Dear ARLIS-SC Members,
I was honored to attend this year’s ARLIS/NA Conference in Boston, MA with the help of travel funds from the regional chapter. I would not have been able to attend otherwise and I am so grateful! The experience was a wonderful entrée into the world of professional conferences and I plan to continue attending as regularly as I possibly can.
I was able to attend sessions during every time slot and was pleased across the board with the content and delivery of the presentations. Among the sessions that I found to be most informative and engaging were Confronting the Future, Global Visions/Image Collections, Redefining the Discrete Practices of the LAMS, Building Digital Collections, and the Evolving Role of the VR Professional. I was thrilled at the strong focus on the fluidity between and professional collaborations amongst colleagues and institutions across the LAMS professions and the apparent dissolution of boundaries between these types of information institutions.
In addition to the educational and informative benefits of attending the conference, I was thrilled at the opportunity to network with colleagues and interact with people in the field, who I know I’ll keep in touch with in the future. I recently accepted a new position as Collections Information Manager of the Portland Art Museum (Portland, OR) and my attendance at this year’s ARLIS/NA conference will, I’m sure, be integral to my success not only because of what I learned, but also because of the strong support that I now realize is available to a young professional like myself. Transitioning from the library realm to a more collections-based atmosphere will present challenges, but I look forward to engaging with the metadata of PAM’s collections from as broad a perspective as possible, embracing my training as an art librarian! The professional connections I made in Boston will no doubt become a vital support network to me as I embark on this new phase of my career and seek the advice and guidance of fellow art librarians and visual resource professionals.
Thank you so much for this opportunity and for encouraging me to become a more active participant in the broader professional community of our wonderful field. I look forward to seeing you all in Minneapolis!
Respectfully,
Maggie Hanson
–
formerly:
Stacks Manager
Los Angeles County Museum of Art Research Library
5905 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
beginning 1 June 2010:
Collections Information Manager
Portland Art Museum
1219 SW Park Ave.
Portland, OR 97205
