Saturday 22 April 2023

Exhibits

The plenary discussion sessions that involved both the Theology Council representatives and the Gallentean publishing houses were interesting, but it is clear that no formal guidelines or rules are going to appear any time soon and that we will have to use our good judgment. Controversial and lewd biography of Uriam Kador: not acceptable. Cookbook with Garoun-era recipes: acceptable. 

As for the parallel sessions, frankly, there were too many of them to learn much. You are drowned in a bath of information, gaining no specific new understanding, but rather getting an impression of the overall direction library science is taking nowadays.

I did visit the exhibit hall a few times. Exhibitors try to get the attention of the attendees by offering free trinkets and gadgets. Coffee mugs, pins with funny slogans, mini-drones, key-chains with lasers, puzzles, pens of all types, stickers,... I found out to my own surprise that I am a gadget hoarder. I have no need for seven different coffee mugs, but I could not quite stop myself. I justified this latent compulsive disorder by convincing myself that it will replenish the stock of mugs in the Lamp.