MLA Conference, 2008—Some Highlights

This year’s MLA Conference was exceptional. The keynote speaker was Dr. Pier Forni, an award winning professor at Johns Hopkins University and author of the book Choosing Civility: The Twenty-Five Rules of Considerate Conduct. Like other counties in the State, Montgomery County is participating in the civility initiative and I have been asked to be a member representing libraries. As such, I found Dr. Forni’s address particularly relevant. His talk focused on the lack of civility, manners and politeness in contemporary society and how it affects our quality of life. Fostering an environment of respect, civility and manners is especially important in the workplace. The title of his talk was “Life is a Relational Experience.” It’s all about how we treat each other. For managers, this is particularly good reminder since we set the tone.

Along with other members of the MLA Executive Committee, I attended the orientation for first time attendees, introducing myself and talking to newcomers about the relevance of MLA and how it can help them in their careers.

“Love and Death on the High Seas” a reader’s advisory program presented by Michael Gannon was funny and enjoyable. All the books he discussed, took place on the high seas.

As Chair of the Maryland Author Award, I had the pleasure of introducing the 2008 Maryland Author Award winner, Marita Golden. Ms. Golden won the award for her fiction, but she also has attracted critical acclaim for her non-fiction works that focus on her own immediate family. Marita Golden’s address focused on her love of reading and how that changed her life. After the luncheon discussion, Ms. Golden was featured in a program “Conversation with the Author” where she discussed her writing style, her relationship with her editor and her background research on her latest book, After: A Novel.

The program “Making Best Friends” featured our own Ari Z. Brooks and Susan Schmidt! They, along with Bill Wilson and Lillie Hilleheber, gave practical tips for starting friends groups.
MLA Conference, 2008—Some Highlights

This year’s MLA Conference was exceptional. The keynote speaker was Dr. Pier Forni, an award winning professor at Johns Hopkins University and author of the book Choosing Civility: The Twenty-Five Rules of Considerate Conduct. Like other counties in the State, Montgomery County is participating in the civility initiative and I have been asked to be a member representing libraries. As such, I found Dr. Forni’s address particularly relevant. His talk focused on the lack of civility, manners and politeness in contemporary society and how it affects our quality of life. Fostering an environment of respect, civility and manners is especially important in the workplace. The title of his talk was “Life is a Relational Experience.” It’s all about how we treat each other. For managers, this is particularly good reminder since we set the tone.

Along with other members of the MLA Executive Committee, I attended the orientation for first time attendees, introducing myself and talking to newcomers about the relevance of MLA and how it can help them in their careers.

“Love and Death on the High Seas” a reader’s advisory program presented by Michael Gannon was funny and enjoyable. All the books he discussed, took place on the high seas.

As Chair of the Maryland Author Award, I had the pleasure of introducing the 2008 Maryland Author Award winner, Marita Golden. Ms. Golden won the award for her fiction, but she also has attracted critical acclaim for her non-fiction works that focus on her own immediate family. Marita Golden’s address focused on her love of reading and how that changed her life. After the luncheon discussion, Ms. Golden was featured in a program “Conversation with the Author” where she discussed her writing style, her relationship with her editor and her background research on her latest book, After: A Novel.

The program “Making Best Friends” featured our own Ari Z. Brooks and Susan Schmidt! They, along with Bill Wilson and Lillie Hilleheber, gave practical tips for starting friends groups.