Emerging Leader 2011 - Now What

I was thrilled to be able to participate in the American Library Association's Emerging Leader program for the class of 2011.  The program allowed me to meet librarians from all over the country, some of which I hope to maintain lifelong friendships.  The program allowed me to learn a significant amount of information about ALA and provided me the opportunity to get more involved with the organizational side of the organization.  I truly believe that the Emerging Leaders program has given me opportunities that I would never have had otherwise.  The opportunity to meet and mingle with ALA officials and staff was not only memorable, but it gave the opportunity to create professional ties with many people I might not otherwise have met and/or had the courage to speak to on my own.

I am excited to say that my participation in the Emerging Leaders program, along with my participation in my state library association, has allowed me to help push forward and solidify the Arkansas Library Association's future sponsorship of Emerging Leader participants.

Update - August 2014

The Arkansas Library Association now has a standing Emerging Leader Selection Committee.  This committee is organized with past Emerging Leaders and our goal is to continue to encourage Arkansans to apply for the program and participate in both the state and national library associations.  For more information about the Arkansas Library Association's Emerging Leader Selection Committee, please view our webpage here: http://arlib.org/organization/emerging_leader.php

BBW and Ethics

Banned Books Week has always been my favorite "librarian" celebration.  I admit, its partly because I like to push the envelope and make people uncomfortable.  But isnt being uncomfortable a good thing? Being comfortable is boring (intellectually comfortable that is).

Today I was at a meeting in which I was talking about the importance of Banned Books Week as a springboard to educate others about the value of open access and the ability to balance ourselves with multiple opinions.  It was disheartening to hear many people in the room respond in favor of censorship.

These people felt that I should be acting as a parent to my young patrons and keeping them away from topics that were "inappropriate."  Of course the book in question had the word "mommies" in the title.  It was so sad to hear others who work in libraries (although these particular respondents did not have an MLS) say that children's books with same sex parents were "not appropriate."

I whole-heartedly believe that it is my job to PROVIDE these materials.  In fact, its more than my job, its that thing that keeps me awake at night.  I cant stand the thought of censorship, but to hear it applied to libraries makes my stomach turn and my heart ache.

In trying to find a good educational response to this conversation, I found myself re-reading the ALA Code of Ethics, the Library Bill of Rights, and the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

If you haven't taken time to read these documents, please do.  They offer many words of wisdom and they depict a clear vision of why I have dedicated my life to librarianship.

Thanks Quayside Books!

I was excited to learn that my library, the Malvern-Hot Spring County Library, in Malvern, AR was the winner of a prize from the 2013 American Library Association Annual Conference.  We won 10 free books of our choice from the Quayside Books catalog.

Eight of our 10 books arrived today, so I thought I would share.

Thanks, Quayside!

Favorite moment of ALA 2013

So for those who don't know me and maybe some of you that do know me, The Giver by Lois Lowry is my favorite book.  It has been my favorite book since I was 9 or 10 years old and I still reread it every year.  As an avid fan, I read all four books in the series and I must say that I liked all of them except book two.  In fact, if I had to rank the books in order of my most favorite, I would place them in this order: 1, 4, 3, 2.

These books are the ones I most frequently recommend (to both children and adults) to my patrons and to my friends.

Why do I love this book so much?  The Giver is a great coming of age, dystopian novel that that makes on rethink society and re-evaluate our lives.  Every time I re-read this novel I learn something about myself and reading often causes me to think beyond the scope of my personal reality.

At the Annual American Library Association Conference this year in Chicago, IL I got to MEET Lois Lowry.  When I found out that she was going to be at the event I was beside myself with excitement.

So behold....A picture of me with Lois Lowry!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ashley Parker-Graves - My ALA 2013 Schedule

So, I have done my best to plan out my ALA 2013 schedule and there are so many programs and events, it is hard to choose!  I have done my best to accurately depict my schedule at Annual, but as with everything library related, its important to be flexible!  Hope to see you there!  Catch me via Twitter @ashleykparker and be sure to check out the session I am co-presenting with as part of a panel "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Finding Your First Librarian Job."