ARLIS/NA 35th Annual Conference Travel Award Recipient Report

What a fabulous experience!

Thanks in part to ARLIS/OV, I was able to attend my first ARLIS/NA annual conference.

The conference did not disappoint. A diverse range of sessions, activities, and discussions were held from April 26th to the 30th, 2007.

As a panelist, speaker, and committee member, my plate was certainly full—in a very good way. Participating as a panelist in “AskARLIS/NA Discussion: Hot Topics,” I was able to connect with many librarians on a one-to-one level. Speaking at the “New Voices in the Profession 2” session, I had the opportunity to deliver my presentation, “New Forms of Communication: Harnessing Collective Knowledge through Web Logs.” Finally, as ARLIS/NA Membership Committee member, I was given the chance to become more active within the society at the national level. Specifically, I have volunteered to become this year’s editor of the “What People Are Saying” column on ARLIS/NA’s Web site (AWS).

Yet, the conference was not all work. There was still time to meet all the talented and intelligent participants of this year’s conference. At the year-long mentoring workshop, I met both newly-minted librarians (or soon to be) as well as seasoned professionals. At the “First Time Attendees” meeting, I was able to participate in a dialogue with other librarians, including former president Ann Whiteside. After the entertaining convocation with Mike Luckovich, Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist, I was able to mingle and network at our reception held at Atlanta’s High Museum of Art.

Finally, through the help of other new librarians and librarians-in-training, I was able to achieve my primary conference goal—ArLiSNAP awareness. The Art Library Students & New ARLIS* Professionals (ArLiSNAP) moniker became the official namesake for the former Student Affairs Discussion Group. More importantly, ArLiSNAPers were able to demonstrate to the change-hungry conference attendees that low cost, transformative technologies exist and can be easily implemented. ArLiSNAP made a huge splash at the ARLIS/NA 35th Annual Conference, and I couldn’t be more proud of all those involved.

The ARLIS/NA 35th Annual Conference: At the Crossroads: Inside, Outside, Past, Present, Future was a culmination of creativity, energy, and intelligence. Thanks in part to ARLIS/OV, I was given the opportunity to experience and actively participate in this year’s conference. As the conference title suggests, our society is at a point of transition. Programs like ARLIS/OV’s Travel Award foster participation and give new professionals the opportunity to help transform our wonderful society. Thanks ARLIS/OV!

Sincerely,

Bryan Loar