Playwright and filmmaker Luis Valdez conveyed his vision of “Multicultural Arts in the Electronic Age” at the President’s Program of the American Library Association’s Midwinter Meeting, held January 15–19 in San Antonio. Valdez enthusiastically spoke of how technology enables libraries and others to store the histories of the world’s many cultures. However, he warned, unless we have “the human spirit to tap into that wealth of knowledge, nothing will become of it.”
Texas author and radio talk-show host Jim Hightower inaugurated the Arthur Curley Memorial Lecture with a paean to agitators—including librarians, who he said were fighting “a battle for civilization” by defending our country’s essential values.
ALA Council passed resolutions on a wide range of issues, including offering professional certification for librarians, the World Trade Organization, and revitalizing ALA membership meetings. Council endorsed the four goals of ALAction 2005, an ambitious plan to promote the role of libraries and the public’s right to information.
Some 10,600 librarians, exhibitors, and library advocates attended the event. A full report will appear in the March issue of American Libraries.
Posted January 24, 2000.