This year, NASIG held its annual conference in Spokane, Washington, the location for the conference in 2020 if it had not been for COVID-19. It was a unique conference for me because I am serving on the NASIG’s Executive Board once again as a member-at-large and as a liaison to the Conference Planning Committee. Conference planning is one of NASIG’s most active committees, the planning for this year’s conference took place over a year. The committee did an admirable job of navigating the costs and coordination between the organization and the hotel in terms of meeting rooms, food, and everything in the works. The Board was well-informed every step of the way, and the committee was well-supported in their endeavors.

The programming for NASIG is always strong, and this year was no exception. These extended to the vision sessions that invited attendees to think more deeply about some of the emerging ideas in libraries and what we are facing collectively. For the first session, Dr. Francesca Tripodi spoke about “Data Voids and Echo Chambers,” covering how information gaps can lead to data and information bubbles that could be easily exploited by outside sources. For instance, she mentioned how deep stories have ideological dialects that inform our perceptions, such as the color of the sky. In “A Systemic Approach to Systemic Change,” Brittani Sterling and DeLa Dos talked about the nature of change while understanding the differing values within the group. Both sessions shared concerns about the larger questions that surround these ideas. By assessing, ruminating, and contextualizing the change, it can lead to greater buy-in from all parties involved.

Other highlights from the conference included:

• AI is here to stay. We are aware of how artificial intelligence has begun to transform the field of education, and it has even reached technical services. Emerging uses for the technology include using ChatGPT for the acquisition and assessment of electronic resources and including language to account for it (or not) in licensing.
• Intersectionality continues. It has been interesting to see how connections can develop between areas both inside and outside the library where common points are utilized more frequently. The threads between acquisitions work and scholarly communications have created new developments in several institutions. Libraries and publishers alike are collaborating more frequently to solve the problems of unauthorized access to online materials.

The content from this year’s conference will be presented online this fall with NASIG Autumn, which will give those unable to attend a taste of its in-person counterpart. The 2025 annual conference will also be presented online with more information to follow in the coming months.

Spokane was a lovely backdrop to this year’s conference, and there were a variety of things to see and do around the city. I took several photos chronicling this year’s trip, including this one of the Market Street Bridge, a symbol of the city.

You can see the rest of the pictures here. If you want to hear the (almost) amusing story about my adventure to and from Spokane, stop by and see me.