It has been another jam-packed day of professional development, networking, and star-struck awe here at #alaac25. (As a side note, if you do find yourself at an ALA Annual Conference at the Pennsylvania Convention Center – really any ALA Annual conference – be sure to give yourself an extra 10 minutes to get anywhere you are trying to go and be ready to get all those steps in!)
Today I attended several excellent sessions about teen/tween engagement as well as space development for teens/tweens, explored even more of the massive exhibits floor, and was able to see the incredibly inspiring Brené Brown’s interview with ALA President, Cindy Hohl. The day started off at “Hyping Hystory: Highlighting History in a High School Library“, a session that explored ways creative partnerships, creative programming and displays can help get youth excited about national and local history. Did you know it is free to volunteer to transcribe historical documents online for these institutions, and it is not only one way for youth to get volunteer time, but also an introduction to citizen archivism?
After this session, I went to check out “What It’s Worth: Strategies to Define, Assess and Communicate the Value of Teen Services” where a panel of youth service leaders from across the country discussed some of the challenges as well as successes they have been seeing in defining what successful teen programming, services and spaces look like. One interesting aspect of this session was how each of the panelists spoke about how success in teen/tween programming may not be easily measurable or fully depicted when systems focus solely on scheduled programming — the reality is there are so many more ways that youth engage with the library beyond simply scheduled programming or book circulation, and it is important to show this to stakeholders however we are able in the spirit of stewardship and growth.
After this, it was on to see more Exhibits — of which there was a Library Button one! (I mean, is it even library-land without buttons?)
I also made a page for the ALA conference collective zine, and am honestly excited to see the finished product:
Up next, another session whirlwind: “Unlocking Potential in Opportunity Youth” which explored ways to create (and more importantly sustain!) a youth internship program at the library, and “Creating Third Places for Teens.” I found both to be incredibly relevant to my own work in Denver at our new teen space, and was also excited to both get some new ideas as well as feel assured that DPL is on the right track for teen spaces and engagement.
I wound my day down with the President’s Program and Awards, featuring Brené Brown — much like the writing in her books, Brené is both inspiring and unapologetically authentic. She told her story of how librarians created space for her to nurse her new daughter after seeing her on the floor, and she spoke about how leadership is everyone’s responsibility during these times more than ever. She spoke about the importance of connection with others, and how needed humility is in leadership.
Day three of ALA Annual has truly been one for the books!
(All images taken by D. Sotomayor, 6/29/2025)
Desireé Sotomayor (she/her) is a Teen Librarian for the Central Library of Denver Public Library, and has been passionate about library youth library service ever since her AmeriCorps National Service term working with the Reach Out and Read program in Sunset Park, Brooklyn 19 years ago. She has a Masters in Library and Information Studies from the University of Oklahoma, served on the ALSC National Institute Taskforce in 2024, and was chair of the Colorado Libraries for Early Literacy annual conference in 2021. She is passionate about innovation in community outreach and partnerships, and is excited to both learn more from & share her nearly two decades of experience with attendees at her first ALA annual conference.
Please note that as a guest post, the views expressed here do not represent the official position of ALA or ALSC.
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The post #alaac25 Buttons, zines, youth spaces, and Brené Brown appeared first on ALSC Blog.
It has been another jam-packed day of professional development, networking, and star-struck awe here at #alaac25. (As a side note, if you do find yourself at an ALA Annual Conference at the Pennsylvania Convention Center – really any ALA Annual conference – be sure to give yourself an extra 10 minutes to get anywhere you are trying to go and be ready to get all those steps in!) Today I attended several excellent sessions about teen/tween engagement as well as space development for teens/tweens, explored even more of the massive exhibits floor, and was able to see the incredibly inspiring Brené Brown’s interview with ALA President, Cindy Hohl. The day started off at “Hyping Hystory: Highlighting History in a High School Library“, a session that explored ways creative partnerships, creative programming and displays can help get youth excited about national and local history. Did you know it is free to…
The post #alaac25 Buttons, zines, youth spaces, and Brené Brown appeared first on ALSC Blog. Read More
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