Luck be a Lady Tonight: Christie’s ALA 14 Highlights

William Klaber, author of The Rebellion of Miss Lucy Ann Lobdell, and Rita Williams-Garcia, author of P.S. Be Eleven and One Crazy Summer, from the 2014 and 2011 lists respectively. The powerful way these authors treat social injustices stemming from racial and gender discrimination and gender non-conformity in their writing suggest they will be compelling speakers.
Tim Federle is the author of Better Late than Never, a Stonewall Honor book, and it’s sequel Five, Six, Seven Nate! Sara Farizan is the author of If You Could Be Mine, which recently won a Lambda Literary Award, as well as the upcoming Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel. Both authors were on the 2014 Rainbow List.

 Stan Lee: Auditorium Speakers Series
Saturday, June 28: Noon @ N249, Convention Center
OMG! This is the one where I’m worried about getting a seat- maybe I can get That Guy to get squatter rights and save one for me while I dash from Caesar’s over to the Convention Center. 

Treat yourself to magical superpowers, a sinister conspiracy, and an
unlikely hero with Stan Lee, known to millions as the man whose Super Heroes propelled Marvel to its preeminent position in the comic book industry and whose co-creations include Spider-Man™, The Avengers ™, X-Men™, Iron Man™, The Incredible Hulk™, The Fantastic Four™, and hundreds of others.
Lee will talk among other things about his forthcoming action-packed illustrated novel Zodiac, based on the Chinese Zodiac. Co-written with Stuart Moore and illustrated by Andie Tong, it follows Steven Lee, a young Chinese-American teen who is drawn into a mysterious conspiracy surrounding twelve mystical pools of energy and a power-hungry secret organization. (January 2015, Disney Publishing Worldwide.)

Space Planning Primer
Sunday, June 29: 8:30 am @ S222, Convention Center
I’m working on rearranging my library, but we have such little space to work with and have to deal with the existing furniture. Even though I’m going to conference completely on my own money, I want to see if this will have any ideas for my work situation.

This interactive workshop will provide a primer for assessing space needs and planning library space use. Attendees will be able to choose from an array of topic-based consultation stations, each focusing on building block basics, the most current application techniques, and emerging trends. For each topic, identification of the most important “how tos” and most helpful resources will enable attendees to define their vision for a new or renewed library environment.This interactive workshop will provide a primer for assessing space needs and planning library space use. Attendees will be able to choose from an array of topic-based consultation stations, each focusing on building block basics, the most current application techniques, and emerging trends. For each topic, identification of the most important “how tos” and most helpful resources will enable attendees to define their vision for a new or renewed library environment.

Getting a Bigger Piece of the Pie
Sunday, June 29: 1 pm @ N240, Convention Center
We always seem to be going through funding crises at the library, and it always seems to be an uphill battle with my library being at the bottom because we have the lowest circulation- yet we have the most programs and the highest number of youth and young adults coming in the door. With changes in the structures, i want to see what I can improve on.

Learn from the experts about how to get to know, communicate with, and influence those who approve your library’s budget. Even in tough times, there are strategies to get your more.

Change Does Not Suck
Sunday, June 29: 4 pm @ N239/241, Convention Center
We are going through a lot of change in my system, and I’m going through a lot of changes in my personal life. So I want to see what this can do to help me, and how I can use these strategies in my professional and personal life. I *like* change, the problem is when not everyone is on board, and that’s what I’m batting my head against.

Change is not only inevitable, it is necessary. In this session librarians from a variety of organizations will discuss strategies on coping with change on both a personal and institutional level; how to make hard choices and decide what must be prioritized; and how to get buy in for change from managers, staff, and other stakeholders. This lively session will include real-world examples and lessons learned. Participants will be encouraged to weigh in and share their own stories of making change happen. 

Celebrate the winners of the 2014 Stonewall Book Awards at the annual brunch. The Stonewall Book Awards are the oldest awards honoring the best in gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender writing. Join the GLBT Round Table as it recognizes the winners and honorees in fiction, non-fiction, and children’s and young adult categories. Winners can be found here: http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2014/01/2014-stonewall-book-awards-announced ; however, authors may not all appear.

Comic Bakery: Dave Roman, Raina Telgemeier, & Jerzy Drozd
Monday, June 30: Noon @ Graphic Novel/Gaming Stage, Convention Center Exhibit Hall
I love all of these author/creators, so I can’t wait to hear what they’re doing. If Karen’s tWeen is still in town, I’m betting I can take her with me to participate.

A live performance graphic novel theater involving lots of audience participation and silliness. Raina Telgemeier (Drama), Dave Roman (Astronaut Academy), and Jerzy Drozd (Cap’n Cat) will perform chapters from some of their latest comics. 

The Library Games
Monday, June 30: 5:30 pm @ Ballroom G, Las Vegas Hotel
This just sounds like an awesome mash-up, and I’m interested to see what the challenges are.

First there were the Olympic Games, then the Hunger Games became all the rage. Combine the two and you get The Library Games! Four brave teams of librarians competing in several fast-paced, cut-throat events to take home the trophy and be crowned the champions of libraryland. Audience participation and voting will be crucial to the outcome, so make sure you are there to witness history in the making.