BEYOND WORDS

Visual Information in Special Collections

The 41st Annual Preconference sponsored by the Rare Books & Manuscripts Section of the Association of College & Research Libraries, a Division of the American Library Association

July 5 - 7, 2000, Chicago, Illinois

Transportation and Lodging

HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS
 

The preconference hotel will be the Inter-Continental, a deluxe landmark hotel located on the Magnificent Mile. (It is also an ALA Conference hotel.) The hotel's historic South Tower, originally built in1929 as the private, men-only Medinah Athletic Club, was commissioned by the Medinah Nobles, an affiliate of the Shriners with purported roots in the Middle East. Its exotic design reflects these presumed origins: a gold onion dome adorns the top and Assyrian and Egyptian figures carved by Leon Harmart (1866-1936) grace the facade. Appropriately, given the preconference theme, the hotel's meeting spaces offer an visually entertaining array of design schemes, ranging from an English Tudor Hall to a Spanish Tea Court to a 5-story Stair Hall of Lions. More information about the hotel and its amenities is available at http://chicago.interconti.com/index.html.

The cost of hotel accommodations is not included in the Preconference registration fee. A special conference rate has been arranged for RBMS Preconference attendees. Rates are $160 for single or double (plus tax and service charge). Housing may be limited; early registration is advisable. The Inter-Continental is also an ALA Annual Conference hotel and a block of rooms has been reserved for RBMS Preconference attendees who wish to remain throughout ALA. The hotel has agreed to honor the preconference rate beginning Saturday, July 1, for those who wish to enjoy July 4 in Chicago.

All reservations for the Hotel Inter-Continental must be made through the ALA Travel Desk. You must specify that you are part of the RBMS Preconference. Use the ALA Housing Form, available at http://www.ala.org/events/ac2000/housing_form.html) and in February 2000 issue of American Libraries. You must specify that you are part of the RBMS preconference. If booking online, enter "RBMS" as your password. If using the form in American Libraries, write "RBMS" in the upper right corner.
 

RESIDENCE HALL ACCOMMODATIONS
 

Additional accommodations have been arranged in residence halls on the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) campus. The UIC campus is only a short train, bus, or taxicab ride away from downtown Chicago. To reserve a room, complete the residence hall housing section in the brochure. The deadline for residence hall reservations is May 15, 2000.

UIC residence halls are air-conditioned and rooms range from single rooms to double rooms with a common bathroom. The cost of a single room is $32 per night; double rooms are $22 per person per night. Bed and bath linens, a pillow, and blanket are provided. You should plan to bring an alarm clock and a reading light with you.

Note: Rooms are not available on July 4; check-in begins after 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 5 at the Student Residence & Commons, 700 S. Halsted Street, 2nd level, Chicago. Check-out time is 12:00 p.m.

RBMS preconference attendees can extend their stay to include the nights of ALA's Annual Conference.

To reserve residence hall accommodations, use the RBMS Preconference Registration Form available at http://outreach.lib.uic.edu/rbms2000/rbmsregistrationform.html.

If you want to stay in a double room and do not have a roommate, ACRL will assign you one.  If you would like to be put in touch with others seeking roommates to make you own selection prior to submitting your registration form, send an email to esmyth@lsu.edu including the following information: your name, email address, and telephone number; gender; smoker/nonsmoker; arrival and departure dates.

TRANSPORTATION TO CHICAGO
 

Air transportation to Chicago. Chicago is served by two major airports, O'Hare for all international, and most domestic flights, and Midway, for domestic flights only.

Getting to your hotel. You can choose between the public rapid transit system, airport busses, or taxi. For information on CTA fares and visitor passes, see page x.

CTA from O'Hare. Follow the airport "Rapid Transit" signs to the CTA terminal located in the basement of the parking garage. From the baggage claim areas you will need to go downstairs. All trains from OíHare go through the Loop.

To the Inter-Continental. The closest stop on the OíHare (Blue) line is Washington (corner Washington & Dearborn). From here you could 1) walk one block east to State St. and board a northbound 145, 146, 147 or 151 bus, all of which stop in front of the Inter-Continental, or 2) walk to the hotel (about 7 blocks/< > mins). The Inter-Continental is at 505 N. Michigan, between Illinois and Ohio (< > blocks north of the river).

To the UIC dorms. Stay on the Blue line all the way through the Loop (youíll be underground). The first stop after the train comes above ground is UIC-Halsted. Get off here, go up the stairs, and head south across the grassy median. The dormitories are right across Harrison St.

CTA from Midway.

To the Inter-Continental. Take the Orange line (the station is right outside the terminal) to State and Lake; this will take you around the south, west, and north sides of the Loop. From State and Lake, use option 1 or 2 above.

To the UIC dorms. Take the Orange line to the Halsted stop. Get off and take the Halsted bus (#8) northbound to Harrison St. The dorms are right across the street.

Taxis. There are numerous cab stands at the airports. Go to the first available cab in a line. The fare to the Inter-Continental should not exceed about $32 for a single rider from O'Hare, and about $25 from Midway. If more than one person shares a cab to the same location, the fare per person will be considerably less. Tips are expected; 15% is adequate.

Limousines/Airport Buses. A less costly option than a taxi is to take one of several limousines or airport buses that serve hotels on the near north side. Airport Express (312-454-7799) serves several hotels, including the Inter-Continental. They have a counter in the baggage claim area at both airports (in Midway itís across from the Southwest claim area). The one-way fare is $17 per person from OíHare ($30 round-trip), $12 from Midway ($22 round trip). Returning to OíHare, the Inter-Continental has automatic pick-ups at 10 minutes and 40 minutes after each hour. The bus to Midway leaves from the Marriott across the street at 5 minutes and 35 minutes after each hour.

Ground transportation to Chicago

Amtrak. Amtrak trains arrive at Union Station (the block bounded by Clinton and Canal, Adams and Jackson). For schedules and fares, see your travel agent or contact Amtrak (800-872-7245 or www.amtrak.com). The #151 bus on Canal will take you to the Inter-Continental. The #60 bus on Clinton will take you to the UIC dorms.

Greyhound. The bus station is at 630 W. Harrison Street (corner Jefferson and Harrison). For fares and schedules contact Greyhound (800-231-2222 or www.greyhound.com). To the Inter-Continental, take a #125 or #157 bus on the south side of Harrison St. To the UIC dorms, take the #60 bus on the north side of Harrison (or walk ó itís only about four blocks west, just across the expressway).

Driving into, and parking in, Chicago. The Inter-Continental has parking available at $26/night; at UIC, parking is available across the street from the dorms at 750 S. Halsted St. for $7/day. A special Conference Guest pass with unlimited in and out privileges for 1 week costs $15; these passes are only available to those staying at UIC dorms and must be reserved ahead of time. For daily parkers, there is a large city parking garage under Grant Park, just east of Michigan Avenue and there are numerous parking lots and garages throughout the Loop and near north side.