Though sunshine and warmth are difficult to conceive of in New England in February, I am looking forward to the American Library Association 2011 Annual Conference in New Orleans, where presumably it will be very warm indeed. I will be attending this ALA Annual Conference (my first!) thanks to ALA’s Student to Staff program; I was selected by a committee at Simmons after an essay contest. All of the participants are listed on the American Libraries Student Membership Blog. (Look in the right-hand sidebar for a Neil Gaiman quote from his book-signing at the ALA Midwinter Conference: “I’m surrounded by librarians. It doesn’t get any better than that.”)
Jenny Arch 
How very cool! i’m sure you were picked on the basis of your essay and not a random drawing.
overwhelming number of women in that group of 40!
Yes, I wrote an essay. And yes, there certainly is a higher percentage of women than men in the library profession; in that way it’s similar to other service professions, like teachers and nurses.