Exhibit Tips

The exhibits opened to a waiting crowd. Some great tips? Knitting Out Loud has a show special that might appeal to librarians in every community. (Our library has been a knitting community for years now.) Knitting Out Loud has produced six knitting books on audio. Buy five and receive one for free at the conference. You can schedule a library talk with Kathy Goldner, company owner. Yale University Press is distributing A Voter's Guide: Election 2008 by the editors of The New Republic which may or may not interest you. You can receive a free book, Encyclopedia of New England, Encyclopedia of New York, or Encyclopedia of Ireland from Yale University Press just by filling out a questionaire. Make sure you support the exhibits by visiting them. They make the conference possible.

Exhibits Late Afternoon

I've been on the vendor side of the Exhibits so I talked to a few people in the Hall today about their feet. You may not realize that if you engage a vendor in a meaningful sincere conversation about their products, standing on their feet for three days will not be for naught.

Now feet may not be your idea of a meaningful conversation and you may want to pack every minute of your time away from the library with scholarly pursuits, but try not to create a swish of wind as you pass vendors, nor do you want to keep your nose excessively high or low. Many vendors are librarians, and many have contributed much to our profession and/or lessen our workload, so give 'em one of those library smiles you reserve for the Board of Trustee members.

I'm not suggesting this as a humanitarian effort, but if you are curious about a product take the time to ask your questions. The vendors will be much more likely to support the MLA conference next year if they were engaged. I'll share some things I found in the exhibit hall tomorrow, but until then, just a gentle reminder that collecting a few freebies, eating a few goodies, gulping a little caffeine, chatting with a former colleague are all parts of the exhibit hall experience, just not the only ones.

The Exhibits are Open

Don't forget to visit the Exhibits. Throughout the Conference, I'll be sending little reminders encouraging you to visit the exhibits. I've been an exhibitor at other conferences and want to give you a perspective from behind the table.