The temperature may have been sweltering and the logistics a challenge, but that didn't stop the American Library Association (ALA) in Chicago from drawing more attendees than ever before. The 27,800 who came, including 6,731 exhibitors, set a new record, topping the previous record of 26,542 in 2001 in San Francisco and the Chicago totals of 24,000 in 2000 and 24,500 in 1995. Numbers alone do not capture the high energy of this show, one of the best in years. ALA did have some trouble handling the crowd. Both attendees and exhibitors criticized the confused and disorganized--bordering on dangerous--process of onsite registration, which left many waiting a full hour to sign up. Sessions ran the gamut, yet there was a distinct focus on the future, including the usual anxiety about whether libraries would keep up. ALA inaugurated a new president, Michael Gorman, who, perhaps unfairly, has gained the most notice for his cautions on blogs and digitization. Meanwhile, the new wave of librarians--and some veterans--made this the most-blogged library conference so far, with blog entries gathered on a first-ever conference wiki (http://meredith.wolfwater. com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page). While turnout at ALA membership meetings remained paltry, those sessions were the only place for members to introduce some highly political stances later adopted by Council, including a condemnation of the war in Iraq and defense of materials related to sex.