Hi. I am Rick Roche, and I will be blogging for the PLA Blog for the next few days. I will be attending various programs of interest to staff from public libraries and reporting on for you. I will also be writing some on my own blog ricklibrarian and posting some photos on my Flickr site. I hope you enjoy the pieces. I will not tell you everything that was said, as some talented bloggers are able to do on the spot. I will instead reflect on the main points and highlight some important details. When possible I will link you to sources for further study.

As we start this conference in our nation’s capitol, it is natural to think back to last year in New Orleans. The setting of that gathering was emotion charged, as the people of the Crescent City welcomed us. Librarians made a big statement by being the first group to return for a conference in the storm-damaged city. This year we are in the most media rich city in the world. Let’s make ourselves and our issues known. In a small way, I hope these pieces add to the effort.