The 2007 MLA conference from a RART perspective

'Tis the day after conference,
And all through the Alltel Center,
Not a creature is stirring,
Not even a leadership mentor.

I know, I know, that isn't quite as poetic as the original, but the sentiment is still true: the 2007 MLA Conference is officially over. We wrapped up Friday afternoon following an energizing session by Overdue Media's Bill Barnes and Gene Ambaum. They were absolutely hilarious - somehow they managed to be both motivational and demotivational at the same time.the extra dash of irony was well appreciated.

The conference ended on a laugh, and if you are a RART member, it started with a laugh as well. On Wednesday evening at 6:00, over 30 librarians/library staff/library lovers congregated at Pub 500 for an evening of books and beer. After the first round we held our mandated "business meeting," which I'm disappointed to say lasted longer than the 3 and a half minutes I had allotted (it actually was closer to five). Three hours later we headed back to our respective hotels, excited about books that other attendees had recommended, potential authors to contact for future programming, and if you happened to be me, the deep-fried brownie I had in lieu of dinner. Photos are online in MLA's flickr account.

I won't take the time to rave about every RA-related session, but for me the highlights included the trying out a 5/8 scale replica of a Gutenberg Press, talking about fiction with author Sandra Benitez, and an hour and a half on Friday morning devoted to books, music, and movies from India. Life is good.

Now we just need to think up ideas for next year's conference.

Best,

Katherine Stecher
Readers Services Division
Rochester Public Library