| Karen Calhoun in Stockholm and Helsinki Library networking can take some amazing twists sometimes. Because of several collegial connections, Karen Calhoun recently landed an 8-day trip to Stockholm, Sweden and Helsinki, Finland. Through some ExLibris and Taiga Forum networking, Karen was invited to speak about the future of the OPAC at the annual International Group of Ex Libris Users (IGELU) Conference in Stockholm. Then through some Endeavor networking, she was also invited to speak at the University of Helsinki/National Library of Finland when colleagues there learned that Karen would be in Scandanavia. Karen packed in 3 presentations and 1 morning of consulting, as well as a short vacation with her husband, Tom. The highlights of the touring were the beautiful buildings and waterways; the Vasa Museum in Stockholm; an overnight cruise across the Baltic Sea; an authentic 2-hour Russian dinner in Helsinki; and a boat trip to Birka Island, site of an early Viking community. Karen said she met many new people. No doubt, more library networking took place. Who knows – maybe this will lead to more exciting trips, conferences, and presentations in the future! Below, some pictures from Karen's travels: (left) Drottningholm Palace near Stockholm; (center) the boat to Birka Island; (right) the dome of the beautiful University of Helsinki/National Library of Finland.
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