It always happens over lunch!: The powerful serendipity of informal networking

Abstract

How did five science librarians in four different U.S. time zones end up going on (virtual) tour together, giving presentations at two national conferences, one ACRL webinar, and three workshops on five campuses? It all started with lunch.

In February 2020, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting was held in Seattle, Washington. Each year, the ACRL liaison to AAAS sends out a survey that offers 30 sponsored registrations to the conference, solicits lightning talks for the librarians’ meeting, offers roommate matching, sets up local tours, and schedules lunch-arounds in walking distance from the main meeting venue. The 2020 liaison, Roxanne Bogucka, arranged for a tour of the University of Washington libraries and lunch at a small Salvadoran restaurant in the U-District.