GEN: ALA/AASL in DC: kudos and comments

[Alice Yucht <AliceInfo@AOL.COM>]

Now that I'm finally unpacked and semi-rested, a brief and very personal
report:
+Gratitude and blessings to Gale Research, for their generous provision of
shuttle buses -- all with air-conditioning, comfortable seats, and kindly
drivers.
+Kudos to the Information Power committee, for getting the new standards
(finally) updated and published.   The publications look great, and the
Standards should position us at the heart of all curriculum reform.
+Grateful appreciation for Ken Haycock, past president, who must have had a
trying year but still manages to be professional, charming, and unflappable in
spite of all kinds of behind-the-scenes chaos.
+Cheers and encouragement to Sharon Coatney, new president, who reminded us --
in her eloquent inaugural speech -- that we ALL still need to be both teachers
and learners, or face our own obsolescence.
+Hosannas to Gary Hartzell for telling us the truth (whether we want to accept
it or not) about our position and potential in the educational infrastructure,
and showing us what we need to do to build influence for our programs and
profession.
+Thank yous to all the vendors who support us, with valuable products,
fascinating displays, and GREAT parties.  In particular: Bill Morris of
HarperCollins, host extraordinaire; Elliot and Eleanor Goldstein of SIRS,
always a class act; Encyclopedia Brittanica, for a fabulous party in the
awesome Woodrow Wilson House; and Grolier for breakfast with John F. Kennedy
Jr, who proved that he's not only GORGEOUS to look at, but bright and
intelligent too!
+High fives to Linworth, for hosting the LM_NET breakfast -- what a treat to
put names with faces!
(Doug Johnson -- you and I need to have a serious talk about the efficacy of
eyeglass chains.)
SIGHTS and SOUNDS not soon forgotten:
+the singing Elvis at the Checkpoint exhibit.  Good singing voice, clever
lyrics, and great adlibs, too.
+the symphony of accents heard from all over, reflecting our diversity.
+the extensive variety of shopping bags:  if ever we need a logo for school
librarians, it will obviously be a 'bag lady', shlepping equal loads of books
and posters and notepads and pens and trinkets and. . .
+ the shamefully low attendance at the AASL membership meeting.  What is wrong
here?  I know that the Exec. board and Affiliate Assembly had busy schedules,
but less than 70 people for a membership meeting of the largest division in
ALA?!?

to all the friends -- new and old -- I met and talked and laughed with, have a
great summer!
See you next year in New Orleans, and then in Birmingham. . . .  (ummmm...how
long will it take the schedulers to figure out that having division
conferences so close (geographically) to the national conference is
counter--productive?)

Alice H. Yucht
Heritage Middle School
Livingston, NJ
AliceInfo@aol.com

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