The New York Library Association Conference
Saratoga Springs, NY
November 2023
Thanks to a Professional Development Grant from CLRC, I was able to attend the New York Library Association Annual Conference and Trade Show in Saratoga Springs, New York, from November 2-4, 2023. This was the first conference of my library career, and it was such a valuable experience to learn from and network with other library professionals from both inside and outside my library system.
This year’s conference theme was “Revive, Refresh, Rekindle”. This conference allowed me to rekindle my passion for library work, and to gain new ideas from other professionals in the field that I can apply in my daily workflow in my library.
ALA President Emily Drabinski’s keynote address was an uplifting start to the conference. She spoke about the challenges libraries and librarians across the country are facing, and how libraries are working to overcome these challenges. It was a very positive keynote speech on the impact and importance of libraries and library work, and it was inspiring to hear about the impact other libraries are making in their communities. I enjoyed listening to library professionals speak about projects that they are passionate about and are successful in their libraries, and consider if they’re scalable to my library. Particularly interesting presentations were “When Streaming Services Fail, Libraries Prevail” about the importance of collecting your DVD collection, the history of streaming and movies, and programming ideas to promote your collection. We do have a large DVD collection and horror movie fan base at Utica Public Library, so these ideas could be easily translated to my library. “Collaborative Publications: Many Hands Make Light Work”, a Westchester Library System panel presentation about their collaborative publications, was very impressive. Their publications, created in collaboration with community stakeholders, were large-scale endeavors that would assist their community in accessing local resources, such as for individuals after incarceration. “Oral Histories with Friends and Colleagues (Preserving Voices and Memories)” was a Queens Public Library panel about their oral history project, especially in relation to their Friends of the Library groups. It was very inspiring to see such large-scale and long-term projects happening at other libraries.
Another session that I plan on applying in my work is “Kind, But With Spine: Constructive Confrontation, Deliberate Boundaries and Avoiding Compassion Fatigue”. Having empathy in urban public library settings while still enforcing library policy is critical, and the speaker had excellent tips about setting boundaries and avoiding compassion fatigue while still providing good customer service. We plan to focus on diversity in our adult collection in the next year, so “Expanding Collections for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” was thought-provoking, especially the section on the local history collection diversity audit.
“Censorship: Then and Now” was one of the last sessions I attended. It was fascinating to hear about the history of censorship, and the parallels to censorship today. The speakers were engaging and it was a very supportive environment to discuss book bans and censorship in libraries as a whole. What we can do to support each other as colleagues in the library field when issues of censorship come up and how to fight censorship in our communities was also discussed, and it was a very empowering session.
I left the NYLA Conference feeling energized, refreshed, and eager to share my knowledge with my library colleagues and compare notes on what we learned at the conference, and how we can incorporate what we learned into our library’s practices. Thank you again to CLRC for the Professional Development Grant which helped facilitate my participation in this conference!
Abigail Williams
Reference Librarian, Utica Public Library
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