This year it was my turn to attend the National Libraries of Ireland conference. The three of us take turns as we don’t have enough staff to cover all of us disappearing to Dublin for the day.

Alex goes most years, so I had a good idea what to expect, but of course he’s still gallivanting in London with his archival class mates. I’ve done my best to push from my mind the fact that we weren’t rock-solid before he left and that our phone calls have been getting shorter. He claims it’s because he’s so busy finishing off coursework.

The conference day would be a great distraction.

The lobby of the hotel had tables setup with people and clipboards. If you want an event to be well organised, ask a librarian to do it. I gave my name, was ticked off and presented...

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