I attended the annual meeting of the Pacific Northwest Chapter of the Medical Library Association this past week in Boise, Idaho. I look forward to this conference every year because it’s a fun, low-stakes way to share your professional activities and learn about what your colleagues have been up to. And this year gave me a chance to visit Boise for the first time, which did not disappoint!

I delivered two presentations during the meeting, which I got through despite my debilitating cold. I gave a 5-minute lightning talk about my experience with data science during the first half of the year, and a paper talk with my colleague about librarian support in a biomedical health hackathon. Both talks seemed like they were well-received, and I’m glad I had the chance to share these two interesting projects.

This year’s meeting was extra special for me because I was officially handed the role of PNC Chair, complete with gavel. Technically, I don’t start my duties until January, but it was nice to have that moment of recognition and I’m excited to work with my amazing board next year.

Of course, my favorite part of the whole trip was the time I was able to spend touring the city, both on my own and with my friends. I visited ZooBoise, ate some amazing food, and kept myself going with some of the best coffee I’ve ever had. Not even my cold could put a damper on things, even though I probably should have spent more time resting.

We’re considering an online meeting for next year since the Medical Library Association conference will be local (in Portland, OR). I’m looking forward to starting this project and seeing how our membership responds to this new meeting format.