How to Lobby for Conference Attendance Support

With WLA's spring conferences coming up fast, I recently ran across a very pertinent ALSC blog post about how to advocate for yourself with your manager/administration/board to make sure you can keep learning and networking in your career. 

We have had a tremendous opportunity over the past two years to attend virtual webinars and conferences (probably one of the few upsides to the pandemic). But nothing replaces in-person contact and chances to talk about other's experiences and hear their ideas, whether in a session or face-to-face chatting. And the only way to get that is at in-person conferences and workshops.

Amy Seto Forrester, a member of the ALCS Membership Committee writes: "Professional development is essential for library workers, no matter where we are in our careers. While there are sometimes professional development opportunities through your library, often opportunities must be sought out. Professional development also requires resources including time, space, supervisory support, and money. Some supervisors and libraries have built in systems with dedicated resources, but this is not the case across the board. Additionally, you may find that resources and support may fluctuate because of changes in library leadership, funding, staffing, etc."

Stop here to read her tips on how you can become your own best advocate. [How to Advocate for Professional Development Support. Forrester, Amy Seto. ALSC blog. April 4, 2022]

And don't forget, WAPL registration just opened up! The conference is being held at the Ingleside Hotel in Pewaukee Wed- Fri, May 11-13.