Academic

On Tuesday morning, members of the Information Technology Division gathered at 7 AM for one last meeting. Having fallen on the heels of the dance party, motions were passed by weary-eyed board members without much discussion.

After breakfast, I attended ?Mashups: Future of Changing Content?, led by Nicole Engard, a self-proclaimed open-source evangelist and editor of Library Mashups: Exploring New Ways to Deliver Library Data.

Next, I met my SLA mentor at the Physics, Astronomy, and Mathematics Division?s hospitality suite where I was introduced to several of her PAM colleagues and offered a bag of treats and souvenirs. We then returned to the convention center to attend the SLA Closing General Session Membership Meeting. Judy Woodruff moderated a panel discussion about the outlook for information and information professionals. Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, author Robyn Meredith, and IBM executive John R. Patrick shared their insights for the future. Beignets were served at the 2010 SLA Kickoff and Closing Reception.

As I exited the conference, I engaged in a conversation with a friendly crossing guard about the value of library clouds to him in his pursuit of an online degree and the perception of my profession and the confusion our organization?s name invokes. I then dropped by the gift shop of The Historical Society of Washington, DC. The woman who assisted me asked if I was with the library conference and mentioned that the society is housed in a Carnegie library building, which led to a discussion about Louisville, its museums, and its rich African American history.

Later that evening, I joined members of the Kentucky Chapter, aka ?Kentucky Mafia?, for dinner at Bobby Van?s Grill. Despite the negative connotation, our nickname is a testament to our chapter?s popularity whose members and guests traveled from far flung destinations such as Christchurch, New Zealand and St. Martin in the Caribbean. The night ended with the Legal Division?s Open House and a round of drinks with friends at the Rocket Bar.

Additional photos are available on my Flickr account.