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From the Office
ALCTS/LRTS
Golden Jubilee
When I first wrote about the ALCTS and LRTS 50th Anniversary last
June, it seemed a long way away, particularly to be writing about it.
It was a wisp of an idea to the few of us who were contemplating what
form such a celebration would take. What would we do? Fifty years is a
great milestone to celebrate, especially for an organization. As I
researched and wrote that June ANO
article, I was struck by all the events and happenings in 1957. I was
also struck by how much I didn’t know or had forgotten (not that I was
that old to remember, anyway).
Fast forward six months to February 2006. Now less than a
year away from the opening ceremonies (yes, I watched the
Olympics this week), the 50th Anniversary Committee has been
assembling the beginning of a wonderfully rich calendar of events,
which starts at the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Seattle and ends in
Washington, D.C. at the Annual Conference.
To borrow a phrase, “let the wild rumpus start!” (okay, maybe that is
easier for Max and the wild things rather than ALCTS members—but who
knows for sure—have we been tested on the wild rumpus scale?).
Although this is not the “official” calendar rollout, I do want to give
you a sneak preview of what is being planned so far. We will be setting
up a Fiftieth Anniversary Web page soon and updates, information,
events, happenings, and other stuff will be posted to that page.
The celebration starts at the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Seattle, January
19-24, 2007. The celebration comes to a close with the President’s
Program on the Monday morning during the ALA Annual Conference in
Washington, DC, June 21-27, 2007.
The theme for the celebration and the focus of what we are planning is:
Commemorating our past
Celebrating our present
Creating our future
This is a fitting theme, since ALCTS has come a long way from its start
in 1957, and is well positioned to make a substantial contribution to
the library community in the years ahead.
Midwinter 2007 in Seattle
Starting off the Midwinter schedule of events will be a
Midwinter Symposium called “Definitely Digital: An Exploration of the
Future of Knowledge.” This one-day symposium will leap frog attendees
into the vast unknown of what lies ahead.
Our Member Reception on Saturday evening (look for an extended time)
will give us an opportunity to wax nostalgic and remember those times
past.
The ALCTS Open Forum on Monday morning will once again push us into the
future as a group of ALCTS members lead the audience in a conversation
about “Creating Our Future.”
Annual Conference 2007 in Washington, DC
A big week and weekend is planned. ALCTS will host an
ALCTS Conference on Wednesday and Thursday prior to the start of
Annual. We will have programs, outstanding speakers, and a Thursday
night gala dinner.
A whole host of interesting preconferences will be available for
Friday.
Many of the weekend programs will keep the celebration theme, so look
for those.
The awards ceremony will honor the 2007 winners and maybe a few
surprises. We will follow the ceremony with another expanded reception.
On Monday morning, the ALCTS Open Forum will once again treat attendees
to stimulating conversation.
The final event of the celebration will be the President’s Program of
2007 ALCTS President, with Bruce Johnson. This is a fitting book end to
the Midwinter Symposium as we gaze into the crystal ball of the future
and see what lies ahead for technical services, acquisition,
cataloging, collections, preservation, and serials.
From Now 'til Then
In the coming months and into the fall, you’ll see
announcements of events, opportunities to participate, and more details
about the items I have listed above. You’ll see press releases, ANO articles, ALCTS@aGlance
notices, and flyers. Check out the Web site for more information. We
will do our best to keep you, the ALCTS members, informed so you can
join in and enjoy our double Golden Jubilee. |
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