Twelve Angry Librarians

“I’m sure he’ll be here,” Lisa said in an undertone. “His administrative assistant assured me that she would let me know immediately if something came up and he couldn’t get here.”

“He’s cutting it too close for my comfort.” I shifted my weight from one leg to the other. My collar felt tight, and I fiddled with my tie. Should I loosen it before I had to speak? Or would I look sloppy if I did that?

I had a horror of appearing unkempt in front of a crowd like this, even in these days of increasing informality of dress no matter the occasion. My parents had been unfailingly particular in their dress for any kind of public event, and that habit was too ingrained for me to ignore it. So I stood on the dais in my best suit and tie, shoes freshly polished, and hair cut the day before. I knew I must look presentable because Lisa complimented me when I found her several minutes ago, waiting to mount the dais.

“Relax, Charlie, here he comes.” Lisa nodded toward the center aisle of chairs that occupied much of the ballroom floor.

Tall, thin, dark of hair, and tanned of skin, Forrest Wyatt looked every inch the successful executive he was. He had been at the helm of Athena College for nearly two years, and he seemed to have a magic touch with potential donors. The endowment was growing, and alumni and board alike were happy with his leadership.

He greeted Lisa and me with an affable smile. “I’m always worried I’ll forget at the last minute, right before I start talking, exactly who the audience is and give the wrong speech.” His eyes twinkled, and Lisa and I chuckled in response. He checked his watch and glanced at Lisa. She nodded, then stepped to the podium.

“Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.” Lisa paused to let her gaze sweep the room. “I am Lisa Krause, head of access services at the Athena College Library and chair of the local arrangements committee for this meeting. It is my great pleasure to introduce the president of the college, Dr. Forrest Wyatt, who is here to offer you an official greeting.” She briefly listed Forrest’s academic credentials and past experiences, then stepped aside.

Forrest moved to the podium. After thanking Lisa for the introduction, he faced the audience. “We at Athena College are delighted to welcome the Southern Academic Library Association Annual Conference back to Athena. Libraries are an integral part of any institution of higher learning, and over the next few days I know you will be discussing the exciting changes and trends in academic libraries.”

He continued in this vein for about five minutes more, and his talk evinced more knowledge of those exciting changes and trends in academic libraries than I realized he possessed. I hadn’t briefed him, and thus I was duly impressed by his comments.

His welcome complete, he said, “It is now my pleasure to introduce the interim director of the Athena College Library, Mr. Charles Harris. Mr. Harris has recently been guiding the library ably through a period of transition, and we are fortunate to have a man of his experience and knowledge serving in this capacity.”

I imagined that many in the audience were well aware of the events that led up to the period of transition, and, ever the diplomat, Forrest put the best spin possible on it.

Suddenly I realized Forrest had stepped back from the podium, and I stepped up to the microphone. “Thank you, President Wyatt, for those kind remarks. On behalf of the faculty and staff of the Athena College Library, I am delighted to welcome you all to the elegant, historical Farrington House. I know Ms. Krause and her committee have worked hard to make this a successful event. We have an exciting slate of presentations and panel discussions ahead of us, and I trust we will all come away from the conference energized by fresh ideas and new connections. We hope you will find time to visit our beautiful campus and the library.” I smiled and stepped away from the microphone.

I made it through the short speech without stumbling, even as I gazed out at the blur of faces, some two hundred twenty-odd of them. Lisa murmured, “Well done, Charlie,” and took my place at the microphone. She made a couple of announcements, and we were done.

Forrest made a speedy exit from the room. No doubt he had another meeting to attend. I would have to remember to thank him for the fine welcome he had extended to the conference.

I walked down the three steps from the podium to the ballroom floor and moved a couple of feet away. I needed to be back in the office by five to pick up Diesel. He stayed with Melba this afternoon while I came to the hotel to attend the opening of the conference. He protested when I left him, even though he loved Melba. I had to assure him a couple of times that I would be coming back for him before he stopped meowing and chirping indignantly.