2012 CLA Conference

Had a chance to spend time at the California Library Association Conference today. The sky and the convention worked together to equal a day of So Cal beauty. Heard several comments about why some of the first Midwest colonists came here. Based on today, I think they made a really great choice.

There were the standard job related workshops, advocacy discussion groups and exhibitors. If you enter the north end of Pasadena Central Library you'll see a variation on a version of 21st Century library lending. This good woman put on her best Vanna demeanor and chuckled as I took her picture.
Very appropriate. As was the cheers that came from the librarians watching the libraries version of Dancing with the Stars. What? You can't imagine what that might be?

Why it's the CLA Book Cart Drill Team Competition, of course. Here are the staid librarians taking their moment immediately before their 1st place performance. Think Black Swan with book carts.

They beat out other groups - including this group from Berkeley who choreographed their movements to "Born to be Wild". Part of their performance included a stripping off of their jackets to reveal phrases that included "1st Amendment" and "patron privacy".

Don't think I'll ever be able to think of librarians as being gray haired, prissy, "shhs'ers" again.