Libraries Give Us Power: Quote: "The old things are just like the new.. they just refresh!"

Thank you, thank you SLA! You made me feel like I belong.

I have just returned from what was the most inspirational conference ever! I could not praise this event enough! It was aptly named "Libraries Give Us Power" and run by the School Librarians Association. The Librarian that I took over from advised me to keep the school membership for the beautifully edited magazine and for the online advice and resources. I am so glad I took her advice!

Over the two days, I attended seminars on online resources, clubs and activities, library design, budgets and information literacy. I could mingle around the exhibition stands talking to DEMCo libraries, Softlink, JCS alongside a mass of publishers and a tempting bookstore run by the Norfolk Children's Centre. I met Robert Muchamore of Cherub fame who has no fond memories of librarians and then listened avidly to Caroline Lawrence talk about her new Westerns series (bit of a change from Roman Mysteries!) over a three course dinner!

Out of all this, two things stood out. One was the keynote speaker, Ross Todd from Rutgers University and the Director of the Center for International Scholarship in School Libraries (full title necessary). His passionate speech really inspired me with his discussion about the role of school libraries and the need for us to promote information literacy/ guided inquiry/ information skills. Similarly, I attended Geoff Dubber's seminar called Top Marks which focused on our responsibility to tie our information literacy lessons in with the national curriculum levels. I was lucky enough to talk to him afterwards and he was interested in what we were all doing in our schools.

I met some truly lovely people and what a range of roles and experiences everyone had to share! I chatted to someone about French magazines briefly over coffee and she found me at the end of the conference to give me titles and telephone numbers. I was able to chat over the free coffee and get a ridiculous amount of email address to share details and just keep in touch. There was one Librarian who came over to me at the end of a session and said that she had heard I was new and she was new too and would like to keep in touch! This was out of the 200 people who were there! Old friends caught up over wine, new friends perused the bookshop and I know I have definitely met someone who I would like to be my mentor.

So, I have returned home with 11 free books (including four proof copies), five bags full of posters and leaflets and a huge amount of ideas.

I think renewing the 88 pounds SLA subscription fee was worth it!

(Ok, so the cost of the conference was more than the subscription but it was about the same as a CILIP one day course and this included all meals and a one night stay in superb accommodation. If it wasn't for Chartership in the future...)