2010

What is your Library doing about Emerging Technologies?

LITA presented a panel at ALA’s 2010 Conference that posed the question, What is your library doing about emerging technologies? Bohyun Kim, the Digital Access Librarian at Florida International University, moderated the discussion with the aid of slides that posed questions for four groups of panelists. GROUP 1: Elisabeth Leonard, Associate Dean for Library Services, Western Carolina University Frank Cervone, Vice Chancellor for Information Services, Purdue University Calumet I stepped into a packed room as Elisabeth Leonard tackled the question, “What are emerging technologies and how should they be adapted for libraries?” Leonard suggested that as librarians we should “think through the eyes of our users.”  She argued that emerging technologies depend on the target user.  In other words, context matters.  Leonard stated that social networking sites (e.g., Twitter and Facebook) are not emerging technologies for today’s youth.  For them, social networking is a way of life.  Leonard paused for…

2010

ALA10: LITA Awards Reception and President's Program

Hi! I’m Andromeda Yelton, and I’ll be your conference blogger today, covering the LITA awards reception and President’s program. LITA Awards Reception Full disclosure: I’m one of the awardees, and utterly starstruck by the others. The event opened with mingling and one of the best food spreads I saw at a program at Annual (cheese, fruit, cake); thank you, LITA, for knowing how to entertain. The LITA/Library Hi Tech awardee was Marshall Breeding, whose Library Technology Guides site was indispensable to me during my library automation class; exciting to meet the man behind the data. Read the press release for more of his huge pile of accomplishments. The Frederick G. Kilgour awardee was John Willinsky, whose Public Knowledge Project is doing some really interesting things with open access and scholarly communication. Read his press release, too. He told a charming anecdote about the library club in his school days, to…

2010

LITA Top Tech Trends ALA 2010

OPENING Gregg Sylvis, Chair for the LITA Top Trends Committee kicked off the session.  Six panelists were  each to address current trends, imminent trends and long term trends (3-5 years out). John Blyberg, Darien Library (CT), Assistant Director for Innovation and User Experience Lorcan Dempsey, Vice President OCLC Research and Chief Strategist, OCLC Jason Griffey, Head of Library Information Technology, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Monique Sendze, IT Director Johnson County Library, Overland Park, Kansas Cindy Trainor, Coordinator for Library Technology and Data Services, Eastern Kentucky University Joan Frye Williams, IT Consultant CURRENT TRENDS Blyberg discussed the new world of  “multilevel convergent media.” With the explosion of new devices and communication channels, people are finding new ways to describe, explain, and interact with the world around them, and the boundaries between personal and professional domains have been blurring. This has paved the way for a move to devices that are optimized across multiple applications to support diverse communication and information sharing needs….

2010

Having fun at ALA

Who says that librarians can’t let their hair down and have some fun? The LITA happy hour on Friday at the Mixx Bar was a great example to the contrary. The bar area was filled with people networking, chatting, and generally having a good time. I wasn’t sure what to expect since I had never been to a LITA event before and didn’t know anyone there. However, people all around were smiling and many people were quick to open their circle and let a new-comer join the conversation. I met Abigail Goben the Hedgehog Librarian wearing a hedgehog necklace, two new incoming LITA Board members, and many others. It’s great to host a happy hour on the first night because it gives people the opportunity to meet people casually before the conference really begins. Also, have you heard that word-of-mouth is the best way to get out information about your…

2010

Blog Schedule: ALA Annual 2010

LITA Blog is looking for volunteers to blog about conference sessions and speakers, areas of interest, and general conference atmosphere. Below you’ll find a preliminary list of programs. These are the priority coverage areas, but LITA welcomes and encourages blogging on other programs and events as well. Please feel free to volunteer to cover items not listed here. Also, note that more than one person blogging an event is allowed and even encouraged. Wondering what exactly is going on during each session? Visit the official LITA at Annual page or ALA’s main conference page for all ALA events to see complete descriptions. To help out, fill in a volunteer form online. No experience required to blog, though we would love to see some of our experienced volunteers back again. If you have any questions, email Brett Bonfield. Thursday, June 24 6:00 p.m. LYRASIS Lounge 7:00 p.m. Eats with LITA Friday,…

2010

Burning Man, Libraries, and the 21st Century

Burning Man, Libraries, and the 21st Century: The Intersection of the Individual and Society Saturday, June 26 | 1:30-3:30 p.m. Washington Convention Center, Room 143 B/C Imagine living in a city where censorship does not exist. Where your First Amendment rights and liberties are not only tolerated but encouraged and celebrated? That culture is created and that society exists in physical form for one week every August in Black Rock Desert, Nevada in the community known as Burning Man. The Intellectual Freedom Round Table is delighted that Larry Harvey, Executive Director of the Burning Man Project, will join Lauren Christos, Chair of the Intellectual Freedom Round Table, in a lively conversation on how intellectual freedom informs the Burning Man experience and our 21st century society. IFRT envisions that our program will challenge and expand the boundaries of currently held intellectual freedom beliefs. Through the social experiment that is Burning Man,…