Okay, I know this is almost 2 months late, but I’ve been busy. I attended the ALA Conference in Chicago back in late June. It was a special conference for me, not only because it was a very long one (I came in on a Thursday and left on a Tuesday) or that I barely attended any programming (kind of ironic considering how long I was there), but because I assumed the presidency of Core, one of the eight Divisions of ALA (Core is a division that specializes in various non-public facing types of library work, including management, technical services, technology, building management, and preservation). Because of that, most of my time was taken up with organizational meetings and various events I was obliged/encouraged to attend.

I began the conference early on Thursday, June 25th with a meeting of the Core Board of Directors. We covered various matters of organizational business, but for me the biggest thing was that the Board approved the new 5-year Strategic Plan that was developed by a task force I co-chaired. This should provide a roadmap for our next few years. Friday was pretty low-key, but I did attend the Opening Session of the Conference, which featured a discussion with Rachel Maddow, who talked about (among other things) the state of American democracy and the pushback against authoritarian overreach. I saw her react in real time when she found out that the term we librarians use for decommissioning unwanted books is “weeding.” She was absolutely horrified and encouraged us to never let civilians know that’s what we call the process!

The next day, Saturday, was my busy day (I was pretty much on the go from 7:30 am to 9:30 pm). My day began with the joint Core Awards/John Cotton Dana Awards ceremony and breakfast. These two events are normally not combined, but they were this year due to a compressed ALA schedule. That was followed by a meeting with the Core Fundraising and Scholarship Committee, then I had to go to a social thrown by Maria McCauley, the incoming President of ALA, for the incoming presidents of the ALA Divisions and Round Tables. After that, I attended the Core President’s Program, which featured nutritional psychiatrist Dr. Drew Ramsey, who spoke on “Healing the Modern Brain.” That was followed immediately by the Core Member Social, which was a nice change to mingle and network with Core members. After that, I had to hurry back to my hotel room to change clothes for the big ALA 150 Reception, celebrating the 15oth anniversary of the founding of ALA. From there, I headed to the Champions Reception, an invitation-only reception for big donors to ALA to close out my night.

On Sunday, my noteworthy events included attending the Core All Committee Meeting, a meeting in a very big conventional hall room where all members of all committees were invited. Don Allgeier, the outgoing President of Core, and I each gave some brief remarks about Core’s activities and where we’re headed in the coming year, and then the committees met. Later that afternoon, I attended the ALA Awards and President’s Program.

The next day, the temperature in Chicago decided to soar into the mid-90s (after being relatively mild for the first four days), on the very day I had to wear a suit. It was not ideal. That day’s activities included going to a brief meeting of the Core Board of Directors, where I was given a gavel and assumed the title of President, as far as Core is concerned. However, I still had to go to the official inauguration at a general meeting. All 8 of us incoming Division Presidents were required to attend a rehearsal before the Closing General Session and Inauguration. It was nice to chat with my fellow Division Presidents, including a neighbor from just down the road, April Dawkins from UNC-G, who is the new President of the American Association of School Librarians (AASL). Luckily, at the actual session, we just had to be introduced and walk out on stage, no talking was required. After the session, I attended the ticketed inauguration celebration along with my Core colleagues Julie Reese (Core Executive Director), Don Allgeier (outgoing President), and Angie Ohler (outgoing Past-President). The entertainment was a very cool performance by traditional Korean musicians and dancers, who performed a complicate routine involving whirling and flicking ribbons attached to their hats. Below are a couple of pictures of me and my fellow Division Presidents being recognized at the inauguration celebration.

It was a long, tiring, unusual conference, but it was worthwhile, and I’m looking forward to this year!