Award Report: SALIS 32nd Annual Conference
Between April, 27-30, 2010 the Substance Abuse Librarians and Information Specialists (SALIS) welcomed over 40 of its members to New York City and its 32nd annual conference.
SALIS is the preeminent international association of individuals and organizations concerned with the exchange and dissemination of information about alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs (ATOD). The theme of this year’s conference: ‘ATOD Policy and Information Technology in an Era of Change’, reflected the two intersecting fields of knowledge in which SALIS members operate, as well as the fact that major changes have occurred within both these fields.
Public policy in the United States has been affected by, among other things, the change in administration as well as public opinion. The resulting changes have included passage of medical marijuana laws in various sates, and in some, a reduction in drug related sentencing laws as well as a new national drug control strategy. At the same time, technological innovations, mostly in the form of Web 2.0, have resulted in changes in the ways in which SALIS members practice their skills as librarians and information specialists.
The purpose of the SALIS 2010 conference was to provide the attendees with a fresh perspective on their professional lives so on returning to their respective libraries they would be better able to carry out their professional duties while at the same time networking in New York City with their colleagues.
The meeting was hosted by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University. From its foundation in 1992, CASA recognized the importance of timely and accurate information in conducting its research by making certain that a librarian was a part of the CASA research team. It was therefore considered very appropriate that the two organizations (SALIS and CASA) found common cause through the conference and CASA welcomed SALIS to its conference space on the 18the floor of 633 Third Avenue.
David Man
The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University
633 Third Avenue, Floor 19
New York, NY 10017
