Breakast of Champions

This morning I had breakfast with most of the Advisory Committee for Public Libraries Magazine of which I have been the Internet Spotlight columnist for almost 4 years. It is one of my favorite pieces to put together (if only I could get my columns in on time). Renee Vaillancourt McGrath, Features Editor, has transformed the magazine into a first rate publication (not that it wasn’t before – it just keeps getting better and better). I was so excited to finally meet Renee after 4 years of working closely with her on the column.

Renee showed off the quilt that many people involved in PL Magazine made for her in honor of her new baby.

Yet again, I was the only male sitting at the table (last night at NMRT dinner, we were joking about it), which has become a theme for me at ALA Midwinter. I have yet to eat a meal with more than 4 people at a table and another male sitting with us. Not that I’m not complaining…

Anyway, I was pleased with the discussion around breakfast, which centered mostly on wi-fi in the library and how it can be used to bring in more patrons. A colleague told an amusing story about a patron who complained that he wasn’t getting a good signal from the library’s wi-fi. When she asked where he was sitting, he told her that he was across the street a local coffee shop.

Moral of the story: You can’t please everyone, no matter how hard you try.