Just So You Know About our
99th Annual Conference

The 99th Oklahoma Library Association Conference scheduled for March 29 – April 1, 2006, promises to be informative, entertaining and energizing. It will be held in Tulsa at the newly renovated Crowne Plaza Hotel. Program Chair, Barb Pfrehm, and your OLA Program Committee have put together a dynamic agenda of programs and social events. The Local Arrangement Committee, co-chaired by Carol Fox and Rita Howell, have worked to ensure a conference which will usher in a new century of Oklahoma librarianship with excitement, fellowship and fun! This conference schedule is brimming with activities that create opportunities to get to know your colleagues and reconnect with friends. In other words, this is going to be GREAT!

Bill Knotts is the keynote speaker at the opening session at 9 a.m. on Thursday, March 30. Knotts is the County Librarian at the Jefferson County Library in Colorado—one of the largest public libraries in Colorado. He has experience to share and stories to tell about speaking your voice—becoming an advocate—about making things happen that are important to you. He has been very active in Colorado as a library leader and champion. I am sure he will encourage and motivate each of us.

Pre-Conference—Wednesday, March 29, events are:

• Sequoyah Children’s and Young Adult Awards Ceremony
• Connexion Macros, featuring Harvey Hahn
• Centennial, What Centennial—a program to get us ready to celebrate
• Program Palooza—Whoze in the House?—Programming and presenters for teens and tweens
• Leadership and Ethics—Dr. Tom Massey
• Dine Around—Head to Jenks for a fun-filled evening at the River Walk Crossing
• Games, Glitz, and Glam!—You do not have to find a casino for pre-conference action! You will find Scrabble, Monopoly, chess and maybe even a hot game of “Dewey Rummy!” Each game will be sponsored by a library vendor.

Authors and Illustrators—Several well-known authors and illustrators will be presenting and autographing during the conference, including the Oklahoma authors we love so. Be sure and browse this pre-conference program to whet your appetite for these author visits.

Trade Show—This year’s trade show will once again provide opportunities to learn from, visit and shop with the vendors who support this conference. Book signing will be available throughout the conference at bookstore booths and at individual author’s booths.

Luncheons—On Thursday, Joe Raiola, senior editor of Mad Magazine, presents “The Joy of Censorship,” a humorous, but informative review of censorship.
On Friday, join the Oklahoma Association of School Library Media Specialists (OASLMS) as Michael Korenblit, author of Until We Meet Again, shares his family’s story of the Holocaust.

All Conference Event—Travel “Through the Looking Glass” on Thursday evening, March 30, for an evening of fun and relaxation. Dress as one of the characters in Alice in Wonderland to kick up the pace!

Friday Night Banquet—The library has finally made it to the comic strips! Join us for a rollicking evening with two funny guys, Bill Barnes and Gene Ambaum, the creators of Unshelved, a comic about libraries. An archive of their comics can be viewed at http://www.overduemedia.com. If you are not familiar with Unshelved, rush to a computer fast and check it out.

Post-Conference—Saturday, April 1--Community Leadership, It’s Not a Spectator Sport—Jim Connor will lead participants in exercises which focus on forging community partnerships between public libraries and the community.

From Wednesday morning to Saturday noon, there is something for everyone! Be sure to mark your calendars, get your registration sent in, find your “Alice costume,” and pack your bags! This conference is going to be outstanding!

On another note, as we near the close of the 99th year of the Oklahoma Library Association and prepare to enter a new century of service, let us consider what must be done to strengthen the Association.  If you read or watch the news, you are aware of many challenges to basic freedoms that libraries champion.  This is the time to renew your membership, donate to the Endowment, call your legislator, write a note or letter, or participate in some way.  Let us be determined to make a difference—to prepare to “Leave a Legacy!”

Thanks for a great year!

Jeanie Johnson
OLA President, 2005/2006