Dear DC/MD/VA ARLIS members,
I’d like to start off by thanking the Caroline Backlund Travel Award committee for selecting me for this scholarship. I would not have been able to attend the annual ARLIS conference in Pasadena without this monetary help.
I thoroughly enjoyed my first ARLIS conference. I signed up to have a mentor walk me through the conference, and under the guidance of Suz Massen, Head of Reference at the Frick Library, I met many new colleagues, became familiar with the layout of the conference, and received a warm reception into the broader ARLIS community. I found the activities geared towards new professionals and members particularly fun and helpful. From the new member orientation to the mentoring program to the ARLISnap activities, I discovered an exceptional level of support and encouragement.
Besides the networking opportunities that ARLIS afforded, I found many of the sessions informative. I was able to attend a wide variety of sessions that were relevant to my interests and work. In particular, I enjoyed the session entitled “The Visual Language of Data: Reshaping Humanities Research” about using technology to analyze data and make new comparative conclusions, “Forward Into the Past: Crafting a Digital Future, Curating Our Analog Past” and “The New Archivist,” which gave new archival professionals an opportunity to speak about their work.
As a new professional, I look forward to many more years of active involvement with the ARLIS community, including continuing to work on the program committee for the upcoming conference and implementing a local chapter mentoring program in Fall 2013. Thank you again for the scholarship, and best of luck to everyone with planning the 2014 ARLIS conference in D.C.!
–Eden Orelove, Student Library Technician, National Gallery of Art, and 2013 Caroline Backlund Travel Award Winner