Dr. Billington will address attendees of the American Library Association Annual Conference in New Orleans on June 26 during the Opening General Session, which begins at 5:30 p.m. in Hall F of the New Orleans Convention Center. His remarks will precede those of Colin Powell, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Librarian will focus on the Library of Congress's Bicentennial in 2000, which is planned as a celebration of all libraries. He will note that the joint ALA-Library of Congress Tip Sheet and Bicentennial Toolkit will be available at the entrance to Hall F and at the Library's exhibit booth, No. 1346, on the convention floor. The Toolkit is designed to accompany the Tip Sheet and is filled with materials to help libraries nationwide join in the Library's Bicentennial (www.loc.gov/bicentennial). ALA attendees are encouraged to pick up these materials during the conference.
Dr. Billington will also recognize the winners of the third and final round of the Library of Congress/Ameritech National Digital Library Program. The award, made possible by a $2 million gift to the Library from Ameritech, has been given to 33 institutions to digitize their important American historical materials and make them part of American Memory, the Library of Congress Web site available at memory.loc.gov. Some of the winners from previous competitions have already completed their projects and placed them online.
