It’s fall, which means conference season round 2 in the library world. In Michigan in the winter there isn’t a lot going on – the weather is unpredictable and asking people to travel in the snow almost guarantees low turn-out. Summer is generally out due to Summer Reading Program. This is a very busy time for all public librarians and little is scheduled in the summer. Hence, spring and fall.
I have three conferences to attend in the next 3 weeks. Conference 1, which is two-day, starts today and includes a trip up to Gaylord, about 2 and a half hours north of here (and it’s fall colors in Michigan right now, oh yeaaaaaaah). It’s for E-rate, which I travel a couple of times a year for.
But what I’m giving thought to this morning is my packing technique. I pack exactly as my third grade Brownie Girl Scout troop leader taught us to: Take: a plastic bag for your dirty clothes; extra clean underwear and extra dry socks commensurate with how many days you’ll be gone (when I went camping at the Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival I often took enough socks to change twice a day – that’s three pair or more per day as I often wore double socks); pack your sleeping wear on top because it’s what you’ll need first when you get where you’re going; pack clothes you can wear in layers; pack clothes that all coordinate together so you can wear any combination of what you pack (in third grade this had less to do with color and style and more to do with comfort and warmth); go through your morning and evening routine and pack one of every toiletry you use (again, in third grade this was a MUCH SMALLER list); pack a water bottle. The list goes on. But when I sit down to pack I still see the family room of my Girl Scout troop leader and can see her. Thank you to the Girl Scouts!
And GO E-RATE! E-rate is a federal communication program that provides for lower cost telephone and Internet service for schools and libraries.
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