Friday, October 21, 2005

New Orleans here we come!

The ALA web site should have the announcement that the ALA Annual Conference will be held in New Orleans. [Of course Midwinter is still in San Antonio.]

This was not an easy decision. However, the economic impact of an ALA Conference is incredible. The Association itself spends a couple million dollars. The economic impact can be 25 times that. For last year in Chicago, I heard that the impact was about $50 million. We saw that also with the Toronto conference. ALA was the first major conference after the SARS scare. I know that the City was incredibly grateful to see librarians arrive! I expect that New Orleans will be the same.

ALA staff have made several trips to the City. The level of monitoring for mold is incredible. It is probably safer to breathe the air there than it is here, especially after the rain!

I am looking forward to going back to New Orleans. I hope that the charm is still there. Hearing that the Cafe du Monde had re-opened reminded me of how much I yearn for a cafe au lait and beignets.

2 comments:

  1. I was in New Orleans this year before the Hurricane, and I love it.

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  2. Rochelle-

    I sure hope you decide to come! The hotels and the CVB have been clear in reassuring ALA staff that the air quality should not be a concern. That is an important part of the ALA message.

    Remember that most of where the conference will be had no flooding. Any damage came from windows breaking and rain infiltrating. Keith said that he had never seen so much sheetrocking going on in his life. Anywhere there was even a hint of rain/water damage was being replaced.

    I'll also note that most commercial construction uses metal studs, not wood, for interior walls.

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