Adventures at ALA Annual 2008 (Anaheim)

Those who read the blog from the web itself have seen the posting of my Flickr photos which show up in a bar at the top of the blog. The rest may or may not be aware that I spent an exciting week in Anaheim at ALA Annual. [My Facebook friends know about both, but I do not remember at the moment if I put all my ALA photos on Facebook.]

Some of you remember that last year there was the adventure of 96 hours to travel from DC to Minneapolis. I blogged it here and here. Well this year, the return was uneventful. The adventure happened in Anaheim!

On Monday when I had just left Membership Meeting II to attend the PLA Board, I received a call from the hotel. We knew that they had been working on the room above us, because we had heard the hammering, drilling, and (for me) the unmistakable sound of "BX-cable" being pulled through concrete floors and metal studs.

Well, it seems that they hit a pipe and water poured into our closet....all over the clothes!!! My roommate had purchased an outfit just to wear on Monday night at a special event. It had never been worn, and was 85% silk!

The hotel staff were great, however, they could not touch our belongings without one of us being present. And since the roommate had a shattered an ankle less than a week before, I got to go supervise. My suits were soaked (of course I went casual on Monday!), and my shoes were soaked, as well as all my dirty clothes which were on the closet floor.

Well, they packed all the clothes in plastic, took the shoes (and my suitcase, on the shelf) and promised to return them by 6 pm -- in time for our evening!

The room smelled damp. I asked for a new room. They gave us one on the same floor. [Of course, the next morning, we heard the unmistakable sounds of construction above us....] We drank a little and they did deliver our clothes at about 6:15. My shoes looked good -- then. One pair, however, has been ruined, I believe.

At about 5:30, we got a call saying "We have an 'amenity' to deliver, but you have a 'Do Not Disturb' sign. May we deliver?" I said, yes, and we got a food basket. About 15 mintues later, we got another, similar call, and received a bottle of wine (in an ice bucket, with glasses and a corkscrew!).

Afterwards, there must have been a note on the record, because almost every hotel staff member apologized.

When the clothes arrived, I was amazed. I had segregated the "dry clean" from the "launder." But my shirts (which I usually have folded) came back on hangers, as did my socks, and even my underwear!! Have you ever seen underwear on hangers? Well here is a look!

Content about ALA in Anaheim will follow!


Title edited 7/8 when I found an extra space. Added year and place.

Marketing that Matters (review)/Diversity @ Your Library (program)

I serve on ALA's PR Assembly. This group of people is responsible for planning the Public Relations Forum at ALA's Annual Conference. The official charge is:

To provide a forum for the exchange of information about library public relations and marketing activities throughout the association and with other library groups and associations sharing an interest in library promotion. To promote cooperation and enhance the effectiveness of public relations activities throughout the association and to strengthen ALA's national public awareness efforts.

[from the ALA Handbook of Organization.]

This year the speaker is Eric Frienwald-Fishman. Eric is the author of a book Marketing that Matters: 10 Practices to Profit Your Business and Change the World. The book talks about Eric's business the Metropolitan Group as well as that of his co-author Chip Conely who founded the Joie de Vivre hotel group.

They talk about a large number of other business who use socially responsible business practices to not only make a living, but to provide significant employment and to change the world. They, successfully I believe, present ways that businesses can act in socially responsible ways and still be successful on any business scale. Among other things they note that the SRI segment of the investment market is currently 9.4% of the total market and growing. The show a large number of businesses who practice ethical business, are business successes, and advance a positive social agenda.

Now here is the great news for those of you attending ALA in Anaheim. You can hear Eric in person on June 29, 2008 8:00-10:00 a.m. when he presents Diversity @ your library: Broadening Your Audience and Engaging Communities in the Anaheim Hilton, Pacific Ballroom B. Please join us!!