i spent the morning at the joint session of the copyright and other legal matters committee (clm) and freedom of access to information and freedom of expression committee (faife) on the ethics of access, exploring copyright, licensing and privacy in the digital age. there were several very good presentations, some outlining actions that ifla has already undertaken on behalf of libraries, and other raising issues of concern for future consideration. it is a complex field, with lots of work to be done, and definitely more research needed.
had lunch with my mate john, whom i was surprised to encounter the previous evening at the oclc reception. we had a chance to catch up over glasses of local sauvignon blanc, and chatted about our respective creative endeavours (guitar-making for him, bookbinding for me) and recent travel adventures.
then back to the cticc to wander through the exhibits and posters, and chance encounters with a few people i hadn’t seen yet. one of the cool activities in the exhibits was the 67 blankets project, where delegates were able to knit or crochet squares to contribute to a goal of producing 67 blankets during the conference (a goal which was reached!). i was hijacked along the way by jukka, a finlander on the mlas committee who has a thing for hockey (we play the same position, left wing). at the mlas dinner the previous evening, he has challenged me to a skating race, to be held next year when ifla meets in columbus, ohio. he escorted me to the booth to speak with the columbus organisers about arranging ice time, and skate rentals for the other mlas members to join us on the rink after the race. (he’s been trash talking ever since about my impending humiliation – but the smart money’s on me!)
i had a quick meeting with my colleague hella to draft our report on noir sig for the national libraries section standing committee meeting, then back to the hotel to change for the cultural evening.
the convention centre had been transformed to a party venue. in the corridors, there were dozens of food stations serving seafood, cape malay and indian dishes. roving entertainment included traditional drummers and dancers, as well as giraffes and zebras on stilts. meanwhile, in the main hall the dancing started early when 3 tons of fun hit the stage. (disco is not dead, and the anticipated wardrobe malfunction never materialised.) a dj kept the vibe alive into the wee hours. lots of dancing (yes, librarians dance!), and a great evening.