To Take, Or Not To Take?

That's my dilemma at each conference. Do you take the entire bulky program book with you each day, in case you find yourself needing to change a session--or do you go by the pocket planner, which has titles, times, and locations, but no helpful blurb to enable your decision?

I generally just take the pocket planner. I highlight the main session I think I'd like to attend for each time slot, and then circle 2 - 3 "backup" programs of interest for each time. However, I'm running into the problem this time that my backup programs are often located so far from the original program, that if I change my mind right before a session starts, I'm out of luck. Or I simply can't re-examine the blurb to determine if it would be worth hiking two blocks or getting to the session ten minutes late.

Actually, the personalized schedule you can print out from ALA is pretty compact--mine, including the 2 - 3 alternate sessions for each time, was less than two pages. Since it's already small, it might be nice if we could choose to print the session blurbs in the same document.

Another option would be to include a map of the entire area--the conference campus--and highlight all housing and all conference meeting/program locations. I looked and looked for this info in the conference guide, but didn't see it. (Let me know if it was actually there--I may have just been blind.) Since I tend to stay in non-ALA sponsored hotels and walk a lot to/from conference, an area map is helpful--and it lets me know ahead of time when conference sessions are too far away from other locations for them to be feasible in my schedule.

All right, well I just enjoyed a video chat with my husband, and got a bit of work done using the convention center's wifi, so I'm off to find some lunch and an ATM. Then I'll probably work some more until my next session--I have state library association business that I really need to take care of before I'm back Monday evening.