ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries


322 / C&RL NEWS

Lib rary staff discovered they
w e re  in the middle of the pla
e veryo ne w a n ted  to be but 
couldn't—the Olym pic V illage

C h a n g in g  O ly m p ic p e rsp e c tiv e s
T o  say w o rk in g  in the O lym p ic V illage w as 
in c o n v e n ie n t w o u ld  b e  an u n d e rsta te m e n t. 
S ta ff fru stratio n  b e fo r e  th e  O lym pic se c u r e  
p eriod  w as high. D ire p red ictio n s w e re  b e in g  
m ad e a b o u t traffic c o n g e s tio n , and  p roced u ral 
c h a n g es  an d  n e w  restrictions w e re  p u b licized  
alm ost daily. As th e a th letes b e g a n  arriving 
an d  th e  c a m p u s  w as tra n s fo rm ed  in to  the 
O lym p ic Village, th e festive atm o sp h ere h elp ed  
to lift spirits. Library staff d isco v ered  they w ere 
in th e m id dle o f  the p la ce  e v ery o n e  w an ted  to 
b e  but cou ld n 't— the O ly m p ic Village.

Library sta ff had  virtually unlim ited ac ce s s  
to th e O ly m p ic V illag e, w h ich  in clu d ed  the 
o p p ortu n ity to p articip ate in activities for the 
ath letes. F ree c o n c e rts  and  p e rfo rm a n c e s w ere 
o n g o in g  in th e c e n te r o f  cam p u s, an d  th e cafe 
o ffered  free c o ffe e  and b e v era g e s  for ev ery­
o n e  in the V illage, not just the ath letes. T h e  
V illag e h o sted  th e in tern ation al p rem iere o f 
t h e  a c t io n  film  E r a s e r , a n d  s ta r s  A rn o ld

S ch w a rz e n e g g e r and  V an essa W illiam s 
 m a d e  g u e s t a p p e a r a n c e s . P re s id e n t 
ce C linton m ad e a s p e e c h  in the Village. 

M any staff u sed  their b reak s and lu n ch  
tim es to tak e p h otog rap h s, m ing le with 

. th e athletes, and p articipate in pin trad­
ing. Staff m et and talked  w ith p e o p le  
from  all o v er the w orld, and  foun d that 

th e O ly m p ic spirit w as infectiou s.
At the en d  o f  th e G am es, s o m e  library staff 

tem porarily e x p e r ie n c e d  a letd ow n , s in ce  m any 
y ears o f  p lan n in g  and effort had b e e n  d ev oted  
to several q u ic k  w e e k s  o f  ath letic c om p etitio n . 
L ook in g b a c k , it s ee m s  that the G am es o p e n e d  
and c lo s e d  sim u ltan eou sly . B ein g  in th e m iddle 
o f  the O ly m p ic V illag e w as a w o n d erfu l and 
o n c e -in -a -life tim e  e x p e r ie n c e . T h e  a th letes and  
their com p etitio n s, th e international visitors, and 
th e star-filled c erem o n ies con tribu ted  to a unique 
a m b ia n ce. P e o p le  w ith d ifferen t lan g u ag es, s o ­
cial cu sto m s, an d  p o litical p e rs p e ctiv e s  c o m ­
p e te d  and sh ared  as m em b ers o f a g lo b al vil­
lage. T h e  G eo rg ia  T e c h  Library an d  Inform ation 
C e n te r s ta ff w e r e  p ro u d  p a rtic ip a n ts  in this 
v illa g e ’s activities and  even ts.

Note
1. A nne R o ch ell, Kristin Eddy, and  Lillian Lee 

Kim, “Spirit o f  K insh ip  A bou nd s in ‘City’,’’ A t­
la n t a  C on stitu tion  (July 11, 1 996): S16. ■

C&RL N e w s 30th a n n iv e rsa ry  quiz

H ere is the n ex t install­
m en t o f  th e C&RL N ews 
3 0 th  a n n iv e rs a ry  qu iz. 

T e s t y o u r r e c o lle c tio n  o f  ev en ts that have 
b e e n  re p o rte d  in the N ew s s in c e  1966.

1. A cco rd in g  to Hardy Franklin, 1994 ALA 
p resid en t, w h at is at the heart o f  the 
library profession?

2. W hat w as Z e b ’s (a stu d en t) su g g estio n  for
im proving his university’s library in 1992?

3. W h e n  did the B o ard  o f  D irecto rs vote to

e stab lish  a B ib lio g ra p h ic  In stru ctio n  S e c ­
tion  (n o w  k n o w n  as th e In stru ction  S e c  
tion ) w ith in  ACRL?

W hat did p articipan ts think a b o u t th e first 
ACRL N ational C o n fe ren ce  h eld  in B o sto n  
in 1978?

O n  May 5, 1972, library history w as m ade 
w h e n  a class a c tio n  suit c h a lle n g in g  the 
con stitu tion ality o f  a state statu te w as filed 
in fed eral cou rt o n  b e h a lf o f  all librarian s 
an d  library e m p lo y e e s  o f  that state. N am e 
th e state an d  th e statute.

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