My Trip to ALA New Orleans

Everyone needs to take a trip to New Orleans!

I am telling everyone I know to visit. It's safe, the French Quarter is so fascinating, the hotels are beautiful, most of the restaurants have re-opened, and you can have a great vacation and help the local people and their economy!

My short trip to New Orleans was a great experience. It was my first National ALA Conference, and I will openly admit that I didn't even attend any sessions, because my main purpose for being there was to be part of the Volunteer Day. I did manage to "work" the floor, visiting several vendors and picking up countless deals on fabulous books and free totebags! I even managed to meet up with a colleague, Barbara Lipski from East Harlem (our itineraries overlapped by less than a day) but we spent the best quality time together talking and having Po'Boys at a local joint! I regret missing Anderson Cooper speak, but between spending hours in the icy conditions of the Convention Center and then hours walking around in the 95 degree weather outside, I fell a little ill and had to retreat back to Loyola for a little rest.

I left New Orleans feeling very proud of America's Librarians. It wasn't just the volunteering that we did, but it was the hotel rooms that we booked, it was the restaurants that we swarmed, and it was the cabs that we hailed. We brought that city tons of business and it was great! Everyone was so kind and happy that the Librarians were in town. Apparently, several other large conventions had cancelled. I hope to go back very soon!

From the Bus..

We got a taste of what can be found in the 9th Ward here near the high school. Most of the houses were just frames, you could see through them. If you couldn't, it was because the windows were boarded up. There was an abandoned boat on the esplanade in front of the school which was ironic and I wish I got a shot of it.

Benjamin Franklin High School

My group helped Ms.Idella fix her destroyed library. Her battle against mold still continues. We cataloged the many donated books that publishers have been sending her. We all wished we could have helped more.