ACRL in PGH!

I (Kelly) had the opportunity to attend the annual conference of the Association of College & Research Libraries last week when it came to Pittsburgh! This was my first national conference since graduate school (a looooong time ago), so I made the most of the 36 hours I attended in person. 

The conference was held at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. This was my first time visiting the venue, and it was perfect for a large conference such as this one. 

The fun & games area included this self-serve photo booth. You could elect to get a photo or a gif of yourself, and I opted for the still image. 

The games and relaxation area also included oversized Jenga, coloring tables, a bookshelf mural where you could add your favorite book title, and much more. I didn't spend much time there, but it was fun to walk through. 

The weather was cold but beautiful, and the many outdoor decks and patios had stunning views of downtown Pittsburgh. 

Because I was only at the convention center for the first evening and first full day, I tried to attend as many in-person-only sessions as possible. I wish I'd had more time to explore the exhibits hall. It's always exciting to see what new initiatives and resources are out there! I did get to chat with some folks from OCLC (who provide our WorldCat Discovery tool, among other things) and the representatives from Sage (a major publisher in the social sciences). 

I also got to meet representatives of an up-and-coming AI research tool and of several open-access publishing collectives. We're planning to do more to connect students and faculty with open educational resources in the coming months, so stay tuned!