Recently in LITA Category
This is that time of year when I try to perfect that look on my face that says "If the first sentence out of your mouth doesn't include the words 'at ALA' or "gushing blood' I don't really have time to talk. It's another busy one as usual, with my time split between OCLC activities, LITA activities, and my first year as an ALA Councilor. Here are a few highlights for me this year:
OCLC (I'll be at or near the podium at the following information sessions)
- OCLC Americas Regional Council Annual Member Meeting and Symposium, Friday 12-5pm, Omni Dallas Hotel, Dallas Ballroom EFG
Great agenda. Check it out.
- The Power of Cooperation at Webscale: OCLC's Strategy for Academic Libraries, Saturday 8:30-10am, Dallas Convention Center, Room C155
- The Power of Cooperation at Webscale: OCLC's Strategy for Public Libraries, Saturday 10:30am-12pm, Dallas Convention Center, Room C155
Whether or not you've heard about WorldShare, Webscale, and the power of cooperation in libraries, I would encourage you to jon Cathy De Rosa and her OCLC colleagues at these great events.
- Workflows Transformed: Librarians Share Experiences with OCLC WorldShare Management Services, Saturday 1:30-3:00 pm, Dallas Convention Center, Room C141
Excited about this one, as I will only speak for 5 minutes before turning things over to Lynne Jacobsen (Pepperdine) and Stefanie WIttenbach (Texas A&M San Antonio) from two libraries that have been live with WorldShare Management Services the longest.
- E-resources at Webscale: Simple Solutions for Management, Discovery and Delivery, Saturday 4-5:30pm, Dallas Convention Center, Room C156
I'll be at the podium for this one with lots of audience support from my colleagues. Isn't it time that we started talking about new solutions for managing our most valuable resources? Wouldn't it be even cooler if you could do something about it now? Well, you can...come and find out.
- OCLC Update Breakfast, Sunday, 7-8:00am, Omni Dallas Hotel, Dallas Ballroom EFG
Admit it, you're awake anyway...why not come get a great full breakfast and get a great overview of everything the world's largest library cooperative is up to?
- for a full list of OCLC events and registration, go here.
LITA
- Happy Hour, Top Technology Trends, LITA Town Hall....LITA Rocks. I suggest you check out the full list of events here. But I also want to add a selfish shout-out for a couple of interest group events happening this time:
- The first meeting of the "Technology and Industry Interest Group." I had a hand in putting this IG together and am thrilled that Marshall Breeding and my colleague Matt Goldner have agreed to serve as co-chairs of this cool new IG. Marshall posted about it on GuidePosts. Saturday, 10:30 - 12 noon, Dallas Convention Center A303
- My boss, Robin Murray, will be at the Next Generation Catalog Interest Group on Sunday 10:30 am - 12:00 noon, Dallas Convention Center C156, to talk about next-generation systems and services
It can be informing,
affirming and on occasion surprising when members of the OCLC community take to the public
stage. In the case of the recent LITA Forum, these converged in a very
positive way as four panelists presented their early experiences with Web-scale
Management Services. After a brief product overview from my OCLC colleague, Rob Ross (thank you, Rob, for so adroitly stepping in to take part in this presentation) , the crowd heard from Jason
Griffey (Univ of Tennessee, Chattanooga), Kyle Banerjee (Orbis Cascade
Alliance), Michael Dula (Pepperdine Univ) and Gina Persichini (Idaho Commission
for Libraries).
The slides and video of the event are available online here. Watch them in any order. They are all great! "It's early days," as some of my friends and colleagues in the UK would say, but they are exciting days. These pilots and early implementors are to be congratulated for taking a bold step into the future of cloud-based library management services. I can say without doubt that we could not have done it without them. These four are already in the company of several others who are in various stages of early adoption, and excitement and interest is growing quickly amongst many, many libraries across the country and around the globe.
The slides and video of the event are available online here. Watch them in any order. They are all great! "It's early days," as some of my friends and colleagues in the UK would say, but they are exciting days. These pilots and early implementors are to be congratulated for taking a bold step into the future of cloud-based library management services. I can say without doubt that we could not have done it without them. These four are already in the company of several others who are in various stages of early adoption, and excitement and interest is growing quickly amongst many, many libraries across the country and around the globe.
Two more firsts for me this year. After several years of near-misses, I'm finally making it to the PLA Conference in Portland.
I also decided to join PLA this year. Having been on the LITA Board for 6 years (3 as an officer), I have heard many times about the expense of professional affiliations. I've always paid my own way for ALA and Divisional memberships, which I find to be a bargain compared to other professions. In previous years, I could not think of a good reason to join PLA.
But then my job changed at the same time I started receiving complimentary copies of Public Libraries. I was inspired to join the division that represents the segment of libraries that I love so much.
Unfortunately, I won't be in Portland very long this week, but you can find me presenting on (you guessed it) Web-scale management services. I'm looking forward to lots of conversation about the opportunities for public libraries in moving management systems to the network level.
2:00 - 3:15 pm, Doubletree Hotel Portland, Oregon Room
Web-scale Management Services: What, When, How, Why?Learn how adoption of OCLC's Web-scale Management Services can help your library. Explore the potential to save money and create capacity to work on high-priority projects.
You can sign up for OCLC events and presentations here.
And my first loved Division, LITA, will be there too, taking LITA's Top Technology Trends on the road to PLA. I hope to see my PLA friends in Portland and I look forward to making some new friends, too!
On of my favorite conferences is coming up. LITA Forum will be in Salt Lake City this year and the theme is "Open & Mobile." Save the dates--October 2-4, 2009. There are some great concurrent sessions planned--mobile technologies, open data, open source software, lightening talks, and some really great looking poster sessions. Lest I forget three fantastic keynoters:
- Joan Lippicott (Day 1)
- David Weinberger (Day 2)
- Liz Lawley (Day 3)
I love the programming at the Forum, because it is literally the only conference I go to where I am torn between which session to attend. This headache for conference organizers (just too much good stuff!) should be joy for conference attendees with shrinking professional development budgets or concerns about getting the most for their money. I should mention that I have never witnessed such a hard-working and dedicated group of volunteers as the ones who put this Forum together. They are to be congratulated.
But I have thus far neglected the best part about LITA Forum--the people. If you want to socialize, network, chat with vendors and sponsors in a relaxed atmosphere, or make that connection that will spark an idea or solidify a fleeting thought, then LITA Forum is the place to be. LITA is fun and inclusive. LITA is valuable. These are tough financial times for travel and professional development. Librarians, IT professionals, and support staff need to choose wisely from an array of conference offerings. If I had to narrow my choices down to one conference per year or pay for extra professional development out of my own pocket, you'd find me at the Forum.
Did that sound too much like a commercial? If not, then let me add that you should ACT NOW! and save $50 off of registration. I'm already registered, are you?
Seriously, this year's Forum is shaping up to be fantastic. I'll be in Salt Lake City the first weekend in October and I hope to see lots of people there.
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