PCAACA

This week  (20-22 April) I drove the 70 miles south to San Antonio to attend events associated with the national PCA-ACA (Popular Culture Association/ American Culture Association) conference, joint with the SW/Texas PCA-ACA. I last attended the national PCAACA in 2004--again, when it was in San Antonio, although I sometimes make it to the SW/Texas PCA-ACA in Albuquerque. I gave a brief talk about the IFLA SIG on Indigenous Matters.

The conference presentations and format was familiar--lots of programs, a confusing program book, presentations that range in quality and lots of canceled programs due to speaker no-shows. Still, I also enjoyed the best aspects of a professional conference. I heard some great papers, caught up (expectedly and unexpectedly) with friends and former students, made some stunning new connections, and bought a few books that look very promising.

May be years before the PCAACA will return to San Antonio but I'd return, this time to attend movie screenings and some of the social events.

Foro: Transborder Library Forum
Important message about Foro:

"Without intending it as a forecast, FORO’s organizers decided to call the 16th meeting “Rethinking Library and Information Issues in Hard Times.”  Nearly a year later, hard times have not abated.  Increased workloads, diminished travel budgets, and political uncertainty on the border have combined to make the traditional format of FORO– an international meeting addressing transborder issues– unlikely in 2011.  Recognizing the realities of the short term but determined to promote FORO’s long-term viability, the University of Texas Libraries and the Benson Latin American Collection now issue an invitation to everyone interested in FORO’s goals and activities to come to Austin,
July 21-23.
Attending the meeting will not require a registration fee.  All sessions will take place in the Benson Latin American Collection on the east side of the UT campus. The program will feature a keynote address by Jesus Lau; papers, poster sessions and a round table presented by all those who made proposals to the organizers; demonstrations of activities currently underway at the Benson Latin American Collection; and remarks by members of the University of Texas’ Latin American studies community.  We will also provide social activities, including a host reception, and opportunities for attendees to mingle and discuss issues of common interest.
We intend to follow the schedule displayed on the FORO 2011 website http://sites.tdl.org/foro2011/ .  A preliminary program of events will appear soon in this space. The website also features contact information for lodging and a guide to exploring the Austin locale.
Finally, we ask that those who will attend FORO 2011 send a message confirming their intentions either to the meeting’s e-mail address foro2011@gmail.com or through the registration form on the homepage. This will aid FORO organizers as we make arrangements."

TxLA Flashmob, 13 April 2011

This week I'm at the Texas Library Association's Annual Conference--in Austin. It's my 25th consecutive year of attending!
Local arrangements for District 3 arranged a flash mob--check us out on two YouTube videos.