Afterwords

Setting goals and devising strategies are first steps toward accomplishment; the final step is evaluating results.  Looking back at this year of LIRT activities, I see much success.  Committees completed projects and began lofty new ones; the Executive Board approved revisions of the goals and objectives; LIRT participated in NILI planning; membership increased; the newsletter continues to be an excellent resource for library instruction;  the home page and LIRT-L keep LIRT members technologically empowered and online; and ALA decided that LIRT should have its own representative on ALA council. 

The peak experience of any LIRT year is the annual program.  At the '98 conference in Washington, DC, the program committee and its chair Cynthia Krolikowski orchestrated a coup with "Teaching the Teaching Librarian." Our excellent speakers, including the famous Cerise Oberman, pin-pointed the problem of the lack of teaching methodology classes in Library and Information Science graduate programs.  We advocate and expect change in this situation. 

LIRT seems to grow more accomplished each year.  I urge you to continue to support LIRT and our new and able president Gale Burrow.  At her installation as President, she did swear to uphold "the manual," and I am sure that she will.  (Those of you who have not seen the LIRT Organization Manual, may view it at <http://diogenes.baylor.edu/Library/LIRT/>.)  Thanks to everyone who contributed to making my year as President a success.  Kari Lucas, Marsha Forys, Pat Smith, Mitch Stepanovich, and David Sherwood all deserve my heartfelt thanks for going beyond their duties. 

Aside from LIRT meetings, our program, BITES with LIRT, and the LIRT Booth, what was my greatest experience at this year's ALA conference in Washington? Was it a stroll around DuPont Circle that led to the Kramer Bookstore of Monica Lewinsky fame? No, they would not release her book buying list!  Or was it the crab cakes at Afterwords, the bookstore's cafe?  Perhaps, the most overwhelming experience was attending the ALA gala at the Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress where I felt a tearful reverence and pride to be part of such a long tradition of library service.  So in evaluating this year of LIRT, we know our goals were reached, our strategies worked, and we are doing our part to advance a proud and important profession.