Annual, Day Two & Three: News from the Field

Posted On Jun 24 2007 by

The names are changin’, deals are a-happenin’, and the grant money is flowing. More Names I sometimes wonder if there is still a niche market left in the library automation industry. If I had been smart, I would have started selling business cards. From an environmental angle, I wonder how many landfills we are filling up with all the old ones. Get ready to start seeing some new cards soon. Some name changes make sense. Others, I am never so sure about. Here are the bigs ones this season. ProQuest has a new name. It’s ProQuest. Nope, you read that …


Annual, Day One: Homecoming

Posted On Jun 22 2007 by

My first day in Washington for the ALA Annual Conference. I was born in this city and have so far not been reminded why I wanted so badly to leave. It’s nice when the nostalgia lingers. D.C. is a great city, but it can also be hard to live in a place where the barometer changes substantially every 4–8 years. I grew up in the burbs, but I still miss things about this place—the culture, serious politics, and some of the people. I miss the Washington Post. As I write this, I am actually squatting on the exhibit hall floor—it’s amazing …


Shameless Self-Promotion

Posted On Jun 13 2007 by

I will make no apologies, for what is a blog if not self-promotion? Innovate or die? Many of you might have already heard that I am moderating a debate at ALA Annual Conference in Washington, D.C., titled “The Ultimate Debate.” For the record, I didn’t give it that name. In fact, I am a even a substitute moderator for the event, doing a good turn for my overbooked and much more unflappable colleague Roy Tennant. I don’t particularly like superlatives (it comes from reading a lot of press releases)—where does one go from “Ultimate”? Oh well. But I do like …