A footbridge on my wooded undergraduate college campus was named after an early 20th century dean who told her students, “Remember who you are and what you represent.” Our college leaders continually reminded us that we were members of our college community and that we were to represent our college by upholding the honor code, the few rules, the rigorous liberal arts education, academic honesty, and to respect our fellow students and local community.
What and Whom Do I Represent?
2024 ACL Annual Conference Update
Please make plans to join us at the 2024 ACL Annual Conference at the University of Northwestern – St. Paul in St. Paul, Minnesota June 10-12.
The conference theme, “The Great ACL Get Together: Connecting People, Connecting Ideas,” was inspired by the Minnesota State Fair’s slogan, “The Great Minnesota Get Together.” Our retro-style postcard logo, featuring custom drawings of popular Twin City sites by Nate Farley, mirrors the fair’s essence. Much like how fair attendees gather for entertainment, showcasing talents, exploring innovations, and savoring diverse food options (often on a stick), the ACL conference similarly brings together Christian librarians. It fosters personal connections while exchanging essential learning and faith-related ideas crucial to librarians’ growth and development.
The 2024 conference program promises relevance and practicality for the librarians ACL serves. We’re thrilled to announce our keynote speaker, author Samuel James. Based on his recent book Digital Liturgies: Rediscovering Christian Wisdom in an Online Age, he will explore the human need for embodied community in an online age through a recovery of Christian wisdom and with implications for the role of libraries.
Offering Continuing Education Units (CEUs) via ACL-Pro Plenary Workshops reaffirms our dedication to fostering continual professional growth and learning within our membership. These workshops are tailored to offer essential training and valuable insights covering topics of broad relevance to librarians. The 2024 ACL-Pro Plenary workshops will specifically address the popular topics of active learning and teaching, as well as AI/ChatGPT.
Our conference provides a platform for librarians and information professionals to contribute to the field and engage with their peers through presentations and poster sessions. By presenting at the ACL Conference, librarians can showcase their expertise, discuss innovative practices, and contribute to the ongoing development of the profession. We are accepting presentation proposals through December 8, 2023.
The cost for the 2024 conference can be found on our website to help you start planning for your attendance. We expect registration to open at the beginning of March 2024.
We look forward to welcoming you to the conference, ACL’s key event for 2024!
Remembering Joy
This is a well of remembrance. Here we draw life-giving water from springs that never run dry. Do you remember when you first fell in love with Jesus? That moment when you experienced His salvation that changed your life forever? This free and totally undeserved gift fills me with unspeakable joy, but it often gets lost in the busy day-to-day life of an information professional, mom, wife, volunteer, friend, sister, and daughter.
Right Where You Are
Anxiety is something that many of us deal with in our daily lives. Recent circumstances in our world have made anxious thoughts commonplace. How can we overcome anxious thoughts? How do we not allow anxious thoughts to permeate every aspect of our lives, including our jobs?
Anchored in Hope
Throughout our lives, many of us will find ourselves in a season of drift or insecurity. Unmoored and untethered to a comfortable and firm foundation, like a boat without an anchor, it is in these times that we find ourselves searching for truth, connection, and stability. We find ourselves drawn to hope.
Third Iron
LibKey
Timeline: Ongoing
Third Iron is offering CLC members a minimum of 20% off the list price of their standard LibKey subscription, which includes LibKey Discovery, LibKey Links, LibKey Nomad, LibKey.io, and BrowZine (basic level of BrowZine only).
Michael Wells – 7/2023
Describe yourself using a book title: The Power of a Praying Parent
What’s the best thing about being a librarian? For me, the best thing about being a librarian is the ability to work with a variety of people and to learn (both good and bad) from the experiences. Having worked at a variety of libraries over the years, I have been blessed to work with many great colleagues and customers and have loved learning about their lives and sharing my life with them.