Tuesday, June 01, 2004

An Evening to Celebrate Librarians

Tonight I had the pleasure of attending the University of Toronto Faculty of Information Students Alumni Association (FISAA)
Spring Reunion Dinner
honouring various award winners and graduates from classes ending in 4s and 9s (I graduated in 1994, so I guess that is where I fit in).

It was a lovely to see faces I hadn't seen in about 10 years, and also to see quite a few new faces as well. What a diverse bunch! There were people just starting their careers, those mid-career and at the top of their game, and still others who were there to celebrate a life well spent in the library vocation. Many different types of libraries and non-traditional library jobs were represented. It was an honour to break bread and share war stories with such a distinguished group.

Jane Cooney, President of Books for Business was the guest speaker. She was quite clever in bringing up representatives from past decades to speak about the library school in their day and the pertinent issues of the time. It was quite interesting to see the progression of where things started and how they have gotten to where they are today.

Thanks to the FISAA Executive for a lovely evening, especially President Roula Panopoulos (FIS '99) who welcomed everyone, and Tracey Palmer (also FIS '99) who personally invited me to attend.

I encourage others to show some interest in your alumni associations (many of us have more than one). Not only is it a way to show some interest in the schools and the students coming up through our ranks, but also it is a great way to connect with colleagues (otherwise known as networking). And as Jane Cooney said, we need to spend less time solving problems and more time celebrating!

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