Libraryman
Apr 24th, 2003

Do many of you go

Do many of you go to ALA? As you likely know their annual conference is in Toronto this year. Apparently there is some debate as to the necessity of the SARS warning for travel to Toronto. Still ALA does has a SARS fact sheet up on a section of its conference web site. Just wondering if anybody has any comments on the subject. I’m just Michael Porter, but at least Libraryman has no worries about communicable diseases.

5 Responses to “Do many of you go”

  1. # DAVE on 25 Apr 2003 at 7:23 am

    sars sucks

  2. # Steph on 25 Apr 2003 at 9:38 pm

    I went on a massive conference hopping spree in Fall/Spring of 2001 including Virtual Ref, ASIS&T, SLA, and ALA. Of all of them, I thought ALA was the biggest waste of time and have sworn to never go back… but that’s just me. It’s probably the academic librarian in me, but I still go to every ASIS&T conference I can.

  3. # MP on 26 Apr 2003 at 1:56 am

    I largely agree. Most people go to the closest regional conference and send just one to a few staff to the “big one” (ALA) each year. However, If you are on a committee or writing a chapter or a book or selling something or buying or need to see all the vendors in one place it really is excellent and exciting. Without those goals it is less useful. I have also observed that it seems to fill a bigger role for Public Librarians who have fewer professional outlets than other professional Librarians.

  4. # Aaron on 26 Apr 2003 at 1:17 pm

    Speaking of ASIS, I’m going to this conference on Monday:
    http://www.asis.org/Chapters/neasis/pc/programs/20030428.html

  5. # Steph on 26 Apr 2003 at 5:49 pm

    That conference sounds like it has a great line-up, Aaron, and I’m quite upset they aren’t having a similar one in PNW. I don’t suppose we can sweet talk you into giving us the low-down on it on yer blog after ya go, eh?