ASSOCIATES (vol. 4, no. 1, July 1997) - associates.ucr.edu
*REPORT OF THE 30TH ANNUAL COLT CONFERENCE*
by
Joyce Nielsen
COLT Public Relations Chair
More than 125 library staff attended the 30th Annual Council on
Library/Media Technicians (COLT) Conference in San Francisco,
June 26-27, 1997. Those who arrived the evening prior to the
programs enjoyed a pre-conference reception with good treats and
good conversation.
Ms. Pat Wagner gave the keynote speech "Communication for
Consenting Adults: How to Successfully Play the Networking Game."
She stressed that networking is a transactional relationship in
which you make yourself useful to others and you allow others to
be useful to you. You should have no concern for status and
treat others with respect, even those who treat you badly. Never
undervalue what you know and never reject help from others. Help
can come from the most unlikely sources.
After the keynote, Thursday and Friday were filled with excellent
programs and the organization's annual business meeting. The
programs with overflow audiences were "Netiquette: Tips for
Communicating on the Internet" by Gene Kinnaly and "A Profession
for All of Us" by Linda Slusar and Ed Martinez. More details of
the various programs will be posted to the listserv Libsup-L.
The membership enjoyed a continental breakfast each morning and
an excellent lunch each noon.
Friday night the Annual Banquet was an excellent buffet. Raymond
Roney, _Library Mosaics_ publisher, presented the Support Staff
of the Year Award to Dorothy Morgan of the Liverpool, New York,
Public Library and the Supporter of Support Staff Award to Dale
Montgomery of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. President
Kent Slade presented plaques and a resolution of appreciation
from COLT to the founders and webmasters of the Library Support
Staff Resource Center, Martha Parsons and Walt Nickeson.
Conference Chair Mim Gaines made presentations to many members
who helped with conference preparation.
The banquet speaker, librarian Robert Skapura, gave a
presentation titled "Books Are Dead. Libraries Are Dead.
Library Technicians Are Dead....and Other Popular Fallacies." He
spoke about some two dozen books, listed on his illustrated
bibliography, which help to show how to present information
meaningfully to people.
Besides the formal conference programs, San Francisco gave many
informal opportunities for COLT members to learn more and to know
one another better. Fisherman's Wharf offered a tourist's
eye-view of the Bay. Many took a tour to Alcatraz or just a tour
of the harbor. The cable cars afforded trips to various parts of
the city. A large group took advantage of the chance to see a
performance of _Phantom of the Opera_ on Thursday evening.
On Saturday conference attenders could find many activities. The
ALA exhibits opened and the new San Francisco Public Library also
opened its doors for touring. That evening ALA's Support
Organization Round Table (SORT) held its 60th Anniversary Gala
featuring a Chinese buffet dinner. COLT co-sponsored this event
and many members attended.