ACRL 11~(th) National Conference: Focusing on the future with an eye to the salons of the past

摘要

The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) 11th National Conference took place in Charlotte, North Carolina on April 10-13, 2003 with at record attendance of over 2,300 participants. The conference theme was "Learning to Mark a Difference." Upon post-conference reflection, it occurred to me that this theme is deceptively more ambitious than I had originally assumed. The programs I attended, instead of merely concentrating on creating improvements to our current operations and services, indicated that the "difference" we should be considering is expanding our approach to libraries as a whole. In addition to this broadened view of library roles, many of the presentations were tied to issues such as the library as a place, the library as an influence, and the library as a pioneer of internal and external communication and collaboration. These recurring threads have led me to the realization Parisian salons of the 17th and 18th centuries.