Annual Conference Update

Hello, MLA members, colleagues and friends! Plans are being finalized for MLA's 2008 Annual Conference, which will be held at the Sheraton Bloomington on November 19, 20 and 21, 2008. I hope you will be sure to come to what promises to be yet another incredible conference!

Reserve your hotel room today! Please go to: http://www.starwoodmeeting.com/StarGroupsWeb/booking/reservation?id=08072522
03&key=17DDD. Or Call 866-837-4278 for reservations.

As you may have noticed, the MLA 2008 Annual Conference falls a bit later in the year than usual. After much discussion and cooperation between MLA and the Sheraton-Bloomington, this was a win/win compromise that was reached in an effort to negotiate a previously signed contract which would have placed an unrealistic financial burden on MLA.

In the process of working out a mutually-acceptable conference alternative, every attempt was made to avoid holidays, date conflicts with other library-related conferences, and the most hectic time of the year for academic libraries.

We appreciate the Sheraton-Bloomington's flexibility in working with us on this and hope that you will be able to take advantage of this schedule shift to do some holiday shopping or to attend a holiday event in the metro area. The Sheraton Bloomington will be offering special overnight packages for those conference attendees that may want to extend their time before or after the conference.

During the conference, the accommodations at the Sheraton-Bloomington enable attendees to stay in the same location as that in which conference sessions and events will be held. This offers participants greater convenience and ease of access. We have had to be a bit creative in the layout of our conference, but we are confident that you will find it

You may notice that the registration cost for the conference has increased. This was necessary because most meals, with the exception of the awards banquet, are included in the registration fee. Having the all-inclusive fee has been very popular with the majority of our members and we have been encouraged to continue with this practice. Unfortunately, due to the cost of food and other rising prices, the increase was unavoidable. However, I firmly believe this conference is well worth the registration fee and hope you will agree.

I look forward to seeing you in November where we will have the opportunity.To Explore. To Evolve. To Excel. Together.

~Wendy Wendt, MLA President