ALA in Anaheim

I spent the weekend in Anaheim at the annual American Library Association conference. It was a great conference. I didn't have time to head to Disneyland, so my Anaheim experience wasn't what it normally would be. Of course, Disneymania was everywhere I looked, like it or not! My hotel wasn't near the conference center or the main conference hotels...actually, my hotel didn't seem to be near anything of interest, unless you count an outdoor mall. But it was nice and accomodating. The weather was great, the people were friendly, the sessions interesting, the exhibits fun (especially since I got to gush over my favorite YA author of the moment, John Green, and my all-time favorite author/pediatrician, T. Berry Brazelton), and the flights were smooth! I also attended a meeting on pursuing a PhD, which gave my dream all the more ammunition! I met a few people from UW, San Jose, U of Pittsburgh and U of Illinois. I learned that Simmons has an on-line program with a professional slant. University of Illinois still remains my top choice. The faculty and commitment to my area just doesn't seem matched at the other schools. It was great to connect with academic representatives in my field. Palm trees everywhere! I took a few photos of the conference area whilst taking a break from lugging overstuffed bags of Exhibit Hall swag on my shoulders all day (my shoulders still hurt, in case anyone's interested....)
Below is the arena where I heard Sally Ride and T. Berry Brazelton speak in two great sessions.
Foliage!
I'm tracking my experience at ALA on a wiki, for anyone who is library-minded and interested. It was a fun trip. I'm glad to be back with Marek, though! Tomorrow is the 4th...hoping to do the parade and take in all-things holiday-like!