MAC-MLA 2019: Fred and the Avenging Chicken go to Durham, North Carolina

We do get around, don't we? This time we're going to the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the Medical Library Association in Durham. Before I met the Avenging Chicken, before I became a librarian, before a lot of things happened, I lived in Greensboro, a bit west of Durham. I developed a taste for North Carolina barbecue, so I was looking forward to having some again. And hush puppies. Oh yes, I was also taking part in a couple of presentations, and I'm a member of the MAC-MLA Diversity Committee, so I had a lot to do.

Please note: Standard disclaimer: not my employer's opinions, nor anyone else's but those of mine and the chicken.

The cat is totally unimpressed by my impending departure.	We stop for a rest.	When we registered, the receptionist asked us our room preferences. We asked for a nice view. She said "well, there really isn't one." We chose this one over the parking lot.	After dinner, we wander around a bit. We check out the exercise room...
...and the courtyard. We soon retire to our room.	Breakfast!	At the registration desk, we meet Beverly Murphy and Cardiana. That's not a horse's tail next to the chicken--they're lanyards.	We attend a class on systematic reviews given by Connie Schardt.
We're very confused.	But eventually things get clearer.	We say hello to Connie Schardt. After the talk, I asked her if she could explain "P value" in a way that a librarian could understand. She looked thoughtful for a moment, then replied "no."	My boss and colleague Layla Heimlich joins us for lunch and a look at the conference program. She's the MAC-MLA treasurer, so she had a busy morning at the board meeting.
We return to our room to go over the materials from the morning's program.	Actually, we ended up taking a nap.	The day concludes with dinner and a chance to meet with the exhibitors.	We stop by the MLA booth to pick up my AHIP ribbon from Kate Corcoran. I applied at the Senior level but got Distinguished instead. I don't think I deserve the Distinguished level, but I have asthma and I don't think I deserve that, either. Rumor has it that the chicken gave me a few extra AHIP points.
We say hello to Jarrod Irwin and Nancy Patterson, here from the Southeast region of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine.	And Karen Jacobs from TDNet. We've been a customer of theirs for years, so she didn't have to give us the sales pitch.	Layla was discussing something complicated with the Wolters Kluwer folks, so I chatted with Mike Tavares from the New England Journal of Medicine. He was very excited about a new journal they're launching. Since the last time they did something like this was around 1812, I can see why.	And of course we have to say hello to Sirkka Howes and Erin Lang at Wolters Kluwer.
The next morning starts with breakfast at 7:30. We probably shouldn't have gotten there at 7:35.	The first talk of the day is by Sara Garrington, Emergency Preparedness Coordinator at Tri-County Health Department. The talk is enhanced when the AV equipment bursts into flames.	Break time!	Layla and I give our lightning talk on librarian wellness. Well, she talks and I read a few quotations.
We finally meet our long-time friend and correspondent Bill Nichols. Naturally, I kneel in his presence.	The audience gather for the afternoon talks.	We give our talk on Koha on a Raspberry Pi.	I'm going out to dinner, but the chicken needs a nap before bedtime.
I join a group for a trip to a barbecue restaurant.	Chopped pork, beans, cole slaw, beer, and, of course, hush puppies. North Carolina barbecue doesn't get much better than that.	Packing already? This has been a short conference!	We attend the MAC-MLA business meeting.
I was unable to get a good picture of the MAC-MLA treasurer giving her report, so here's one of her signing checks.	Raffle time! We win a couple of prizes.	Beverly Murphy gives the MLA update. She tells us that there won't be a talent show at next year's conference. The chicken and I are very disappointed.	Our lightning talk on librarian wellness wins an award.
We meet another fan of the chicken, Nine Exner. When she tweeted this picture, she wrote "I was so busy fiddling with my phone that I forgot to smile. The chicken smiles for us all."	We meet Heidi Reis, winner of this year's MAC-MLA Student Visions Scholarship. Welcome!	We pause for a picture with Leila Ledbetter, in charge of local arrangements. Layla passed some compliments she had gotten to Leila.	At the final talk, Dr Will Bynum talks about shame in medical education.
A breathless hush comes over the audience, and we are engulfed in a wave of shame.		The chicken decides to withdraw to my backpack...	...but eventually emerges to join the audience...
...and meets Dr Bynum.	Sadly, the conference ends and we venture home.	Another stop to rest at a rest stop. Add a few live oaks and some more pine trees, drape them with Spanish Moss, and the landscape would look a lot like the area where I grew up in North Florida.	Home at last!