2005

ACRL President’s Program in a TiVo®-lutionary Age

Frances Maloy, ACRL President, 2004-2005, opened the ACRL President’s Program on Monday, June 27, 2005 with a report on the year in review and a statement on the organization’s progress that brought cheers and applause. Frances set the stage for a terrific program saying, “After being President for a year, I have concluded that ACRL rocks!” Awards and Speakers The 2005-2006 President-Elect, Camilla Alire, was introduced. She noted marketing and advocacy to be her passions and priorities for the upcoming ACRL year. Awards were presented to libraries and librarians who demonstrate excellence and employ best practices. A humorous video created by Pierce College Library followed and introduced the members of their 2005 Excellence in Academic Libraries Award-winning institution. The Time for a Reality Check: Academic Librarians in a TiVo®-lutionary Age program speakers presented next as a panel. Beloit College Mindset List Tom McBride, Keefer and Keefer Prof. of Humanities, Beloit…

2005

DLTIG Table Talks

Knowing people’s busy schedules and delays caused afternoon shuttle bus travel, Holley Long, coordinator of the Digital Library and Technology Interest Group (DLTIG) Table Talks, asked the initially small number of attendees to gather around two large tables. As discussions began in King Arthur’s Court- a conference room of the Intercontinental Chicago sporting swanky medieval décor, the number of participants grew till each table had representation from libraries, museums and similar institutions across the country. Talk at my table began with a resounding agreement on the importance of project planning. Organizational issues were zeroed in on, and thoughts/ideas/potential solutions shared in response to questions like: Has your collection development plan been translated to incorporate digital collections? If not, how can one harmonize a current plan to address and include digital formats? Is too much attention given to the development of “sexy” collections while the content and management of more core…

2005

Book Cart Drill Team World Championship

Over the past couple of months, book cart drill teams have been practicing, rehearsing routines, and eagerly awaiting the first-ever Book Cart Drill Team World Championship. Anticipation is in the air… finally, today, Sunday June 26, the day has arrived! For the Pitt Crew from the University of Pittsburgh, pictured here prepping carts for the event, all eyes are on first prize- a full-sized gold book cart from sponsor Demco. Numerous members have been quoted saying, “Burn rubber, not books!” and “Ohmygod, did we remember the CD?” before breaking into spontaneous dance steps. Here in Chicago and need a break from pre-planned conference sessions? Come over to the North Exhibit Hall Lobby at the McCormick Place Convention Center, 1:30-3:30 pm and cheer on your favorite team!

2005

An Ongoing Relationship Takes Work (Take 2)

With over 250 conference-goers in attendance, the Searching Digital Resources: Designing Usability into Digital Interfaces session sponsored by the LITA Electronic Publishing/Electronic Journals Interest Group on Saturday, June 25 was bound to have some good energy flowing, even with the 8:30 am start time. The room hummed with conversation as people clustered about the door while more chairs were brought in to accommodate the crowd. The User The user quickly took center stage in this discussion about the usability of library web pages, online catalogs and search protocols. “People don’t read, they scan,” said Frank Cervone, and user interfaces must be designed accordingly. And, noted Steve DiDomenico, if the students and faculty you’re surveying are not retrieving the desired results, “something is wrong with the site, not the person.” This point provoked laughter from the crowd and hinted, once again, that librarians need to remember that the digital interfaces we…