Michael Eric Dyson, John Waters, NPR's Nina Totenberg keynote speakers for ACRL 13th National Conference
Contact: Tory Ondrla
Meeting and Special Events Planner
312-280-2515
tondrla@ala.org
For Immediate Release
August 11, 2006
Michael Eric Dyson, John Waters, NPR’s Nina Totenberg keynote speakers for ACRL 13th National Conference
CHICAGO - The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) is pleased to announce a celebrated lineup of keynote speakers for the ACRL 13th National Conference, "Sailing into the Future - Charting Our Destiny," to be held in Baltimore March 29 to April 1, 2007.
The Opening Keynote Session on March 29 will feature Michael Eric Dyson, one of the nation’s most renowned public intellectuals who was named by Essence magazine as one of the 40 most inspiring African-Americans. Dyson has taken on some of the toughest and most controversial issues of our day, including Martin Luther King Jr.’s radical culture, racial conflict and black identity, and - most recently - the political and racial fallout from Hurricane Katrina. During the session Dyson will discuss the impact generational disputes and differences have on higher education, including the way students learn, the way faculty teach, and the development and application of new technologies. Dyson is the Avalon Foundation Professor in the humanities, religious studies and Africana studies at the University of Pennsylvania.
John Waters, Filmmaker (Hairspray, Pink Flamingos, Female Trouble, Desperate Living, Polyester, A Dirty Shame, and more) will headline the Keynote Luncheon on March 30. Waters is known for films that push the boundary of conventional propriety and censorship. At an early age he was obsessed by violence and gore, and in the mid-60s began making films with his off-beat friends as the cast. As his filmmaking became more polished and his movies grew more shocking, his popularity grew. He is most well known for the film Hairspray, which was turned into a hit Broadway musical that swept the 2003 Tony Awards. During the luncheon Waters will discuss influences on his creative work, including individuals from film and entertainment and the places, people, and culture of his hometown, Baltimore.
The conference’s Closing Keynote Session on April 1 will feature National Public Radio’s award-winning legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg. Totenberg’s reports air regularly on NPR’s critically acclaimed newsmagazines, All Things Considered, Morning Edition, and Weekend Edition. She is also a correspondent for ABC’s Nightline and a regular panelist on Inside Washington. Totenberg’s coverage of legal affairs and the Supreme Court has won her widespread recognition and honors from both the National Press Foundation and the American Bar Association. Totenberg’s remarks will examine connections between higher education and current issues and events in national public policy. Her rich experience and acute perspectives will be both challenging and informative.
Complete details about the ACRL 13th National Conference are online at
www.acrl.org/baltimore . Registration will open in mid-to-late September 2006. For more information about the conference, contact Margot Conahan, ACRL’s Manager of Professional Development, at
msutton@ala.org or 312-280-2522.
ACRL is a division of the American Library Association (ALA), representing more than 13,000 academic and research librarians and interested individuals. ACRL is the only individual membership organization in North America that develops programs, products and services to meet the unique needs of academic and research librarians. Its initiatives enable the higher education community to understand the role that academic libraries play in the teaching, learning and research environments.
