2006

Internet Resources Interest Group Meeting

Chair Laura Cohen summarized the purpose and mission of this interest group and reviewed the programs it has presented at ALA Annual Conferences in recent years.

Plans for the 2006 Annual Conference program were reviewed. This program will be in debate format. Program title: “The Ultimate Debate: Who Controls the Future of Search?” The roster of panelists is complete: Roy Tennant, moderator, with Stephen Abrams and Joe Janes, debaters.

The IG has coordinated its plans with the LITA Program Planning Committee (PPC), which has been very helpful in shaping the program. Holly Yu, Vice-Chair, will attend the PPC meeting at this conference to give the committee an update on our plans.

The debate will be guided by a series of questions posted to the panelists by the moderator. The panel will prepare the questions beforehand. It was suggested that these questions be posted on the LITA blog in advance of the conference program.

Given the potential appeal of this program to people outside of LITA, it was suggested that we promote the program to such ALA groups as RUSA and the Instruction Section of ACRL. It was also suggested that we distribute flyers publicizing this interest group at the program.

The attendees discussed possible program topics for the 2007 ALA Annual Conference. A number of potential topics were proposed. Should the interest group decide to sponsor a program in 2007, a topic must be identified at the 2006 Annual Conference.

The Chair and Vice-Chair asked the attendees to consider a possible name change for this interest group. The phrase “Internet Resources” has positive and negative aspects. On the positive side, it can encompass a wide range of program topics and might ensure longevity for this group. On the negative side, its general nature does not attract people interested in specific topics such as blogs, electronic resources management, etc.

After some discussion, it was decided to change the name of this group to the Internet Resources and Services Interest Group. The term “Services” can encompass Web services as well as a range of library services delivered over the Web. Matt Calsada, Interest Group Coordinator, was in attendance and agreed to bring this proposal forward to the LITA office. The group agreed that it would be a good idea to post this meeting summary on the LITA blog as well as the IG’s page on the LITA site. The Chair agreed to follow up.

The floor was opened to volunteers for the next Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect of this interest group. Two individuals came forward. It was agreed that one individual will become chair if another LITA position for which he applied does not materialize. If the position does comes through, the other individual will step forward as chair.