I’m back from the American Library Association Annual Conference in Chicago, and I’m still riding that post-conference energy. There’s nothing quite like ALA — it’s a chance to reconnect with colleagues and friends, some of whom I’ve known for decades now. And this year was especially meaningful.
The highlight? Attending the John Cotton Dana Award ceremony to see my client, the Hawaiʻi State Public Library System, recognized with an award. This is the highest honor in the library industry for marketing and communications, recognizing outstanding strategic communication campaigns that show real results, no matter the size or type of library. After working with HSPLS for so long on their award-winning brand project, getting to celebrate that moment in person was the highlight of the conference. After working together for a year and a half, I’d missed my Hawaiʻi colleagues, and being in that room together (and celebrating after!) made all the hard work feel even sweeter.
I also loved experiencing ALA through fresh eyes. My partner Hyong and my branding co-collaborator Ken were both first-time attendees, and they were genuinely blown away by the size and scale of it all. At the opening session, we heard there were 15,000 people in attendance — a number that impressed everyone we mentioned it to back home. And it was extra special knowing this was the 150th ALA conference — a major milestone for an organization that’s been bringing the library community together for a century and a half.
What struck me most this year was the optimism and enthusiasm in the air. Libraries are having a moment, and you could feel it.
We also made time to visit the newly opened Obama Presidential Center. The grounds are open to the public — only the museum requires tickets — and it’s a stunning addition to Chicago’s cultural landscape. I want to give a shout-out to my friend and former client Margaret Sullivan of Margaret Sullivan Studio, who shared her own exciting news: “We’re celebrating the opening of Chicago Public Library at the Obama Presidential Center — a landmark project that MSS has been privileged to be a part of, proving what happens when a former president, a library commissioner, and a group of committed community stewards align around a shared belief: libraries are fundamentally about human connection.” I couldn’t agree more.
Beyond the Obama Center, I got to meet up with colleagues from Biblioteca, ALA Editions, Hoopla, and Novelist, as well as folks from so many different libraries. And of course, I made some new acquaintances along the way too — one of the best parts of ALA is the conversations that happen in between the scheduled events.
We took a break from conference activities to visit the site of the former Chicago World’s Fair — which I’d just read about in The Devil in the White City — and toured the Griffin Museum, housed in the only remaining building from the fair. We were suprised and amazed by the variety and quality of the exhibits and experiences there. Honestly, we could have spent an entire weekend exploring that museum.
All in all, it was an amazing weekend. I’m home now, rested, and ready to follow up on all the ideas and projects that came up during the trip. Here’s to what comes next!
