In his introduction to IJLI v. 27 no.2 (Summer 1999), “Looking Back to “Rome 1998,” Holger Knudsen encapsulated the special nature of the IALL annual courses: the opportunity to extend our learning in international law and librarianship, to travel to new places, the meeting of friends, and finally: the “Courses beautifully designed by selfless and magnanimous local colleagues, who manage to add that specific local flavour, or, ‘ambiente.'”