Annual conference and Toronto both great

posted 06/30/03
I just spent several days hanging out with 17,000 librarians at the joint American Library Association/Canadian Library Association Annual Conference. What a wonderful experience!

First of all, let me assure you that the media circus surrounding the SARS outbreak in Toronto has been greatly exaggerated. While I admit I washed my hands more often than usual while I was there, I saw only one person with a facemask the entire time, and that was in the subway, not at the conference.

Secondly, what a great lineup of workshops and speakers! I heard Margaret Atwood, Ralph Nader, Alexander McCall Smith (author of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency and its sequels), and Naomi Klein (a fascinating expert on globalization) as well as the head counsel to the Director of the FBI, a Senior Intelligence Officer of the CIA and many, many others.

I learned more about the USA-PATRIOT Act and patron privacy, library advocacy, Friends of the Library groups, the entrepreneurial spirit and fundraising, collections, and hundreds of vendors hawking everything from shelving to software.

I met a lot of people from Washington and elsewhere, and I got to spend a little time exploring Toronto, the largest city in Canada. Especially interesting were the programs that provided a cross-border perspective, both Canadian and US, since we are as close to the border as we can get!

My guess is that I would be quite happy staying on the island all the time, and I could probably do my job pretty well, but tunnel vision would inevitably set in. The ideas I and other personnel are exposed to at regional, statewide and national conferences are essential for the library staff to stay informed and provide the best possible service to you, our patrons. I try to send every staff member to at least one workshop or conference each year to learn and trade ideas with the rest of the library world.

And after my mind-expanding urban adventure, it's very good to be home.

Lauren Stara
Director, San Juan Island Library
phone number 360.378.2798
e-mail lstara@sjlib.org

news @sanjuanislander.com

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Annual conference and Toronto both great