As of about 1:30 p.m. yesterday, on the Number 3 city bus, I officially handed off the LITA Program Planning Committee to it’s incoming chair.

Deb Shapiro is taking over for the next two years and she’s already got plans and ideas. I’m thrilled, knowing that things we’ve done in the past two years will continue to march forward, and that new things will emerge.

I still have to write up this year’s committee report.  I was unable, sadly, to attend the Joint Chairs meeting–I was moderating a panel–but several people said my efforts and those of my committee were recognized. It’s one of the reasons I really enjoy getting to work with LITA. If you’re willing, they’ll ask you to do a lot of work. But they acknowledge that it is a lot of work and they appreciate it. And appreciation is openly expressed.

Of course, it’s usually then followed with a “Now then….”  and such it is for me.

While I am 99% done with PPC, I turn my attention to LITA Education. I’ve been a committee member for a year and have not had the energy to participate the way that I think I should be. Education is a hugely important committee as it a) provides a large service to our division and to librarians in general and b) it’s how we make revenue so we can keep doing even more things.  I started an Evernote yesterday on my train ride home from  the convention center and stopped about the time I hit thirty lines of things to do.

Those things now have to translate into tasks, emails, conversations, deadlines, and opportunities and a very long item list on TeamBox (still using it!).

Also, for the next six months I have to focus on LITA Nominating Committee, as a very-small-group-of-we figure out our election slate for next year.  There is a fair amount of regular turnover that requires we tap into the membership in order to find new ideas and boldly go into the future.  (insert “new life, new civilizations” etc here….)

It’s a little odd not having the PPC identity anymore. I served on the committee for four years, starting at the last ALA in Chicago in 2009 and finishing up back here in Chicago. It’s brought some national level recognition, the opportunity to blog about a more murky LITA process, and a number of new professional colleagues who are good friends.

But now I take that Madame Chairwoman hat off and pull on the smaller headdress (headband? barrette?) of committee member. I think I’ll have plenty still to do.