 |
 The
first conference in the series of conferences that would become the McConnell
Children's Literature Conferences was held in 1968. It focused on school
libraries and their problems ranging from banned books to collection development.
The focus of the conferences switched within a matter of years to Children's
Literature. Attendance expanded beyond school library media specialists
to include teachers, public librarians, and adults interested in children
and all types of books created for children. The mission
of the conference is to bring professionals together to exchange ideas
and inspire our peers. |
 The
two-day conference is usually held in February or March. The 1999 conference
will be held February 19-20 at the Radisson hotel. It features two to three
guest speakers who are involved with creating
literature for children or in expanding children's access to or appreciation
of literature.
The program also includes sessions on a variety of topics that concern those interested in promoting or creating children's literature. These sessions usually include Newbery and Caldecott discussions led by the graduate students in the critical analysis of children's literature class. The 1998 conference included meet the author sessions and an accelerated reader discussion session. PHOTOGRAPHS. The Traveling Collection of the McConnell Center is also made available to conference attendees in order that they might examine new books and more wisely spend their book budgets. |
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