Conference Tips for Students and New Professionals

May 23, 2011

by Sarah Harvey

As a new professional I can count on one hand the number of conferences I’ve attended. So I was a little dismayed when I was asked to write an article containing tips on how to get the most of your conference experience; however, when I racked my brain I realized I do have a lot of handy and useful tips to share that I gathered from my 2008 CLA Conference experience. .

Before you go:

1. Do your research
There are lots of websites and blogs out there that give you tips on how to get the most out of your conference experience. Read up and be prepared.

2. Do more research
Look at the schedule for the conference and plan out the sessions you want to attend. Read the descriptions. Read about the speakers. This is important so that you don’t end up in three or four sessions on “What is Web 2.0?” when you’ve been twittering, blogging, and using wikis for ages now.

3. Talk to people
Talk to your employer, co-workers, supervisors, instructors, fellow students, etc. about recommendations for sessions or speakers. Also, if your employer is paying for you to attend the conference they may want you to attend particular sessions and bring back information to your organization. Even if your employer is not paying your way it could be very helpful to let them know what sessions you plan to attend; this way you can volunteer to bring back the latest trends and topics related to the library community and earn some brownie points.

4. Choose at least one session just for fun
Remember that you will have busy days and you should give yourself a break now and again.

5. Prepare your business cards
If you are a student, a contract employee, or new professional your employer does not always shell out for business cards. Don’t let this hinder your networking abilities! Ask your employer for business cards and if they cannot provide you with any or you don’t think the contact information will be relevant for long, design your own cards with your personal contact information. There are templates in most word processing software or you can find some interesting designs on the Internet. If you choose not to print business cards make sure to always carry around a note pad to write your contact information on.

6. Think about going a day before the conference starts and attending one of the library tours.
Or, stay after the conference to attend a post-conference event. Conferences are not just about attending sessions. How often do you get a chance to tour some of the most interesting libraries in Canada – be library tourist!

At the Conference:

1. Attend the CLA Opening Reception
Break out your business cards and start mingling. Be prepared to answer questions about your library and what you are hoping to get out of the conference. If you are nervous making small talk remember everyone is there for the same reason. This type of networking event does not come along very often so take advantage of it.

2. Attend the first-timers breakfast
The early-bird gets the best networking opportunities. This is a great way to network in a relaxed and informal setting. Plus, the coffee will prepare you for the busy day ahead.

3. During the sessions take notes
This is especially important if you need to present on a session or the whole conference back at work. Remember you will be attending a number of sessions throughout the day – a notebook can really help you to organize your thoughts. Try to record the key ideas of the presentation and what ideas you want to bring back to your library.

4. Go to the Trade Show
Talk to the vendors even if you are not in a position where you will buy anything from them. Vendors are there to display the latest products related to libraries and information management. This is a great way to keep current with the products being used in the workplace. Don’t be afraid to ask for a demo and remember vendors often hire librarians and other information professionals so this is also another great networking opportunity.

5. Go to Division and Interest group events
Last year I was lucky enough to attend the Library Technician Interest Group Social Supper and it was one of the best events of the conference. It’s great to speak with peers that share your interests from across Canada.

6. Go to the Pub Crawl
Take the opportunity to see Montreal and have a few drinks with other conference attendees. But, remember this is a professional conference and the Canadian library community is fairly small so don’t imbibe too much. You don’t want to be known as the drunken librarian.

7. Attend the CLA’s Annual General Meeting and your Divisions’s AGM
These meetings are the place to witness decision-making on a national level and to get a sense of the larger issues facing the library and information management community today.

8. Have fun!

(Sarah Harvey is a Cataloguing Technician at the Bank of Canada’s Information Resource Centre. She is a recent graduate of the Library and Information Technician Program at Algonquin College. In 2008, she attended the CLA conference as the recipient of the “Student Library Technician to the CLA Internship” award.)