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Colorado Association of Libraries conference 2008

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I enjoyed the conference, and was particularly grateful to see a couple of my Board members show up and participate. One of the reasons many librarians give for enjoying their work is the sense of collegiality. I certainly enjoyed presenting with Rochelle Logan, Diane Caro, Jody Howard on "Books We Hate." And I had a marvelous time with my fellow directors, Shirley Amore (Denver) Jon Walker (Pueblo), Eloise May (Arapahoe), Janine Reid (High Plains), and Pam Sandlian Smith (Rangeview) in our session with young/new professionals looking for jobs.

The directors all have their own quirks and emphases. But in the main, we share a lot of common approaches: we're looking to make a difference in our communities, to be a significant asset, to strive for excellence, to be effective advocates for literacy and lifelong learning, and not least to have fun. Those themes ran through the keynote by Chicago's Mary Dempsey, Colorado Commissioner of Education Dwight Jones, ALA President Jim Rettig.

I also enjoyed John Finn's talk "Men Feared Witches and Burned Women" on intellectual freedom, as well as awards presentations for intellectual freedom and more. We have a lot of heroes in our profession, and it's good to take notice of them.

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