ALA Conference – Awards, Building Connections, and K-12 

The American Library Association held its annual conference from June 23-28 in Washington DC. This conference consisted of more than 2,000 meetings, discussion groups, and programs on several topics affecting libraries and librarians, along with hosting tours and special events.  

Morgan Brickey-Jones, K-12 Librarian, and Nicole Spoor, Assistant Department Head for Teaching & Learning, represented the university at the conference. They were elected before the conference as Outreach Director of New Members Round Table (NMRT) and chair of Training Orientation and Leadership Development, respectively, for the term 2022 - 2023.  

Also attending this event was Martin Wallace, Experiential Learning Librarian and Liaison to Engineering, Math & Physics, and his student employee (Drone Coordinator) Khoa Nguyen. They presented "How the UTA Libraries is using drone technology to create new opportunities for future engineers."  

The library staff who attended the conference visited with the library’s Marketing and Communications staff and shared their experiences while in Washington DC.  

Morgan was attending the conference as the upcoming Outreach Director for ALA's New Member Round Table (NMRT).  

"When I was hired, Nicole (Spoor) was an advocate for NMRT, and she encouraged our team to apply for the Professional Development Award,” Morgan said.  

Morgan applied for the award, received it, and later won the election to become an officer of the committee. She then flew to DC to attend the conference.  

What made things more exciting was that Morgan also has a new role as a board member for another ALA committee, the Young Adult Library Services Association. The membership in YALSA helps in her job at UTA Libraries as a K-12 librarian.  

Talking about different sessions she was looking forward to, Morgan mentioned a STEM learning session regarding space and how that worked out perfectly for her as she was preparing for Camp Cosmos. She was also looking forward to a discussion on scaffolding projects, which was about making projects adaptable to cater to diverse audiences.   

Morgan stated most of the conference was about attending meet and greets, luncheons, and getting acquainted with all the new members and the incoming president.  

Winning an award meant a lot to Morgan because it was not just a reflection of all her work as a librarian in the past 10 years, but also a great motivation.  

On a closing note, she advises all her colleagues at the libraries to apply for all the grants and scholarships that come  their way without worrying about the result. 

When the opportunity came to attend the ALA Conference, Khoa Nguyen did not think twice. Martin Wallace, his supervisor, was invited to present at the event, and Khoa felt this was the perfect opportunity for them to showcase the drone club's work to the outside audience. He strongly feels that having a STEM program at the libraries is empowering for the students, especially those pursuing an engineering degree. It also opens the door for a more futuristic avenue.   

His experience in robotics and drone technology, and the corresponding work here at the libraries, is unique in the world of academic libraries.  

"We were the only ones," Khoa said when asked if he had met other drone coordinators at the convention.  

As Khoa talked about the exciting discussions held during the conference, he highlighted one that covered technologies such as drones, virtual reality, and robotics in creating a wholesome environment for students. Khoa elaborated on how one library has a robot for the students to play with and even program it to perform some tasks. Going beyond academics, he noted that another library designed a robot for agricultural purposes.   

Khoa strongly recommends that all students attend such an event if the opportunity presents itself. He plans to use his insights to further the drone club vision by building a network with local high school robotic teams and encouraging participation in several competitions. 

Nicole is a seasoned member of the ALA, and she has been attending their annual conference for the past 12 years. Her schedule at these events always includes committee work, which also continued this year. She leads by example, so in addition to encouraging her staff to apply for awards or to become an officer on one of the committees, Nicole looks forward to chairing the ALA Training, Orientation, and Leadership Development (TOLD) committee herself.  

Nicole stated the session she attended was for those who will be chairing committees and newly elected officers.  

The session included a talk by the incoming ALA President, Pelayo-Lozada, about her plan for the year and how she anticipates a collaborative effort by all the committees to support and strengthen that plan. The discussion continued with developing strategies for conducting effective meetings and other parliamentary procedures to help the committees that hold their meetings monthly.   

Nicole stated she was excited to see comedian and author Tiffany Haddish at the event. Tiffany was there to promote her book, “The Last Black Unicorn,” and her foundation, She Ready, which supports foster children.  

Nicole shared that Tiffany’s session was “hilarious and fun.” People attending Tiffany’s session showed their excitement by cheering in several parts of the session, she added.   

“I do not think she (Tiffany) knew there would be so many people,” Nicole said.   

As a former president of the ALA's New Members Round Table, she enjoyed their 80th -anniversary celebration with her former colleagues and cheered for Morgan, who was receiving an award. That moment, for her, was like passing the torch on.   

For Nicole, attending the conference is not just about adding the committee work on her resume but, more importantly, about creating a healthy ecosystem with fellow librarians.  

"It's also nice because you meet so many people whom you can ask questions about topics that you do not know much about," she said.  

Expanding her network and gaining leadership experience are the perks of attending these events.   

Reflecting on her experience, Nicole recommends her colleagues attend this conference in the future and make the most of it.