ALA MidWinter - Newbie Thoughts

By Lydia Frankenburger
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The 2019 ALA Midwinter conference in Seattle was my first national library conference.  I was encouraged by a fellow high school librarian who is also a friend to go to it, especially since it was one flight away in Seattle.  Before attending, my friend gave me some tips from her experience:

• Bring along flat rate boxes and purchases the postage before attending to save time. This was a great suggestion, except postage went up during the conference.
• Bring a stamp with your school’s name, address, phone number, and your email to save time in the exhibit hall. I did this, but now the majority of vendors scan your badge, so you do not need to fill anything out.
• If possible, bring a poster tube for the free posters that are in the exhibit hall.  I did not do this, but I wish I did.
• Bring an extra suitcase. Yes, do it!  You will get a lot of swag, including many Advanced Readers’ Copies of books.
  
  I arrived in Seattle a few hours prior to the opening of the conference. (Click Here to continue...)