Danielle Quinnette, Editor
Soon the city of New Orleans, known for its Mardi Gras celebration, great food, and good jazz, will be overrun by a wild and crazy bunch of... librarians!? ALA will be holding its 118th Annual Conference in the Louisianan city next week, June 24th to July 1st. Over 20,000 librarians and library supporters are expected at this year's meeting. There are many events planned for this conference, which has the theme "Celebrating the Freedom to Read! Learn! Connect!"
ALA's controversial choice, Colin Powell, will address the Opening General Session on Saturday, June 26th. Ceremonies honoring the 1999 Newbery and Caldecott Medal and Coretta Scott King Award winners will be held. A number of authors and poets will be speaking at the conference, including: Thomas Cahill, Douglas Brinkley, Ann Roiphe, Ana Castillo, and Kevin Young.
The ALA President, Ann Symons, and Sally Gardner Reed will be holding a signing of their book, Speaking Out! Voices in Celebration of Intellectual Freedom. Anne McCaffrey, the sci-fi/fantasy writer, will be honored for her lifetime achievements at a luncheon. A scholarship auction will be held for the first time ever. Participants will bid on donated items such as books, trips, and services all weekend, and a live auction extravaganza will be held on Saturday, June 26th. All proceeds from the auctions will go toward ALA scholarship funds.
The meeting allows librarians to mingle and exchange ideas. Job hunters are provided with an opportunity to interview with libraries they are interested in (I have been told this is especially useful for those interested in public libraries).
With the conference featuring over 2000 programs and meetings, and setting up 1400 exhibit booths of library products and services, it promises to be better than ever!