What if you were asked to give a presentation at a state library association’s annual meeting and no one showed up? That almost happened to Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Economist Dave Lauer, who spoke yesterday at ILF on NAICS (North America Industrial Classification Code). He drove down from his office in Chicago (that’s normally a 3 hour drive, but of course he hit traffic, so it was longer) and brought with him many copies of BLS brochures and copies of his PowerPoint. The room was “full” — with three of us. Apparently NAICS wasn’t as compelling a topic as “The Wireless Librarian,” “The Future of Technical Services,” “Federated Searching,” or “The Problem Employee.” Actually, I’ve never understood how state library associations can program so many tracks at their conferences. ILF tends towards 12-13 competing sessions in a time slot.

Despite the small audience, Dave was great at explaining the background and uses of NAICS. I was particularly interested in the update cycle of the codes. Today, Dave e-mailed me that he’d just received notification that the Census Bureau is seeking public comment on proposed changes to NAICS for 2007. Revisions have been recommended by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. A summary of each specific industry proposal shows the revisions are focused on improving industry descriptions, identifying new and emerging industries, and changing some industry content (such as reflecting structural changes in the telecommunications industry).

It may have been a small audience, Dave, but I feel so incredibly up to date thanks to you!