Hana Kim
Director, Cheng Yu Tung East Asian Library, University of Toronto
I am very grateful for the travel grant from the Asian Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA) that made attendance at the 2021 American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference possible. Due to my job in the field of East Asian Studies librarianship, my primary conferences have generally been subject-focused ones. Therefore, in the past, attending the ALA Annual Conference had unfortunately been less of a priority for me on my professional development priorities list. However, I knew that attending such a comprehensive and general librarianship conference as the ALA would also greatly help me to widen my views on librarianship and libraries (and on academic and research libraries in particular, which are my areas of interest) and learn about key issues and core trends of the field and librarianship. This year, with the APALA’s generous support, I was able to thoroughly enjoy a wide variety of amazing sessions during the 2021 ALA Annual Conference.
First of all, what a very well-organized virtual conference it was! There was a wonderful range of session topics to choose from, and a diverse line-up of illuminating speakers on the show’s main virtual stages. It was extremely helpful to me to listen to many thought-provoking presentations on how to manage libraries and how to support our communities during the COVID-19 pandemic, topics such as: change management, collecting COVID-19 stories, collection budget strategies, current and post-pandemic staffing models, etc. There were very timely and necessary conversations.
One of my favorite panels was the magical Library Marketplace opening featured speaker session with presidential inaugural poet Amanda Gorman and illustrator Loren Long, moderated by Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla Hayden. I felt that it was such a hopeful and inspiring way to begin the conference. The poet’s forthcoming debut picture book, Change Sings was introduced. The speakers discussed the transformation of her poem into a children’s book. These two very talented people made a perfect combo working together. Gorman ended the session saying that, “We all have our own unique gifts that we can contribute to a dream that we dream together.” I am sure many librarians will be inspired by this and reflect upon what we, as library professionals, can contribute to a dream that we dream together in ‘living just such a tumultuous moment’ (to borrow from Gorman’s words) in this 21st century.
Finally, big congratulations to the APALA on its 40th Anniversary. As a lifetime member of APALA, it was exciting to view its four-decades-long accomplishments and heart-warming stories on the ALA Annual poster, at the Emerging Leaders Celebration and at the APALA President’s Program at the ALA Annual. And I am proud to be a part of an APALA which values leadership, mentorship, collaboration, social justice, diversity, advocacy and community. We need so much of these at this time.
It was an invaluable experience and well worth the effort to attend the week-long conference during the pandemic. Thank you, APALA!