T-Shirt from the 2006 ALA Annual, which was the first conference to return to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

What a town, New Orleans. And what a group, librarians. One of the stories we heard again and again from cab drivers and people working in the hospitality industry was how ALA had been the first group to come to New Orleans after the terrible disaster of Hurricane Katrina. In a city celebrated for its upbeat party culture, inherent resilience, and willingness to welcome all, there is still an undercurrent of sadness. Bourbon Street still has many buildings with “For Sale” signs on them and everyone who was there for the terrible storm (and more horrific aftermath) still displays visible sadness when talking about it. And how could they not? It was a terrible low in U.S. history and a universal shame. It is these people too, that recognize that the ALA was the first group to return to New Orleans. I don’t think we rode in a cab with a driver that didn’t bring this up.

We’re thrilled to finally have been a part of this tradition, and look forward to future ALA events. We learned a lot from this first adventure and all the conversations were wonderful. Over the next couple days we’ll be posting about our trip, including the wonderful launch party we threw for author/librarian/dynamo Amy Sonnie, whose book Hillbilly Nationalists, Urban Race Rebels, and Black Power, is being published later this summer. Let this be the first of several thank yous to the Roosevelt Hotel Bar for being amazing hosts. Those crawdads…

In summation, thanks for the great time ALA and NO. If you missed out on signing up for our library news letter please do so -HERE- and that way the fun can continue.  Look for a newsletter to be sent out by the end of the week.