At SLA in Seattle, “Make Your Future Happen”
Lynn Blumenstein -- Library Journal, 6/16/2008
- Abram energizes audience
- Conference bags from recycled materials
- Cerf warns of "bit pile"
Seattle, serving as this year’s host of the SLA annual conference, is offering participants both the expected—free, superb coffee provided in hotel rooms—and the unexpected—crystal-clear skies. Though no attendance figures have been issued yet, on the Info-Expo floor, which opened last night, 440 booths represent some 275 exhibitors, with 48 of them first-timers. The numbers are similar to those at the conference last year in Denver.
At last night’s opening general session, SLA president Stephen Abram as usual didn’t disappoint, eloquently illuminating commonplace messages: be prepared to face whatever future that technology has in store for information professionals and appreciate the perks SLA offers in order to move ahead.
Abram ran with this year’s conference theme, “Make your Future Happen,” exclaiming, “We’re at the tipping point. We’ll create our own future together.” He likened SLA members to lab rats (in a good way), pointing out that members can use the summer to “Learn 23 Things” on the SLA web site, just by spending 15 minutes a day over nine weeks.
Abram also addressed SLA’s Go Green agenda, exemplified by the cool grey messenger bags made out of recycled material issued at registration, urging audience members to eschew plastic bottles. He noted that 25,000 bottles are typically used at such a conference.
In addition to the usual annual awards, Abram announced the winner of the first President’s Citation, granted at the discretion of the SLA president. Gary Price, founder of the ResourceShelf site, was honored for “raising the visibility of librarians.” Abram called for candidates for the next citation winner, who will be acknowledged for “going green.”
Rose meets Cerf
TV host Charlie Rose’s interview last night of Vinton Cerf, “father of the Internet,” was something of a disappointment. Rose’s questions were geared toward a general audience, not for a crowd who were early adopters of sophisticated online applications and who remain in the forefront of everything information-related.
Still, Cerf, who is now chief Internet evangelist at Google, had much to discuss. He said his goal is to get affordable infrastructure in place so that the number of Internet users will double by 2010, to three billion users. This milestone will depend significantly on the further penetration of mobile phones.
Cerf said he’s deeply concerned about digital preservation and the “born digital” challenge; he hopes to avoid a “bit pile” of inaccessible, extinct content and urged companies to open up development for digital preservation applications.
