The buzz

throughout medical librarianship is the approaching MLA national meeting. Once again, I find myself staying home as others enjoy the excitement. I've been a medical librarian for eight years and a librarian for twelve. The closest I ever came to attending a national conference was as a student when we were all set to go down to New Orleans, stay cheaply at Tulane, enjoy the whole conference for 25 bucks (student rates), and one of our professors was going to drive us down in a van, so it would have cost almost nothing. Everyone else backed out. :(

This year I had some hope of going to San Antonio since I knew that I could stay with relatives, but my travel budget is nil and I wouldn't have been able to afford the conference rates and travel costs. So, well, here I am. One of these days I will go, I hope. Until then, the medical librarian lists will be quiet except for those of us left behind, and who knows how many interlibrary loans at small institutions will shut down. Oh, well, someday...