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PLA 2004 Congrunt 2-25-04

Congrunts are a takeoff on refgrunts, which in turn are brief near-real-time brain dumps of what you experienced on the reference desk that day.

Raced to convention center, split cab with Highsmith vendor. We discussed RFID for a while and then debated whether or not ALA had met at Seattle sometime in the 1990s (I say no–I’ll check the handbook later).

Comments to me while headed to opening general session:

Love LII!
Love the crochet sites in LII!
Love the newsletter for LII!
Love the LII introduction every week!
Hi LII!

Sat next to Michael Stephens. We looked for open wi-fi networks, but alas, found none.

First, Bill Gates Senior spoke for a bit. Best library-related one-liner about his son: “he’s only 48 years old, and he’s already reading at the 52-year level!”

Anna Quindlan spoke next. Most of what she had to say was about writing and reading–delicious, delicious stuff. Tidbits:

Though she grew up in a beautiful suburb, “I lived within the cover of books, and they were more real to me than anything else in my life”

talked about books teaching the difference between good and evil, and right and wrong

“my voice is who I am”

“reading is the ultimate democratic act of the ultimate democratic nation on earth”

“the greatest threat to the book is not the computer; it is the censor.”

Off to the PUBLIB party!

Posted on this day, other years:

This was written by K.G. Schneider. Posted on Wednesday, February 25, 2004, at 5:07 am. Filed under Congrunts. Bookmark the permalink. Follow comments here with the RSS feed. Both comments and trackbacks are currently closed.