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| From Washington DC |
This year’s annual SLA conference, held in Washington DC, was nothing short of spectacular. As it was my first SLA conference, I certainly got to start with a bang. This being SLA’s centennial year, the entire event was extra-special, with celebrations, champagne toasts, and plenty of music provided by live bands. In addition, the library that I work at won this year’s Innovations award, so overall, this was quite the experience!
To start with, Washington DC is a truly amazing and international city. So many cultures of the world are represented, that it is easy to feel connected on a global scale with so many people in all parts of the world. Coming from southern California, I was also amazed by the truly awe-inspiring architecture of the buildings all around the city.
I attended the kick-off celebration on Sunday afternoon, where we shared a champagne toast, and had the opportunity to wander among the vendors in the exhibitor hall. Shortly after that, my colleagues and I attended a photo session with SLA President, Gloria Zamora, to commemorate the award we would receive later in the evening.
After receiving our award during the Opening General Session and Awards Presentation, I enjoyed seeing all of the other award recipients receive their honor. It gave me a sense of continuity, that this experience was not a one-time thing, but something that is a career and even life-spanning endeavor, no matter whether an award is received or not.
Following the awards ceremony, and to close the General Session, the keynote speaker enthralled the audience for the next hour. Former Secretary of State, General Colin Powell (Ret.) gave a truly inspiring and entertaining speech, in which he discussed the importance of remaining ahead of the curve with technology and information management.
On Monday morning, I began attending the various sessions, beginning with an EBSCO military libraries session, in which we discussed ways of better serving our users. The afternoon session was on the topic of “Greening Your Library”. It was presented by the founder of eco-coach.com, and we received a great deal of information on how to run our libraries more efficiently, which in turn lowers operating costs. On Monday evening, I attended a wonderful reception, hosted by EBSCO at the Decatur House. It was a great chance to talk shop and mingle with my fellow information professionals from around the world. We talked mostly about where our libraries are located, and the challenges we face that are unique to our library. It gave a great sense of being part of a much bigger picture, and while we each face different challenges in our careers, we are all working toward the same goal.
On Tuesday morning I attended a session dealing with Globalization, titled, “Globalization and Libraries: Emerging Opportunities for the Library Profession”. The first speaker discussed the challenges and benefits of her company’s outsourced information professionals located in India. The standout presenter was Jane Kinney Meyers, who started the Lubuto Library Project in Zambia. In a place riddled with so many socioeconomic problems, this library has had a considerable impact on the region for the better, as more children are learning to read and going on to more productive lives as they reach adulthood. The main idea that I took from this presentation – and also the most important thing I learned at the conference – was the notion that libraries should be a transformational force within societies. This idea is what makes libraries an integral part of the communities they serve, and I think will be one of the keys to our success.
The other standout session I attended was on Tuesday afternoon. It was presented by one of the founders and editors of the Onion, a popular media spoof publication. The entire presentation was couched in comedic humor, but the underlying message was relevant to the information profession, and that is the importance of not only keeping up with changing information demands, but to be ahead of them. This means it is vital to be innovative in using emerging technology, and to leverage current resources effectively.
The highlight of the “after hours” conference came on Tuesday night, when we attended “SLA Salutes!” an Awards and Leadership Reception held at the Library of Congress. It was truly breathtaking and the experience of a lifetime to have the chance to wander through the various parts of this historic library, to see Thomas Jefferson’s private book collection, to see the library’s card catalog, and to have the chance to stand at the podium of the circulation desk. What a fun time!
In all, this was a wonderful experience and one that I will never forget. The greatest opportunity that this stipend provided me was the chance to network; to meet my colleagues and fellow information professionals from all over the world. It expanded the scope with which I view my world, both as an information professional and as a member of the global community.
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