Another year, another Association of Law Libraries Annual Meeting and Conference is held, this one in New Orleans. It is now a month past the convention, and I have had time to order my thoughts regarding my experience in New Orleans and American Association of Law Libraries conventions in general. My overall theme is “catching up” because in many ways this is what I do at AALL.
Aside from wet,[FOOTNOTE 1] the word I would use to describe the New Orleans meeting is intense. This was the first year wherein the convention period was reduced by one day, so the same number of meetings, programs, events and activities was compacted into less time. It was not unusual to hear someone say, “I have two other places I should be right now.” Previous years I felt I had plenty of free time, but this year I was trying to figure out when I could take lunch. I think in the long run a shorter convention is a good idea, but it does require more planning by attendees. Because more events occur in the same time frame, the convention — for me, at least — was more intense. Next year I will know what to expect and can plan accordingly.
