There are so many reasons people go to conferences. For me, the reason depends on what the conference is about, who is hosting it, and my level of participation.

When I pick a conference based on the overall content, I’m usually going with the hope and goal of learning something I can use in my job. And I’ve been pretty successful so far in picking good ones for this purpose. For example, despite a great collection development course in my MLS program, when I started me current job, I wanted to make sure that I was current with the trends and issues. So, I jetted off to South Carolina for the Charleston Conference. (By the way, this is an excellent conference that I’d highly recommend you try to attend at some point if you do anything relating to collection development in your job.) In a few months, I’ll be going to Reference Renaissance in Denver because this is a huge aspect of my job and I know that I can always improve.

Sometimes, I go to conferences knowing that the content may not be exactly what I’m looking for, but knowing that the opportunity for networking will be ideal. Networking is important at all stages of your career, not just when you are looking for a job. (And you never know when your dream job might come your way because of someone you met while out and about.) I agree completely with people who say that sometimes the most important stuff you learn happens around the dinner table, while out for drinks, or hanging out in the hallway of some hotel’s convention center. The networking is particularly great at those smaller conferences hosted by the state or regional library associations. There aren’t as many people to be overwhelmed with and chances are, you’ll see and recognize the same faces every time you turn around. Not that you can’t do great networking at large conferences, but I prefer a more intimate environment.

And then there are those conferences where I’ve get to play an active role whether it is presenting or volunteering (and sometimes both). Being an active participant is more important for me currently because I’m on tenure track, which means I’m expected to do a certain amount of presenting each year. When I volunteer to help with various aspects, I also fulfill some of the requirements for service to the profession. Although, I’m likely to help out even without that just because I’m that sort of person.

In general, it’s nice to attend conferences where I get to do all three of these things. It’s sort of a more bang for the buck thing. No matter what your reasons are for attending conferences, I’d recommend that you find time and money and hit the road. Ask around if you’re not sure which ones would be best. Go local (or as close as you can) if time and money aren’t in large supply. There are lots of options and it will be worth it.

(By the way, there were no posts last week because I was finishing presentations and attending our state’s conference.)