Spending time in the SLA booth at a conference is always time well spent, getting the feel of what issues are affecting members and non-members especially in these difficult economic times. At Computers in Libraries yesterday I chatted to old friends and made new ones. The topics discussed most were dwindling budgets, job security, benefits of SLA membership and SLA's annual conference in DC this June.
Which product or service is of real value depends on the individual's needs. A school librarian was fascinated by the Innovation Laboratory which she saw as a really useful tool for the various school libraries for which she is responsible in her state. The Click U educational opportunities, many of which are now free to members, also attracted interest.
The diversity of the SLA membership astounds many non-members so we were able to encourage many to attend the SLA 2009 Annual Conference and INFO-EXPO in June to find out first hand what our members do and make use of the networking opportunities at the conference. We gave out the Exhibiting Vendors CD to local Public Librarians who, although are unlikely to get a full registration authorized, saw how they could still gain valuable information about the latest products and services offered by the conference exhibitors. I hope they take advantage of the opportunity this year when the conference is in DC.
Some members kindly offered to post information about the upcoming annual conference on their discussion lists. Promotion coming from somewhere other than SLA HQ is so much more meaningful. If anyone wants a few lines to post please contact Jeff Leach.
Finally there was great interest in the Centennial Showcase set up in the booth. If you don't have the opportunity to see it at CIL, don't miss it at the annual conference in June.
