Statement of Benefit of Krista Biasella

2023 ALA Annual Conference & Exhibition

Name of Recipient: Krista Biasella
Institution: Florida SouthWestern State College
Date(s) of Event / Conference / Session: June 22 – June 27, 2023

Please provide an overall, all-encompassing statement of what the event/conference/session was about.

ALA is the world’s largest library event that is geared towards librarians, library staff, educators, authors, and publishers. It offered several educational and informational sessions as well as professional development opportunities. These sessions provided attendees insight on hot topics pertinent in the library field such as relevant poli and legislations, technological advancements, etc. The conference also granted attendees ample networking opportunities to broaden their professional relationships. The vast array of exhibition booths provided resources library personnel could use to broaden their library resources and workflows.

Academic Librarians would have enjoyed this event/conference/session because…

This conference held several sessions that discuss topics that impact academic libraries. One that stood out the most was one that discussed Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the academic library setting. From this session, I learned tips and tricks regarding inclusive cataloging processes, such as those that represent indigenous people–a demographic that is frequently overlooked in the field. Additionally, there were several academic database vendors present in the exhibit hall. Attendees were given the opportunity to network with them, which awards a great opportunity for academic librarians to increase their collection of academic resources.

What I learned will apply to a Public Library because…

A vast majority of sessions held were geared toward public libraries, so public librarians had an array of opportunities for professional development and resource sharing. There were many sessions that discussed the current book banning laws across several different states, where panelists discussed morale building during this stressful time as well as reminding librarians of their rights, and how to navigate this issue as smoothly as possible.

School Librarians/Media Specialists could take what I learned and translate it to their environment by…

The opportunity for collection development in school libraries was vast. The exhibition hall had a plethora of booths dedicated to children’s literature for free and for purchase, as well as many authors pushing for their books to be added to library collections. School Librarians/Media Specialists would have definitely been able to network heavily with these eager individuals to increase children’s resources in their libraries!

Special Librarians would benefit from this knowledge because…

The exhibition hall housed several vendors who were marketing their digitization and preservation software. By attending this conference, Special Librarians would be able to work with these individuals to better understand preservation practices and “shop around” for software that would best benefit their needs and fit their resources.