Subject: Electronic Postcard #3 Hi everyone, Well, another ALA conference is in the books. Paid attendance was over 12,000, and if you count exhibitors and exhibits-only pass holders, 22,000 people participated. The biggest disappointment for me was that, unlike 1992, they did not have the $10/10-minute massage vendors at the convention center. In my last few days here, I've moved to a less expensive hotel -- the Cartwright Hotel, which is four blocks to the north and $35 a night cheaper than the other one. This place is decent enough -- another refurbished older building owned by the same group that owns my last hotel, the Monticello Inn. My room has a view of the Powell St. cable car line (which loses a bit of its charm when you realize that these horrendously noisy contraptions will be rumbling past your window well after midnight). I do have self-service ice now, but fewer cable channels on the TV. There are fewer panhandlers in this neighborhood. I've been trying to cram as much as I can into what little time I have left here. I managed to show up at both the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Exploratorium science museum on the day of the month they let people in for free, (thank you to sponsors Charles Schwab & Co. and Bank of America). Unfortunately, I've been practically running through these and other places, and giving them only a fraction of the attention they deserve. I wish I had more time, but then again, I'd probably just find more places to visit if I did. So in conclusion... These conferences are always thrilling and rewarding events for me. As I almost mentioned previously, my first ALA conference was in San Francisco, so this trip has brought back a lot of memories for me. And I've had a great deal of fun watching other people experience their first ALA. I think one of the greatest benefits of these conferences is the boost your professional self- esteem gets. Every librarian knows what it's like to constantly struggle to get other people to understand what you do and appreciate the value of your work. But when you do ALA, it's like visiting an alternative universe. Everywhere you look, you are surrounded by library people. You are catered to by vendors. And people come to _you_ to tell you what a valuable service you provide to society and what a difference you make in people's lives. If you've ever thought of going to one, I recommend that you do. Ralph Toyama / We now pause Automation Librarian /__ for station University of Hawaii -- Leeward Community College / identification: rtoyama@hawaii.edu http://www2.hawaii.edu/~rtoyama / This is NH6PY/6