TLA Take-Aways Part 2

I'm STILL thinking about TLA and what I learned and what I can apply and what I can share.  I don't think I've been to a conference that inspires as well as TLA does!

First thing Thursday morning I went to the 15th Annual Texas 2x2 Showcase: Books for 2 Years thru 2nd Grade.  I loved listening to the panel of librarians discuss each of the 20 books.  My order for the 2x2s hasn't come in yet and I'm DYING for them to get here so I can read through them!

John Rocco, author and illustrator of books like How To Train Your Train and Super Hair-O and the Barber of Doom was in this session.  Here are some of my tweets from his presentation.

After this session I went to Marking 101 for Libraries.  I'm at an elementary campus so my social media marketing is focused more on the parents and teachers through our school Facebook page and Twitter account.  What I took away from this session was that I need to meet my students/parents/teachers where they are at.  I think for the students I will do more poster advertising around the school.  This will also meet teachers and parents.  I'm also going to start putting up notices in the bathroom... for a little light reading.... I had a principal that did this when I taught middle school Deaf students.  It worked!

The only thing better than the 2x2 session was the Texas Bluebonnet Award Author Session AMAZING! 

Here's the line I got in to enter.  I thought arriving 30 minutes early would be plenty of time... the line wraps to the left and there's a zig zig rope area that more people are standing in!

While we waited in line we could pay a $1 (I forget what the money was used for but it was for a good cause) to get your picture taken with the crayons.

Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers were hilarious! Oh to be that funny! Daywalt said that it took 6 years to get The Day The Crayons Quit published.  6 years! What a life lesson for our students!  He also talked about how a librarian helped him as a kid.  Very moving!

Jeffers said "Librarians are liaisons of culture." Side note, I loved his accent!

They are rocking their "Bluebonnets" for the Bluebonnet award.  Ha!

After the luncheon I got a bit of a sinus headache and ran back to the hotel room and got some Advil and allergy meds and dropped off a couple of loads of free books.  I regrouped and headed back to the Exhibit Hall where I spent the rest of the day cruising threw venders and taking pictures of books I want order for next year.

Friday I spend the morning in the Exhibit Hall again.  I got some books autographed.

I spent some time at Kapco getting a demonstration of how to cover paperback books.  They let us cover all the paperbacks we had for practice.  It was great to have some one coaching me as I did my first few!

We also went to Capstone when they did their give away.  We went though the line 3 times and got 9 free books.  We also went to Harper Collins where they gave 1 free book from each side of their booth.  Last we stood in line for Penguin where they gave away 3 books from each side of their booth.  While standing in that line another booth let me take 3 horse books.  What librarian doesn't love some free books?!

All in all it was an amazing 4 days!