During my 250+ mile drive to the ruggedly beautiful Pack Forest Conference Center, I had plenty of time to think about the upcoming ACRL conference. I assumed that I would meet other academic librarians with whom to discuss weighty library issues and lofty academic theory. What I underestimated was how much fun it could be. Walking to registration I noticed a very official-looking sign that, in its original format read, "All pets must be kept on a leash." A librarian with a sense of humor had altered the sign and replaced "pets" with "librarians." This small act made me laugh out loud. Many stopped to take a photo. It really set the tone for a comfortable, casual conference.

Soon enough it was lunchtime and the taco bar buffet was fun and the conversation was lively as acquaintances were renewed and introductions were made. I was fortunate enough to invite myself to join some other community college librarians, who made me feel welcome. We were soon joined by Melissa Anderson, the student scholarship winner. We talked about professors at the UW i-School and classes there that we had in common. Let the networking begin.

At the beginning of most meetings, there are "housekeeping" items that are dealt with, so I expected there to be a few announcements made to the assembled group. The questions and answers, however, were unlike any other conference I had attended. We were cautioned not to go hiking too far afield without an orange vest (it was hunting season after all) and no, there wasn't poison ivy, but there might be poison oak. As I gazed at the vaulted timbered ceiling, taking in the solid architecture of the building, orange flystrips caught my eye. Not something that Frank Lloyd Wright would have figured into his designs, I'm sure.

We then quickly got down to the business that had brought us all here. Jan Davis, a former academic librarian who had transitioned into the private sector, gave an interesting presentation, "Library Marketing: A Private Sector Perspective." She put a different spin on "marketing" libraries. She provided useful, practical suggestions for defining the library's target market and then effectively promoting library services to that market. I learned a new term- "talking logos"- and enjoyed the lively discussion provided by members of the audience. As academics, we often tend not to promote ourselves as if we were a business. With the ever-present threats of budget cuts and staffing shortages, her ideas were timely and applicable to our specific setting.

After a short break, we broke up into smaller groups. I attended the next session put on by librarians from Eastern Washington University, "Getting Your Students to Market for You: Service Learning and Promoting Library Resources." Ielleen Miller and Nadean Meyer told the real-life experience of the service learning concept used by their library. In this instance, the library became the client. They worked with students who became the "marketing" agency for the library's product. The students earned class credit in a real environment and the library was the beneficiary of the student or "authentic user" point of view. While they related some of the pitfalls of the program, it was an overall positive experience, which they continue to participate in. Again, the audience participation during the presentation added to the richness of the mix. It got me to thinking about how I could incorporate this type of experience into my own library.

The next workshop was put on by a trio of librarians from the University of Washington's Odegaard Undergraduate Library. Anne-Marie Davis, Kathleen Collins and Laura Barrett tag-teamed their way through "Live Fast, Die Smart: Selling Research Workshops to Undergrads." I appreciated their ideas of how to reach out to young, hip students. I would never have thought of temporary tattoos as a marketing tool! They described a variety of other marketing attempts including strategically placed posters, sandwich boards and in orientation schedules. The caveats of possible copyright infringement were also pertinent to the discussion and a good lesson for librarians at all levels.

After dinner, I invited myself to the CLAMS meeting, a group of community college librarians. I got a good feel for issues that have already impacted or would be impacting the community college libraries. Again, there was lively discussion and relevant information was shared.

At the post-meeting party, I sat down across from a roaring fire with a paper cup of "two-buck Chuck," played a little Halloween trivia (who knew how competitive librarians could be!) and met the librarian from Walla Walla University. In a small town like ours, you would think our paths might have crossed already, but since they hadn't, it was fun to get to know her.

The next morning came too quickly (remember that our dorm room was in the dining hall) when the breakfast preparations started early. I ate, and then packed and cleared out of the room. Our next session was presented by Julie Todaro, President of ACRL and Dean of Library Service for Austin (TX) Community College. After information about ACRL itself, she got into the meat of her session, "The Power of Personal Persuasion." She presented relevant stories on how to use your own powers of persuasion when dealing with college faculty and administration. This put a real-world spin on customer service and lobbying for those of us in academic libraries. And all of this was done with such a great sense of humor! I look like I'm interested… and I am! (you had to be there)

The morning sped by and soon I was heading back down the road to the Valley of the Double Wallas. My first experience at an ACRL conference was a powerful and positive couple of days. I took away a lot of ideas. Now I need to figure out how to incorporate into my job at Walla Walla Community College all that I just learned. I feel very fortunate to have been awarded the first-time attendee scholarship which gave me the opportunity to rub elbows with some of the finest folks in the library biz. Thanks for making me feel welcome and valued. I hope this is just the beginning of a long and fruitful association.

Winners of the poster contest: