This year, the American Library Association (ALA) held their annual conference virtually. While it limited networking, it also enabled more people to attend (because of cost, travel expenses, time). Furthermore, several sessions were available online on-demand, so one could potentially attend more sessions than if attending physically. I was excited to take advantage of these factors.
This year, perhaps more than “Can you hear me?” or “I’m going to share my screen now” or “Drop the link in the chat”, something I’ve heard often in Zoom meetings with fellow library staff is, “I’ve never sat so much in this job!” Library work is an ever-changing thing: teaching, shelving, circulating, trouble-shooting, making, and more. Our jobs are so much bigger than our desk chairs and desktops. But then March 2020 relegated us to our computer screens and webcams, and our work lives became (and stayed for some time) stationary. For some, the months in quarantine impacted more than our work hours mobility, for others, being home was a springboard for more activity than before, for others, little changed in that one respect, but work for certain had changed for all.
After a long, hard year, most of you (I hope) are enjoying a long, well-deserved vacation in the location of your choice, sipping on your favorite beverage, taking strolls in the moonlight, and checking things off your Bucket List. Or maybe you’re just enjoying getting back out into the world, baby-stepping into our new reality. Whatever the case, I’ve been thinking about laughter and adventures. Books can be our passport to both, but with so many titles, which ones provide the respite we need?
This week I lost my dad after a brief battle with COVID. Among the many things I learned from him is how to laugh, how to seize the moment, and how to find your own adventure. I was fortunate to visit him last month and watch my 85-year-old dad tandem skydive—his second jump this year. So since you never know what tomorrow will bring, I say, “Seize the day.” Do things that make you laugh. Find an adventure. And if you can’t go somewhere, find a lovely spot to read where you can escape in a book that allows you to get away, at least for a little while.
Here are some new titles that may do the trick—no sunscreen required. You’ll find a longer list here.
