Beautiful white tablecloth covered with black linen napkins, sparkling white plates, beautiful crystal glasses and a ridiculous amount of silverware. Servers clad in black uniforms with somewhat robotic visages quickly clearing plates and replacing them with new ones. A delicious green salad with grilled chicken followed by a delectable, sinful, fluffy three-layer chocolate mousse on a petite dessert plate garnished with caramel in abstract forms. Not a single multi-purpose children’s menu and paper placemat in sight; absolutely no crayons on the table, not a single spill or mid-lunch emergency bathroom run. Civil small talk with grown-ups about libraries.
Following the meal, child-free forums on live music programs for libraries; how to offer training for free using cloud-based services; and how to implement a family literacy program. An entire notebook filled with words and not a single stick-figure drawing, heart or scribble anywhere on the paper.
Lots of learning followed by plenty of play. A little guitar hero for grown-ups, a plethora of chocolate, hors d'oeuvres filled with ingredients that only adults would eat; tons of free stuff strategically labeled with the names of book vendors and library furniture companies; and, a booth filled with a variety of librarian t-shirts.
A full belly, an enriched mind and a new black, long-sleeved bling t-shirt that says “Librarian” in clear and red rhinestones. A great day in a child-free zone known as a library conference.
