Nearly 800 library professionals gathered in Chicago for the Public Library Association's (PLA) Ninth Spring Symposium, which was held March 6-8, 2003 at the Palmer House Hilton Hotel in Chicago. The attendance figure was on par with registration figures from the association's last Spring Symposium, which was held in March of 2001.
"Beginning with the opening keynote presentation, through the workshops, the author luncheon and other organized events, the symposium was a tremendous success. We left equipped with lots of new information, ideas, and professional contacts to take back to our libraries," stated PLA President, Jo Ann Pinder. Comments from participants ranged from `fascinating and challenging' to `an excellent learning experience.' The Symposium began with an Opening General Session, on Thursday, March 6, which featured noted Children's Author and Educator, Mem Fox. Fox discussed her career and her books while emphasizing her belief in the absolute importance of reading to babies. She also read aloud, in character, from her bestseller, "Koala Lou." Following her talk, the colorful author signed books and chatted with attendees. The evening culminated in a well-attended dessert reception.
Programming began on Friday morning, with workshops on Building the Perfect Library; Emotional Intelligence and Leadership Effectiveness; Power Up with Print: Connecting Teens and Reading in a Digital Age; Emergent Literacy Part II: Research and Preschool Services; and Staffing for Results. The 2003 Symposium also featured an author luncheon with writer Chris Bohjalian, who amused the crowd by describing his life as a writer and as a "bookish" person. Bohjalian (whose presence was sponsored by Random House) also signed books following his presentation.
A PLA bookstore, continental breakfasts, and a number of tours rounded out this year's Symposium. In addition, PLA Gold Partner and sponsor of the Symposium, Gaylord and Gaylord Information Systems, was on hand to showcase their products and services for attendees. PLA's next continuing education opportunity (outside of programming at ALA conferences) is our upcoming Tenth National Conference, PLA 2004," which will be held February 24-28, 2004, in Seattle, Washington. Visit the PLA web page at www.pla.org for photos and highlights from the 2003 Spring Symposium (available shortly) and for national conference news and updates. PLA thanks Gaylord and Gaylord Information Systems for their sponsorship of the Spring Symposium and Random House for their sponsorship of the author luncheon.