(An unapologetic gushing review of tonight’s guest speaker.)
Wow. No wonder Leonardo DiCaprio hangs out with this guy. Al Gore gave an impassioned and engaging talk at this evening’s opening general session. Sorry for swooning, but he was just a great speaker. Thanks to SLA for nabbing him! He really tailored his talk to our group by specifically mentioning the role of libraries and information technology/info mgmt in regards to the environment, government, politics, etc. He called himself a “recovering politician” and of course he was asked the big question about running for President. (Basically said that he hasn’t ruled it out and emphasized that with our current political structure that he can do more good outside of public office.) He really gave a great presentation and worked in the kinds of things important to special librarians (freedom of information, saving libraries, etc.) He received standing ovations and smatterings of applause throughout his speech. It was like a librarian revival meeting. He talked about Iraq, personal stories, anecdotes and kept information technology/information management as the important link to addressing critical issues like the climate crisis and government issues. One of his jokes was, “I flew on Air Force 2 for eight years…now I have to take my shoes off to get on an airplane.” Yes, insert rim shot here. Lastly, he told of an African proverb which went something like this: “If you want to go quickly – go alone. If you want to go far – go together.” I think that is a great message we can all embrace.
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