[Publib] RE: Conference Attendance

[Ann Brown]

I have been reading with interest the various comments on this topic.  I
have attended many state conferences or workshops "on my own nickel" in
order to leave enough money in the travel budget for other employees to
be able to attend some too.  Our library budget, both here and at my
former position, usually has enough for travel for each staff member to
attend one conference.  If I wanted to attend more, or the year I was a
division chair and had to attend conference planning sessions monthly, I
paid the travel expenses.

However, the thing that has always bothered me about ALA (and I have
recently rejoined after not being a member for several years) is that
the Annual Conference, which has all the programs that are helpful to
the average member, is scheduled yearly at a time when Children's
Librarians are in the middle of Summer Reading Program and can't take
time away from the library to attend.  Maybe those in large libraries
can take time away in June or July, but not in a small library.  I know
Conference is scheduled years in advance, but when I was in Children's
it seemed to me that they could schedule every fourth one or so in
August when I could have attended.  I would even have been willing to
pay my own way!

Ann Brown
Director
Duncan Public Library
Duncan, OK