Notes from Local Arrangements

The OLA Local Arrangements Committee is delighted to welcome you to the Renaissance Hotel / Cox Business Services Convention Center for our centennial conference.  The Renaissance Hotel is located in the heart of downtown Oklahoma City, minutes from Bricktown restaurants and shopping, the Myriad Botanical Gardens, and the Oklahoma City National Memorial.  The restful hotel lobby features a fifteen story atrium with water falls.  The Falling Water Grille with its exhibition kitchen serves fresh, creative cuisine in an upscale, yet casual environment.  There is also a deli-style coffeehouse featuring Starbuck’s coffee.

Parking in the attached Santa Fe Garage is available at a reduced rate for overnight hotel guests.  There is additional paid daily parking under the Cox Business Services Convention Center. 

For those arriving early, tours of local cultural institutions are available on Monday; these include the Oklahoma History Center, Ronald J. Norick Downtown Library, and the Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism Information Center.  Tours are free and transportation is provided; however, pre-registration is required.  All tours will conclude and return to Cox Center by 5:00 P.M.

Plan to arrive in time to attend the Monday evening banquet honoring OLA’s 100 Library Legends.  Former governor George Nigh will be  the guest speaker, and there may be some surprises!   

On Tuesday and Wednesday, take the opportunity to see the latest offerings from a variety of vendors.  Help thank our vendors for their support at the vendor appreciation reception on Tuesday evening, prior to the Centennial Ball (All-Conference Event).  Awards will be presented to vendors who have supported OLA through the years. 

Plan to attend the Centennial Ball on Tuesday evening.  Come in elegant regalia or dress in costume from any period during OLA's 100 years-- from the 1900s to the 2000s!  Enjoy a sumptuous buffet of tasty treats-- so good you won't need to eat dinner!  Sit back and enjoy as OLA's own talent sings or lip-syncs hit songs through the years.  All the while, participate in OASLMS silent auction for an exciting array of baskets, with proceeds benefiting the OLA scholarship fund.  Finally, join in the dancing.

End conference with a party at the membership meeting on Wednesday afternoon.  We'll celebrate OLA's 100 years with birthday cake and fabulous door prizes for meeting attendees!

We hope that this centennial conference will be a conference to remember!  Please don’t hesitate to approach Local Arrangements Committee members to ask for help or information.  (They will be easy to identify when you get to conference.)

Ila Coffman & Pauline Rodriguez-Atkins
Co-chairs, Local Arrangements