Bibliothekskongress in Leipzig

I spent the week in Leipzig at the German Library Congress. I have taken part in the German library association meetings for something like 6 years. I have liked it in part because it is a tenth the size of the ALA conferences. You really can see pretty much everyone. The pace seemed a bit more measured as well. In the past, however, I was just a visitor. Attending the conference as an Institute Director significantly expanded my contacts. I also had 40 students at the conference, and needed to make some effort to introduce them to key people who might be future employers. The students organized an event called "Wir sind wie Pizza" ("We are like Pizza") that metaphorically described the ingredients that make a Humboldt library education unique. Over allI had more fun than ever and was very tired at the end.

Leipzig is one of the success stories of old east, but it is not yet as well off as Berlin. Parts of the city center looks as rich as any west German city, with a lot of new construction and gold name plates on the doors. But there are also empty buildings, including the old and very grand hotel Astoria right across from the main railroad station. This pattern of beautifully renovated buildings next to empty buildings with boarded or broken widows repeats in the western part of the city where my hotel was. It may be that all of these buildings (many of which are quite handsome) will be renovated in time. It may also be that Leipzig has lost population like many other east German cities, and the empty buildings just are no longer needed.