One of my
goals for this year was to go through the hoops of doing the “professional”
thing by joining the big professional organization and attending the big
professional conference. It is in two weeks in Anaheim. These kinds of events -
lotsa people in large glass and brass buildings - are not near the top of the
list of my ideas of a good time, but I’ll try to make the best of it.
My primary
purpose for attending this event, however, is to meet you, and those like you.
Meeting the people who are interested in any aspect library preservation will
be the most valuable part of this trip. I’ve looked at the schedule – and even
set up my own schedule on ALA’s conference scheduler – how fancy – and will
likely be attending most of the standard preservation fare. Opportunities to go
out and enjoy conversation and a beverage – whether brewed, distilled,
fermented, mountain spring fresh, or fresh squeezed - will almost always take precedence
over any programmed affair.
So, if you
are going to be there, don’t be shy. I’ll be the guy who looks a little like
the picture on my blog profile, and I’ll likely be carrying my spiffy new
Library Preservation 2 bag – which was formerly an IMLS bag until I ironed on
my blog logo. Be warned, however, if I you and I do talk, I’ll probably
mention, encourage, harass you into participating in my Portraits in Preservation project. And if you are one of the select few that have already
participated, I will thank you and gladly offer to purchase for you one of
those aforementioned drinks.
In my opinion: You will find ALA meetings more invigorating and informative for a library conservator than AIC meetings. One reason for this somewhat contrary assertion is that library specialists are much more expert at meetings than are conservators. For example, at ALA you will find that questions from the participants are concise. You will also note a lack of PowerPoint; these practitioners are expert rhetoricians and skilled in verbal communication.
ReplyDeleteWhy should such a lively meeting experience be relevant to a library conservator? Well, that is exactly my point(!): AIC meetings can benefit from the example of ALA where practitioners advance practice through skillful expression and quick debate.