Back from ALA

ALA Annual in Chicago was the usual flurry of old friends, Powerpoint presentations, and exposure to topics new to me. The blogger's get-together put together by the It's all good folks and generously hosted by OCLC was certainly one of the highlights. I've been a bit tentative in promoting my blog to date, so it was nice to mingle with other bloggers and talk shop (and beyond!). Another major highlight was Kevin Clarke's presentation on XOBIS. Nice to finally meet you, Kevin!

I spent most of my time at ALA attending presentations I "had" to attend--those related to my daily work. I was able to spend a small amount of time expanding my horizons, but I wish I could have done more. And this schedule is without being involved in any ALA committees that meet during the conference. There is simply too much going on to take advantage of it all.

On another note: on the trip home I started reading, but didn't finish, Martha Yee's recent paper outlining a "MARC 21 Shopping List." I should hold any substantial comment until I finish the article, but so far I'm impressed. The approach of looking very precisely at the criticism of MARC and current cataloging practice to determine what exactly is being criticized, I believe, is long overdue. I do find myself thinking of counter-arguments to some of the conclusions, however. But intelligent discourse is absolutely what we should be striving for!