Alas No ALA 2020

 

The news came out on Tuesday (3/24/2020): No ALA in Chicago this year :-(

Already for a couple of days, I was wondering if maybe the organizers were taking a chance: you know, maybe things would clear up by June. Apparently not. Below is the official announcement sent to members already registered for the event. There's always next year, I guess.

Important Update for ALA Annual Conference Attendees

The American Library Association has made the difficult decision to cancel the Annual Conference & Exhibition scheduled for June 25-30, 2020, in Chicago.

We wanted you to be among the first to hear the news. We are grateful to you for registering for the conference and know that you share in our disappointment that we will not be meeting this summer.

We will be in touch in the coming days and weeks to discuss your registration and provide information about potential alternative engagement opportunities.
Thank you for your continued support of ALA and we ask that you be patient with us as we work through this unprecedented situation.

Home Rule

We got the notice last week that the university (library included) would shut down. Students had to move out of dorms. Instructors had to reconfigure their classes -- not just for next quarter (Spring 2020) but for finals happening that very week. For the foreseeable future, we'll be handling library questions from home using email and IM (instant message). At the moment it's all about what to do with borrowed materials and when will the library reopen.

Schools across the country (not to mention world) are experiencing the same. I have absolutely the greatest sympathy for both our students and faculty. This is something none of us will ever forget.

Current Cites for Feb. 2020

 

Current Cites for Feb 2020 is out! You can find the issue here...

Wrote about an interesting study that looked at the characteristics of transfer students at the undergrad level. Rang a bell.