Archive for August, 2011
A new conference has appeared on the information scene. ALCOP, the Association of Library Communications and Outreach Professionals, is holding its first conference at Arcadia University in Glenside, PA (suburban Philadelphia) on October 9 and 10. ALCOP is a new organization composed of marketing and communications executives at academic and public libraries. The scope and procedures of the ALCOP organization will be determined at the inaugural conference in October.
The conference is sponsored by Kieserman Media, “a full service media firm focusing on strategic public relations and special event planning” and will feature talks by several noted information professionals. The two days feature a number of concurrent workshops on topics of current interest, with two keynote sessions.
The dinner keynote on October 9 will be by Kathy Dempsey, a consultant and trainer and author of The Accidental Library Marketer (Information Today, 2009). Prior to establishing her consulting practice, Kathy was Editor of Information Today’s Computers in Libraries magazine and Marketing Library Services newsletter.
The Monday keynote address will be by Chris Olsen, founder of Chris Olsen & Associates. She is the Editor and Publisher of the newsletter Marketing Treasures and Past President of SLA’s Maryland Chapter.
Don Hawkins
Columnist, Information Today and Conference Circuit Blog Editor
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By now, you have almost certainly heard about the earthquake in Virginia and the northeast earlier this week. And now we have the approaching Hurricane Irene. Right now we’re in the proverbial “calm before the storm”, as these pictures that I took of the ocean at Long Beach Island, NJ, show.
Calm Before the Storm on Long Beach Island, NJ, August 26, 2011. Photo by Don Hawkins
Long Beach Island, NJ, August 26, 2011. Photo by Don Hawkins
Of course, preparations are always important:
Preparations for Irene, August 26, 2011. Photo by Don Hawkins
The information industry is no stranger to tumultuous events and far-reaching changes. Here’s an online conference that you might be interested in–and maybe even make a presentation. And it’s an online conference, so you can do it from the comfort of your own home or office!
Submit Your Presentation for the Worldwide Library 2.011 Conference
Have you been exploring how the digital age is impacting the roles libraries and librarians play in how we learn and consume information? Do you have some thoughts to share with the world about the future of our profession? This is your chance to lead the discussion with more than 2,000 colleagues from 133 countries!
The fully online Library 2.011 Worldwide Conference will take place November 2-3, 2011, in multiple time zones and languages. Share your expertise with a global audience. Sign up today to present at the Library 2.011 conference – a free forum for information professionals. You can choose to submit a presentation in any of the conference’s six thought-provoking subject strands:
- STRAND 1: Libraries – The Roles of Libraries in Today’s World
- STRAND 2: Librarians & Information Professionals – Evolving Professional Roles in Today’s World
- STRAND 3: Information Organization
- STRAND 4: Access & Delivery
- STRAND 5: Learning – Digital Age Learning Cultures
- STRAND 6: Content & Creation – Changes in Accessing and Organizing Information
It’s easy to present at the Library 2.011 conference. Since it is online and worldwide, you can present at a time that is most convenient for your time zone, and you can present in your native language. Presentations can also vary in length, between 20 and 60 minutes including Q&A. All sessions will be held in the web conferencing platform Blackboard Collaborate, and volunteers will be available to moderate and provide session support. Live and recorded training will also be provided prior to the conference to get you comfortable with presenting online.
To submit your presentation, go to the Call for Proposals and follow the instructions. The Library 2.011 conference is open to all, so please encourage your friends and colleagues to submit their presentation proposals. It is our intention that all serious proposals will be given the opportunity to be presented. The deadline to submit presentation proposals is September 15th.
Don Hawkins
Columnist, Information Today and Conference Circuit Blog Editor
IFLA 2011 in San Juan, PR has passed into history. Photos and reports from the final sessions are on the IFLA Express website. Final attendance was 2,593, making San Juan a successful event.
Next year, the 78th IFLA World Library and Information Congress (WLIC) will be in Helsinki, Finland, on August 11-17. Singapore has been selected as the venue for the 79th WLIC; dates will be announced later. Sponsors will be the National Library Board of Singapore and the Library Association of Singapore.
At the closing session in San Juan, Ingrid Parent, University Librarian at the University of British Columbia, Canada, became President of IFLA, succeeding Ellen Tise, Senior Director, Library and Information Services, J.S. Gericke Library, University of Stellenbosch, South Africa
Look for a report on the San Juan congress in an upcoming issue of Information Today.
Don Hawkins
Columnist, Information Today and Conference Circuit Blog Editor
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Outside the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. Photo courtesy of Dina Youssef
I was interested in the report of a presentation by author Dina Youssef on the IFLA Express site, describing the effects of the recent uprisings in Egypt on libraries, and particularly the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. A security guard was quoted: “This is our library. It belongs to our children”. Youssef’s report showed some of the remarkable efforts of citizens in protecting the library and how it was preserved from violence and damage, including these inspiring concluding thoughts:
“Because this valuable resource was spared a violent end, it can now be a cornerstone for rebuilding the new Egypt. The library will lead the movement to collect, organize, and make public the artifacts and evidences of this revolution. Those standing arm in arm around this building have come to represent the new Egypt, where the diverse population appreciates that libraries are not just buildings with books. Libraries are the gateways to knowledge and knowledge is the foundation of empowerment.”
Don Hawkins
Columnist, Information Today and Conference Circuit Blog Editor
A new Semantic Web Special Interest Group (SWSIG) will meet for the first time at the IFLA 2011 Congress on Wednesday August 17 at 9:30 AM. According to an e-mail that I received, “the SWSIG intends to be the platform where interested professionals could gather, and undertake whatever tasks are needed to develop, enhance and facilitate the adoption of semantic Web technologies in the library community.”
Interest in semantic technologies continues to grow as data mining, taxonomies, and similar techniques become important in the development of large information data sets, digital libraries, etc. If you are attending the IFLA Congress, this is a good opportunity to learn more about them.
Don Hawkins
Columnist, Information Today and Conference Circuit Blog Editor
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