CTXLIBCAMP2020

by April Sicola Stone, Librarian at Four Points Middle School in Leander ISD, TxASL Talks member

One year ago, on a hot summer day,  I attended a professional development opportunity at a high school in Central Texas. I did not know what to expect, nor was I quite sure if any of my regular librarian squad would be in attendance. As I walked in the doors of the library, I was greeted by a couple of my fellow Leander ISD librarians and asked to write topics that piqued my interest on sticky notes. As I slowly made my way around various vendor booths, I mingled with librarians of all levels: innovative high school librarians, enthusiastic elementary librarians, and middle school librarians like myself. 

Naomi Bates 

Naomi Bates, a lifelong educator, teacher-librarian, and member of TASL and YART, was the keynote speaker. She passionately spoke about real world solutions that made me feel like she was right beside me between my library shelves. One point that she made that still stands out to me was about how a librarian's attention to their patrons matters more than any item on their to-do list. The CTXLIBCAMP organizers were as busy as bees behind the scenes while I smiled and nodded my head during the keynote. This crew was creating topics, assigning rooms, and even soliciting help from select members of the audience in order to develop sessions on the fly based on the suggestions from the sticky notes that were collected upon the participant's entry. 35 minute sessions hosted a topic, expert(s), and a facilitator. 

Zandra Lopez (right) and Melokka Spittler (left) work
together to develop sessions.

The topics were too numerous to list, but I will say that there were a few that really made an impact on me: Students as Leaders, Destiny Tricks, and Productivity. After examining the spreadsheet, we made our way to our first session with the understanding that we could attend for as long as we wanted, or change our decision at any time. (Participants didn’t even judge me if I ended up in the wrong room at the wrong time, but offered kind directions or patient clarification.)

Midday, I was able to coordinate lunch with a few elementary librarians that I don’t typically have the honor to chat with during the school year. Once we returned for a final session, we were reminded about the door prizes that would be announced at the end of the day. I know what you are thinking at this point. “Oh, another grocery bag… yippee.” That was not the case. There were MakerSpace items like a Buddha Board, $100 gift certificates from popular vendors, and even an LED message board. The best part was that there were enough prizes for every attendee to win. 

CTXLIB2020

This summer, David Bowles is the guest speaker. Mr. Bowles is a Mexican-American author from south Texas. He is the author of They Call Me Güero, which has received numerous awards. COVID-19 is making it possible for librarians across the nation to join this free professional learning opportunity. Zandra Lopez, a member of the CTXLIB and the librarian at Vandegrift High School in Austin, TX, provided insight about this year’s vendors: “Vendors continue to play an integral role by having the option of sitting in breakout sessions as well as offering virtual and/or mailed swag for all participants as well as door prize winners.” If you are excited to join in on the fun this year, please register at this link.