2 COGNOTES                                 SEATTLE                          MIDWINTER MEETING HIGHLIGHTS

Next Stop: Washington D.C. for the 2019 ALA Annual Conference & Exhibition

This year’s standout Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits brought a collective force of skill and determination with thousands of librarians, library workers, exhibitors, and supporters from across the nation.

Meeting highlights included the incredibly popular ALA Youth Media Awards which announced the Coretta Scott King Book, Caldecott Newbery, and Printz Award winners. We were inspired by philanthropist and author Melinda Gates who believes we can change the world, one woman at a time, and sociologist and author Eric Klinenberg who drove home his theory that libraries are, and should be, the foundation of social infrastructure. CEO of the Girl Scouts of the USA Sylvia Acevedo taught us how to overcome obstacles, and travel host and activist Rick Steves spoke passionately about the rich education we receive when we take the leap to travel internationally. Journalist Isha Sesay’s session revealed a heartbreaking, yet courageous story of the 276 young Nigerian girls kidnapped by the Boko Haram, and my President’s Program featured author Robin DiAngelo, who addressed “white fragility.”

You may know that last June, I introduced the Libraries = Strong Communities advocacy effort, an opportunity to demonstrate the significant role that libraries play within our communities. We are currently on a six-city national tour, and as part of our tour we were excited to hold a public rally at the Seattle Public Library (https://bit.ly/2WpDkLR) hosting elected officials, community-based organizations, state library associations, ALA divisions and members, and conference attendees. We have also created a new website to house a growing collection of advocacy tools (ala.org/advocacy).

WE are the change we’ve been waiting for... and we look forward to a long stretch of shared triumphs as we head to the Annual Conference & Exhibition, June 20-25. Find information on registration and housing, social media links, and more at alaannual.org. Thank you for your unwavering commitment to our communities and I hope to see you again in Washington, D.C.!

Loida Garcia-Febo
ALA President

Loida Garcia-Febo on ‘Libraries = Strong Communities’