Conference on the Ice

摘要

Winter weather hit the American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter Meeting on Sunday, February 1-more than 19 inches of snow fell between Saturday night and Monday morning. While many locals stayed home and a few out-of-towners were able to beat the storm by departing early, many librarians and vendors were snowed in. Some 1,500 flights arriving and departing Chicago's airports on Sunday and Monday were canceled. Before the blizzard, though, Friday and Saturday saw robust traffic and a bumper crop of news. Final attendance was 10,637 (slightly below Seattle in 2013 and Philadelphia in 2014). When it comes to big things, ALA is staying the course. The Budget Analysis & Review Committee (BARC) recommends that the general shape of the ALA Midwinter schedule remain unchanged, despite a proposal to add more programs, BARC chair Patricia Wand reported to ALA Council. ALA treasurer Mario Gonzalez stated that ALA finances did well last year though membership has declined. Also, Rodney Hersberger, chair of the endowment trustees, announced that the endowment had grown to $40 million. The FY16 Programmatic Priorities based on President Courtney Young's initiatives were passed. Because of economic damage it was decided to keep the 2016 ALA annual conference in Orlando despite Florida's "Stand Your Ground" laws.