Editorial—August 2000

 

“Impossible. Nothing’s impossible.” These are the first words we hear from Phillipe “The Mouse” Gaston in the movie Ladyhawke. At the time, he is trying to escape from an inescapable prison by squeezing through a sewer. He succeeds and goes on to redeem himself and play a major role in the rescue of both the hero and heroine of this historical romance.

 

Why was I hearing these lines as I sat in my office, thinking about the June conference and this issue’s editorial? They came to mind as I was reviewing the wealth of information that I had to squeeze into this issue. As I read the summaries of programs and looked at pictures of tours, business meetings, speakers, and work sessions, I thought of the phenomenal amount of work that went into the planning of the Philadelphia conference. The logistics of planning all those meeting rooms and scheduling the correct equipment is staggering. Deciding on session topics and finding the wonderful speakers can look daunting when the process begins. Yet, in June it all came together beautifully.

 

Back to the word “impossible.” The Sci-Tech Division has a wonderful award that they give out at the annual business meeting. The Impossible Award states, “If you don’t try the Impossible, you’ll never know what the Possible is.” Good advice—and the award was deservedly given to Ann Koopman, chair of the Program Committee of the Sci-Tech Division. She and her fellow conference planners put together a wonderful collection of programs that made selecting where to go very difficult. Humbly, I thank the committee for awarding me one for editing Sci-Tech News. I must say with the help, encouragement, and support I’ve received from so many, this is not an impossible task at all—but thanks nonetheless!

 

I hope you all enjoyed the conference as much as I did. I’ve already stated that I love Philadelphia. I was able to visit a few bookstores, ate wonderful food, visited Longwood Gardens, and walked in a very walkable city. It was fun to walk with people who had never visited the city before and see their faces. The architecture, parks, and museums earned praise. One person pointed out something that I had overlooked all these years—the fascinating ironwork and stonework on and around doorways. I’ve passed many of them dozens of times with only cursory looks. No more! There is always something new to learn, something to pique our interests. But then, we’re librarians—continual learning and curiosity are some of our trademarks.

 

This issue is our conference review. For those of you who couldn’t make it to Philly, there are program summaries, pictures, meeting minutes, and a list of the divisions’ new officers. You will also note the new chairs have taken charge; this issue marks their first “From the Chair” messages.

 

I am very happy to state that my ads for writers have yielded some fruit. We will be starting a Web site review column soon. However, I’m still looking for writers for articles, and I’d like to start a column that summarizes or reviews other conferences and conference programs. Think about and let me know what you would like to write.

 

In this issue, we also start a “Dates to Keep in Mind” box. I will try to highlight deadlines that are looming. If you’re like me, you might just glance at your publications when they come in and then read them when you have the time. Well, we all work on a tight schedule, and this box can remind us about important dates before it is too late. Look for it on the editorial page each issue.

 

Enjoy the rest of the summer. Keep in touch. I look forward to hearing from you on ways to improve STN, topics you would like to see covered, and articles you would like to write.