are not limited to, an introduction to the field of creative aging; community partnerships; planning and implementation strategies; community interests; selecting and working with a teaching artist; evaluation; and sustainability.

For resources about creative aging, visit http://www.lifetimearts.org/services/creative-aging-toolkit.

Midwinter Offers a Cornucopia of Learning

Pre-Midwinter Institutes

Check out the wide range of institutes offered by ALA divisions, offices, and round tables for conveniently timed in-depth professional development on key and current topics. Find details, including how to register, in “Ticketed Events.”

News You Can Use: Updates and Implications

Experts offer the latest updates on policy, research, statistics, technology, and more in these sessions, based on new research, surveys, reports, legislation/regulation, projects, beta trials, focus groups, and other data. Update providers include ALA divisions and offices, the ALA Digital Content Working Group, and a wide range of other organizations.

Deep Dive Workshops

“Deep Dive” half-day education sessions for active, participatory learning in a workshop-style setting, Saturday — Monday. CEUs will be available, with registration for each session capped at 30. Topics will include futuring, diversity and inclusion, community engagement, and others. Advance registration (separate from Midwinter registration) required. Find details, including how to register, in “Ticketed Events.” (See story page 10)

Discussion Groups

The Midwinter Meeting features more than 200 Discussion Groups — loosely organized sessions on broad and timely topics, each sponsored by an ALA division, round table, or office. These generally highly interactive sessions may or may not have a speaker and are more open discussions than informational.

Kitchen-Table Conversations

Don't miss your chance to be at the “kitchen table” for conversations with others in the ALA community (members, staff, attendees, external allies, and partners) to dig into our shared aspirations for ALA. Everyone is welcome; these conversations help us all understand how others see things and are an important step in having your voice heard as we look at how we can collaborate and create together. Times, locations, and sign-up information will be posted here when available.

Committee Meetings

Committee meetings are held during Midwinter to do the business of the association. Some meetings will be listed “closed” when they are discussing private information, but most meetings are open to any attendee, and are often a good way to learn about the business of ALA and its divisions.

Unconference and Library Camp

Informal opportunities to ask questions, explore options, make recommendations, examine ideas, and reflect on the implications of updates, conversations, and what you've learned at the conference. The growing participant-guided Unconference takes place on Friday, 9:00 a.m. — 12:00 p.m. and brings the unstructured conversations people often have between conference sessions into the conference itself. Unconferences are organized by the crowd, and are about sharing the knowledge and passion we have for our profession and taking what we learn into the world to make a difference. Round out your experience at the end-of-conference Library Camp on Monday. Attendees will get together to talk about anything library- or conference-related with a focus on reflecting on what inspired you at the conference. Come prepared to share your experiences and/or lead an informal discussion on a topic of your choice. Everyone is welcome!

Networking Uncommons

Make the connections you want at the Networking Uncommons space in the Convention Center. It's a dedicated area where you can gather in small groups to have a quick meeting, polish your presentation, follow up on a discussion, or just recharge your batteries. The area features tables, chairs, free convention center wifi, and a projector and screen, as well as some gadgets in case you want to push content out in real-time. Sign up for a time slot if you want to plan ahead — otherwise just show up. During open times, the area is up for grabs, although it's big enough that multiple groups can use it at once, even when someone has scheduled something. You can also check the topics each day to see what interests you.

Think Fit @ ALA

Sustainability and ‘green’ efforts are increasing throughout the events and hospitality industry. “Thinking Fit’ by minimizing our negative impact on the environment, ALA is highlighting some of the Midwinter 2016 initiatives and letting you know how you can help. Keep an eye out for the environmental friendly activities of ALA, our vendors, and other partners in coordination with the Midwinter Meeting 2016.

Exhibits

Learning continues on the Exhibit Floor with exhibitors offering educational opportunities and sessions. Check out the wide variety of stages and pavillions to increase your knowledge in pertinant areas of library topics.

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