The evening of Saturday, January 20 was a typical party-hopping affair. First I hit the NMRT social at the Elephant and Castle in the Red Lion Hotel, organized by one of our own conference bloggers Heidi Dolamore, and somehow found myself in the company of many, many ALA Councilors amidst the new members, some of whom happen to be old friends, some became new friends.
Since many of us were also bloggers, we headed off to the OCLC Blogger Salon at the Sheraton, which was a bit tight and warm, but offered lovely snacks and time with old friends. I wasn’t there long (definitely long enough to end up in, and “at fault for,” an interesting photo with an extra long tag dedicated to me :D), before I was off to the ALA New Councilor’s Reception in one of the fancy, large rooms.
There amidst the lovely deserts and ever plenitudinous Starbucks and Tazo bevies, I mingled with new and experienced councilors alike, and met Joseph Eagan, who works for the Montgomery County Public Libraries, and also serves as Chair of the Council Orientation Committee and the Maryland Chapter Councilor. Ever the intrepid social butterfly with a digital voice recorder and headphones at the ready, I was able to conduct a quick interview about what it takes to orient new councilors, how aspiring councilors can get involved, the focus of upcoming work, and his excitement about new, young councilors being added to the mix.
Thank you, Joe, for taking the time to speak with me!
And to hear more about the ALA experience first-hand from a new council member, check out Heidi’s post.
Tags: ALACouncil, ALAMidwinter2007, conferences, council, PLA, PLA Blog, podcast