Originally founded in 1876 in Philadelphia and now headquartered in Chicago, the American Library Association (ALA) is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 64,000 members.
 
The 2005 ALA Midwinter Meeting was held January 14-19 at the John B. Hynes Convention Center in Boston, MA USA. Owned and operated by the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority, the John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center is one of the country's most-used, midsized event locations and conference facilities. Situated right in the heart of Boston's historic Back Bay, the Hynes is also connected to a mega-complex of nearly 4,000 hotel rooms, shopping malls, restaurants, theaters and more.
 
For many years, Thomson has been a major supporter of the ALA Midwinter meeting, and its annual meetings in June. The Midwinter meeting is of particular importance for the Thomson Scientific Academic & Government Strategic Business Unit. As in previous years, Thomson Scientific planned several events designed to increase visibility, including an ad in the conference program, a breakfast workshop, in-booth presentations, and a lavish reception.