M.E.M.O. Fall Conference, 2003
Combined Conference Report, Travelog and Photo Album
by A.B. Credaro, Keynote Speaker



TRAVELLING TO THE CONFERENCE

As The Cat in the Hat says, "It's fun to have fun, but you have to know how". Form-filling started almost as soon as you get seated on the plane. Click on the picture to read Question C. That's what I like - just come right out and ask; no mucking about with political correctness! I'm still wondering if anyone ever ticks the "yes" box for Question C ...
Someone once said "the longest journey starts with a single stuff-up", or something along those lines. Air New Zealand's two hour delayed departure from Middle Earth meant missed connections ... life can be such an adventure!

ABSORBING THE LOCAL CULTURE

With Halloween being less than a month away at the time of the conference, it seemed fitting to visit a Pumpkin Farm. Out of a sense of curtesy to the hosts (and the farm animals in the surrounding fields), I quashed the urge to sing "I'm a little petunia in the pumpkin patch" - for which I'm sure everyone was very thankful (that I didn't sing).
Where else does one go to get a feeling for the cultural history of an area, if not the local Walk of Fame? Seeing Metalica next to Brenda Lee has a high cringe factor, but I guess someone's hero is someone else's weirdo.
Luckily there was a patch of gravel in the Walk of Fame between a paver and a bush. For one fleeting moment - possibly more, depending on how quick they are at raking their gravel - my footprint was not so much as "immortalised" as premortalised.
Well-meaning friends (or possibly the opposite) may suggest you see the movie "Fargo" before travelling there. Having seen the movie, it was interesting to visit the art deco Fargo Theatre, where the movie was originally released.
Inside the theatre, you can view the hand-crafted wood sculpture of Marge, star of the movie "Fargo". Well, not actually hand-crafted, as it was carved with a chain saw. Which, if you've seen the movie, is somewhat ironic.
Many travelers to this part of the USA don't realise that it's actually illegal to not visit the lakes. Failure to do so may result in heavy penalties that could include social isolation and conversational rejection.

PRE-CONFERENCE STUDY TOUR

Who is this strange person outside the Lewis and Clark Elementary School, and what is she doing? What is inside the colorful bag, and why is the handbag dragging on the ground? So many questions, so little time to answer them.
The Grade 2 class at Lewis and Clark had many questions about Australia, and many stories to share. Particularly interesting was the Security Drill that occurred during their library visit, together with the information that they also have Tornado Drills and a Fire Drill once a month.
Paula Heinze runs an exemplary Library Media Center at Centennial Elementary School. It was a delightful experience to share Hairy McLairy with her Grade 2 class, and speak with them after Story Time. (Due to privacy concerns, the children's faces have been "remodelled" in the picture.) As an added bonus, one of the school's Grade 4 classes was also treated to a FAQ session on Australia. A presentation by the school's principal of an official Centennial Elementary Sweatshirt was much appreciated. It's always terrific to meet a principal who not only knows where the library is, but also what's happening there!
A visit to Detroit Lakes Middle School was made extra-special by host LMS, Brook Berg. During the 50 mile drive back to Fargo, real deer were seen scampering through the fall colors of the woods. A surreal experience for people from countries without wild deer. Unfortunately, the diversion to see bison was unsuccessful - my guess was that they were hiding behind the trees. But the road kill was interesting, having never before seen skunks in their natural habitat.
Not limiting the study tour to school libraries, a number of other facilities within schools were examined. The many music rooms of Moorhead Senior High go a long way to explaining why students from this school have appeared at Carnegy Hall!
The ice hockey rinks proved to be a slippery proposition for a librarian in street shoes. But failing a picture taken in snow (I was probably about a week too early), this seemed a reasonable alternative.

CONFERENCE NETWORKING

Doug Johnson, president of MEMO shares an informal moment. The wit and humor of this man have to be experienced in person to be appreciated, as is the depth and scope of his knowledge of issues facing school libraries. An exemplary speaker in his own right, praise from this man is high praise indeed!
District Supervisors for Libraries, Cindy Blier (left) and Gay Galles (center), provided an insight into the type of support provided to school libraries at district level. Not only do they assist with staff selection, building design, professional development, budgeting and many administrative tasks, but they also "pitch-in" in a very practical sense. Gay spends part of her time filling a temporary vacancy in an elementary school to ensure students are not disadvantaged by the school's current situation.
Meet Gary Gaudlin. I did. Gary is the principal of Park Rapids High School. What was a school principal doing at a school library conference? The answer is obvious. The question that remains unanswered is why weren't there more principals present?
George Strassler travelled for 9 hours across three states to attend the conference. A retired dentist, George is a board member for his local public library and is married to a librarian. He has been a Warrior Librarian reader almost since the online journal started way back in 1999.
Author book signing is a strange experience, particularly for a practicing LMS. Not only do you get to meet people who are buying your book, but also network with other authors and illustrators. All of whom are fascinating people to spend time with. (Rotten grammar, but you get the drift.)

OH YES, THE CONFERENCE...

The order of speakers was interesting, to say the least. It's difficult to follow someone who is billed as "a respected author" (in the case of Alice Yucht), but I figured - even with my limited knowledge of American history - I'd have to do better than a dead president. But, in truth, the presentation of the historical actor playing Teddy Roosevelt was brilliant.
The Keynote address, entitled Ozziekids @ the Library answered many of the questions that MEMO members had asked during the days preceding the conference. Salaries, budgets, collection development and other issues were covered. As an example of popular contemporary Australian poetry, a short reading from The dog's just been sick in the Honda was provided.
Appearing in quatraphonic surround sound and a multi-imaged environment was a major deviation from the hypertext environment in which I normally work. Talk about "Celebrating the Challenge"! The keynote closed with a well-known quote from the artist, Escher, which hopefully provided a little food for thought.
More than 50 breakout sessions were offered over the course of the conference. These included my sessions on 10 Steps to a Successful School Library and This is Serious: Theraputic Humor for LMS. Visit MEMO's website for descriptions of the sessions. As with most conferences, the high quality of the presenters combined with the high relevance of the topics makes it a tough decision as to which sessions to attend. I am now very professionally developed on Graphic Novels (thanks to Gay Galles' session), considerably informed about Current and Emerging Issues in School Media Centers (thanks to Doug Johnson), and introduced to a number of other important facets of the profession (thanks to many speakers who put up with me popping in and out whilst preparing my own presentations).

TRAVELLING HOME

It was really nice of Wenona Duke (Vice Presidential Candidate for the 2000 elections) to see me off at Fargo airport. Particularly since she had no idea who I was, or what I was doing at the airport. But that's the sort of friendly folk that you find in Minnesotta (and North Dakota). Maybe the fact that she had flown in from elsewhere and was at the airport at the same time as me had something to do with it, but you never know with these things.
An opportunity for retail therapy should never be disregarded, in particular at airport stores when your luggage has already been checked through and numerous signs threaten dire consequences if you exceed your carry-on limits.
The flight from Fargo to Denver was somewhat marred by the three year old who kicked the back of my seat for two hours. When his mother suggested to him that he "have a little walk", I was struck once again by the irony of the fact that I was sitting next to an emergency exit door. The other three flights to get home were thankfully uneventful. There are times when you just don't need any adventures. But overall, it was a fantastic experience. In fact, my luggage had such a good time, it decided to spend some extra time in L.A., and came home by itself. Eventually.


FOR THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN INSPIRED TO FURTHER EXPLORE AUSTRALIAN LITERATURE AND/OR CULTURE ...


Australian School Library Association of New South Wales: Booklists. Includes some US content, but check out the lists of recommended books by Australian authors.
Personal recommendations for Australian authors include:
FilmNet: Current and future releases of Australian films.
Personal recommendations for Australian films include:

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