CSLA 2008-Day 4

Sunday morning began with committee meetings, so those of us who aren’t on committees got to sleep in. The first regular session began at 9:15. I had chosen Good Slick Stuff to Do with PhotoShop Elements, iPhoto, and Picassa (Beyond the Basics). It was just starting to get interesting when I had to leave for an overlapping session, because I had volunteered again as facilitator. The description of Virtual School Librarian, Are You Ready? was :
“Soon there will be job descriptions calling for virtual school librarians. This session will discuss the job description and characteristics needed for such a position. Join in the discussion to define the role and expectations for a Teacher Librarian who will only interact with teachers and students online.”
This is an interesting area for discussion. What do you think the librarians of the future will do? How does this relate to our ESLR about becoming a life-long learner? What will your children’s experiences of libraries and librarians be?

The conference ended with a celebration of books and reading. The author/illustrator brunch brings together librarians with the authors whose books we share with our patrons. Each round table for 10 people has a seat reserved for an author or illustrator. When you choose your seat, you don’t know who will be at your table. Author Pamela Turner sat at our table. I had not heard of her before, so it was interesting talking to her. She has written 4 books. Almost all of them have some tie to animals. (You’ll get to see her newest book, because each author brings a copy of one of their books which goes to the person whose birthday is closest to his or her own. I was closest.) The main speaker was Rosemary Wells who has been writing for children from preschool up for over 30 years. She was passionate about the importance of libraries and librarians, the value of reading for all children, and issues related to war. Many of us received advanced reader’s copies of her newest book, which is about Abraham Lincoln from the point of view of his sons. After the brunch ended at 1, there was an hour set aside for librarians to get books signed by the authors. I didn’t stay because of the almost 400 mile trip home and concerns about getting caught in the tule fog in the Central Valley.

See you tomorrow.