Category: ALA Annual Conferences

If you are going to conference be sure to attend this amazing line up of science fiction and fantasy authors discuss their ideas on current issues in … Gender and Sexuality in Science Fiction and Fantasy Saturday, June 23, 2018 – 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM Location: MCC 395-396 From the golden age of science fiction and epic fantasy to the multifaceted world of today, our views and concepts of gender and sexuality have shifted along with the times. This panel of acclaimed authors will discuss how the lens of science fiction and fantasy reflects the world that we see today as well as the world we want to become. Seanan McGuire Nnedi Okorafor Jacqueline Carey Sherrilyn Kenyon                   Discover the more than 20 other LITA programs and discussions to make your ALA Annual experience complete. Questions or Comments? Contact LITA at (312) 280-4268…

Don’t miss this exciting, and affordable, networking and learning opportunity at the upcoming 2018 ALA Annual conference in New Orleans, LA. LITA/PLA AvramCamp 2018 Friday June 22, 2018, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm Morial Convention Center 230 Are you interested in connecting with female-identifying technology professionals who want to make positive change in their lives and professions? Join others in the field to discuss the challenges, joy, and lessons learned at AvramCamp, an AdaCamp-inspired event and named in honor of library innovator Henriette D. Avram. This one-day LITA/PLA preconference allows female-identifying individuals, employed in various technological industries, an opportunity to connect with others in the field and to collectively examine barriers to success. Find out more about AdaCamp and the Ada Initiative. Registration is $25 for both ALA and non-ALA members. Lunch and afternoon break refreshments are included in the ticket price. Our workshop space is ADA accessible. Please contact…

If you are going to conference, join LITA President Andromeda Yelton and welcome Kendra Albert, a technology lawyer and an affiliate research associate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University. LITA President’s Program with Kendra Albert: The Silences of (Big) Data Sunday, June 24, 2018, 3:00 – 4:00 pm Morial Convention Center, 260-262 As data becomes the substrate for human and algorithmic decision-making and funding, it speaks louder and louder. But what can we infer when there is no or limited data, that is, when the data is effectively silent? Like all records, the data that libraries collect about their patrons and services contain presence and absence, resistance and compliance, exclusion and overrepresentation. In this provocative talk, lawyer and critical legal scholar Kendra Albert will reflect upon how the rise of data collection in libraries can be informed by the silences of data. Kendra Albert…

Attending the 2018 ALA Annual conference in New Orleans, June 22 – 25, 2018?  Make sure you discover, place on your “My Schedule”, and attend any of the outstanding LITA programs. For the overview and links to more information go the LITA Highlights at 2018 ALA Annual Conference page. For all the details and full listings of LITA activites at the conference go directly to the conference scheduler. Here is just a sample of quick listings, in chronological order, of a few of the LITA highlights. LITA Preconferences on Friday. LITA/PLA AvramCamp 2018 A one-day joint LITA and PLA preconference for female-identifying individuals employed in technological areas an opportunity to network with others in the field and to collectively examine common barriers faced. Managing Library Technology Join Carson Block to get a better handle on taming the technological beast in your library. Python for Beginners: A Gentle and Fun Introduction Will…

Applications are now open for LITA’s Conference Buddy program for ALA Annual 2018. The program designed to make conference attendance more approachable, foster inclusion, and build connections. Inspired by the GLBTRT Buddy Program, we hope that this program will help us to foster stronger relationships among LITA members who attend conferences and also make attendance more enjoyable and rewarding for everyone who participates. For more information or to apply go to the Conference Buddy website Application deadline is June 10, 2018. If you have any questions about the program, please contact the Diversity & Inclusion Committee. Questions or Comments? Contact LITA at (312) 280-4268 or Mark Beatty, mbeatty@ala.org

Do you want to participate in the LITA/PLA AvramCamp 2018, a one-day unconference for women in library technology, at ALA Annual in New Orleans? Would travel funding help you to attend? Thanks to support from our sponsors, AvramCamp is offering several $500 travel scholarships. Scholarships will be awarded competitively based on the committee’s ranking of applications received by the deadline (May 21, 2018). Scholarship Eligibility ALA Attendees are encouraged to participate in AvramCamp if they: Identify as a woman in a way that is significant to them; Participate in library technology (in any role); Can actively participate in discussions about women’s experiences in library technology, including talking about women’s achievements and the challenges they face; Want to work together and share strategies to support and promote women in the field; Are young or old; students or professionals; from a diverse range of backgrounds and types of libraries; and reflective of…

Python is a great “gateway” programming language especially suited to library work and perfect for this beginners coding preconference. Python for Beginners: A Gentle and Fun Introduction Friday, June 22, 2018, Noon – 4:00 pm Presenters: Mark Eaton, Reader Services Librarian and Assistant Professor, Kingsborough Community College (CUNY), and Robin Camille Davis, Emerging Technologies & Online Learning Librarian and Assistant Professor, John Jay College of Criminal Justice (CUNY) Register for ALA Annual and Discover Ticketed Events This hands-on workshop will introduce you to the Python programming language through a fun project you can show off. No coding experience required. With a provided starter kit of library data and sample code, you’ll learn to use regular expressions and some basic Python. By the end of the workshop, you’ll build your own customized Twitter bot that will send tweets out into the world! Mark Eaton is responsible for social media at the Kingsborough Library,…

Don’t miss this exciting, and affordable, networking and learning opportunity at the upcoming 2018 ALA Annual conference in New Orleans, LA. LITA/PLA AvramCamp 2018 Friday June 22, 2018, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm Morial Convention Center 230 Are you interested in connecting with female-identifying technology professionals who want to make positive change in their lives and professions? Join others in the field to discuss the challenges, joy, and lessons learned at AvramCamp, an AdaCamp-inspired event and named in honor of library innovator Henriette D. Avram. This one-day LITA/PLA preconference allows female-identifying individuals, employed in various technological industries, an opportunity to connect with others in the field and to collectively examine barriers to success. Find out more about AdaCamp and the Ada Initiative. Registration is $25 for both ALA and non-ALA members. Lunch and break refreshments are included in the ticket price. Our workshop space is ADA accessible. Please contact lita@ala.org regarding…

Join Carson Block for an afternoon addressing the technological beast in your library. Managing Library Technology Friday, June 22, 2018, Noon – 4:00 pm Presenter: Carson Block, Library Technology Consultant, Library Land Tech Register for ALA Annual and Discover Ticketed Events Do you want to get a better handle on taming that beast? The preconference is based on Carson Block’s ALA-APA CPLA Class “Management of Technology” and features ideas and practices from his new book Managing Library Technology: A LITA Guide. Field tested for years, this session and the accompanying book offers a solid approach to understanding and managing the things that remain constant in an ever-changing world. This preconference is designed in a workshop format and is highly interactive with many opportunities throughout to practice with peers the concepts Carson teaches. Each participant will receive a copy of the book. Carson Block has been a library technologist for 20…