i would say that i am fairly comfortable presenting in front of a group. we do a lot of teaching at my branch, so i have had a lot of practice explaining somewhat complicated things to folks.

i also read up on presenting (slide:ology and presentation zen are two recent faves) and while i don’t consider myself as proficient with powerpoint as Larry Lessig, i certainly don’t force my audience to suffer “death by powerpoint”. or as Dorothea puts it, “i don’t think i’ve ever wasted the audience’s time”.

so though i’m okay speaking to people, and know that my presentations are, for the most part, not-so-bad, being asked to speak at this workshop was still scary.

scary because…

• both Stephen and Michael know how to engage an audience.
• i wasn’t presenting at some far-off conference to peeps that i will only ever see again at another conference. i was presenting to local librarians and library school students – my colleagues and friends!
• i didn’t get to rehearse nearly as much as i had hoped (note to self: your procrastinatory skills are epic. you must fix this).

but scary is good. scary makes you try harder. scary makes you prepare better (plz to disregard my 3rd point above). scary makes you try things. scary pushes you to do something!

and then the next time you do it, it’s less scary. and then the next time, even less scary. and so on, and so on…

so how have you scared yourself lately? (alright alright, use “challenged” if that sounds better in your head.) i am well aware that it is easier to say you are going to do something new than to actually do it.

what if a double-dawg dare you?

after the precon i met up with my roommate krista and steven cohen for drinks at the crown and anchor. this quickly turned into all kinds o’crazy as people started filtering in. it was awesome to finally “meat” (as in meet in the flesh) the folks that i chat with in social networks like: merry, jez, colleen, robin, bobbi, laura, steve, and undoubtedly some peeps i’ve forgotten. it was great to also see a bunch of folks that i met very briefly at computers in libraries.

i must admit i feel a bit less like a groupie at this conference than i did at CiL. maybe it’s because i’m a librarian now – for realz – but really i think it’s because this group of folks is so welcoming and supportive, they make me feel like one of the cool kids. i am one lucky chiquita.

but i just want to publicly thank a bunch of people without whom my degree would NEVER have been possible.

first, naturellement, to my hubby™ who loved me when i had no idea what i wanted to do with my life (and was doing very little), and who continues to support me now that i think the world is my frickin’ oyster and i am invincible. (i even have a superhero – you should too!)

second, to my bestest ever friend, who will remain an online-enigma, save to say that if Alexander McQueen ever went straight, she would be first in line to marry him. and he’d be one lucky dude to have someone so intelligent and creative at his side. velouria FTW!

third, to my rugby posse. who tonight surprised me not only with sushi and molson export (YAY!), but earrings from the Frank Gehry collection at Tiffany (love me some Frank) to celebrate my graduation. the card read:

with so much love & pride.
congratulations on everything amy.
love cathy, shelly, gij, susy and jess

given the accomplishments (leaving their rugby achievements aside) of these women (anyone need an accountant, social worker, teacher, graphic design firm owner, or philosophy professor?  just holler) i can’t believe they have the time to look out for me – but i know they always have my back.

and to my online network of librarians and ed tech folks. [i was thinking of linking each of your blogs to a word in the following paragraph - but i don't have enough words to thank everyone...] you played a significant role in my success in library school. i couldn’t find all the components of the professional network that i wanted to create from the peeps i knew in Montreal/at McGill, and all of you have managed to answer questions, lend support, tell me when i’m doing something stoopid, and share your lives. you are all part of one of my fundamental beliefs, that knowledge requires collaboration.

finally, there are many folks from grad school who made academia WAY more fun – you know who you are, JJaCL. the day-to-day would have been excruciating without you. i am forever in your debt.

My first conference was in Baltimore in 2006. My aunt’s bookstore provides all of the books for the SLA Marketplace and since I was waiting to hear from library schools (early acceptance to two programs, but I hadn’t yet heard from McGill) she gave me the chance to attend the conference, help her in the bookstore, and to meet a whole whack of special librarians. It was eye-opening. And exhausting. And I was sold on coming back again.

The following year the SLA was in Denver and I attended instead of my aunt and handled the Marketplace on my own. All went well, and I met more great people. Since I had just finished my 1st year of library school I felt like I was almost part of the crew at the SLA. People I had met the year earlier in Baltimore were happy to hear that I was at McGill, and that I was president of McGill’s SLA student group.

Now I’m back again, this time in Seattle. Having lived in Vancouver while my mister did his master’s degree, so the climate is familiar and surprisingly comforting. (I say this now as it hasn’t rained – yet. And it’s currently 13C degrees. Montreal had just finished a substantial heat wave of 32C+ degree days so this cool air is doin’ a body good.)

The biggest change from my first SLA conference, is that I can now call myself a librarian – I completed my MLIS this spring. I’m also the secretary of the SLA Eastern Canada Chapter among many other professional associations (I seem to be involved in most of them. Ah the folly of youth!) So now I feel as though I really belong here.

I’m really looking forward to meeting up with the LSW group, as well as seeing Dr. Vint Cerf (yup, the internet god) be interviewed by Charlie Rose. I’ll be tweeting during the conference (I’ve been told we’ll have lotsa free wifi) and posting thoughts to this blog when I get a chance.

This is my first library conference where I can say I’m a librarian. Rockin’.

This site is the home of my professional activities. Here you can find my curriculum vitae and a list of presentations which I have given/will be giving.

I plan on blogging about professional events which I am attending and discussing the life of a new information professional. (I blog about various other LIS things at informingthoughts.com.)