For a profession known for attracting introverts, we could not stop talking. Conversation was rampant at our tables and then through several rounds of three-minute mixers. I met academic liaisons, library leaders, federal librarians, and consumer health librarians. In my small subsample, I saw how MLA members touch everyone, from students to researchers and professors, from physicians to patients and the public.
As we continued caffeinating, we received conference tips from MLA leaders:
- Emily Glenn and Heather Healy, MLA’s matchmakers, paired 35 mentees with mentors. They reminded us of the importance of both caffeine and water.
- MLA President Beverly Murphy introduced us to the three R’s: Relax, Relate, Release.
- President Elect Julia Esparza acknowledged the impossibility of seeing everything - which is why MLA’19 presentation recordings are shared online.
- Elizabeth Lorbeer, section council chair, told us that MLA “is an association to have fun and to grow”.
- M.J. Tooey introduced us to the word frolleague. She shared the story of her first MLA meeting, echoing wisdom shared by MLA’s matchmakers Glenn and Healy - Everyone has been a first-timer at MLA Annual.
Find all MLA '19 Elevate blog posts here.
If you missed MLA ’19, you can still register for an e-Conference to catch up.
