Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Oh I Still ❤ Conference Time

2012 edition . . .

I just got back from attending the 56th British Columbia Museums Association conference in Kamloops. There was time to meet old friends, make new ones, and, yes, be part of a presentation or two to talk about museums, collections and community.

I am currently a member of the Communications Committee for the BCMA and so we had some work to do, organizing and running a plenary on the future of BCMA, as well as other duties such as introducing speakers. And although I am really proud of what I did for the 2010 BCMA conference in Nanaimo, I enjoyed this one so much more because I was not the main point-person, 'just' part of the team. Being organizer is a tough job, and it is even more difficult to actually participate in the sessions and events. This time, I got to be a part of the conference.

There was also something else that happened in Kamloops: Owl showed up! I guess s/he came back during last year's special Annual General Meeting (there was no conference) which I was unable to attend. Because no one made a big deal about it, I wasn't ready to believe it 'til I saw it, but there s/he was, ready for action. Yea!
Owl joined by friends Salt & Pepper
Owl attended Friday's Special General Meeting where we discussed the findings of our members' plenary session the day before, and where BCMA Council made some promises for progress in the organization. 

BCMA Council (and Owl) on the findings of the plenary
There is definitely some work ahead -- no professional organization moves forward without once in a while reviewing and thinking about its direction -- but there is also hope. At least I felt it, maybe because Owl was there, maybe because there was 'room' to feel it.  I hope the host and programming committee felt it, too, because it was a well-run and balanced conference. I hope they celebrate a job well done!

And one other thing . . . a project that I have been consulting on won an Award of Merit from BCMA. I accepted it with a staff member, and it was really wonderful to have the project recognized. (I especially liked it when they said there was a 'great attention to detail in this project'. That is what I love to manage!)

BCMA Award of Merit
All in all, it was a good BCMA conference. I enjoy the camaraderie that this professional organization provides, and hope to build on these friendships and lead them into the community of archives and archives professionals. I would like to see more cross-training (of sorts) and see memory institutions of archives, museums, and libraries combine forces. We'd be something to deal with if we united, including doing combined conferences! But, for now, I am just so thrilled that Owl is back and that BCMA is making progress. We have come together again, and I think that's pretty important. 

Me & Owl.