2014

LITA Annual Report, 2014-2015

As we reflect on 2014-2015, it’s fair to say that LITA, despite some financial challenges, has had numerous successes and remains a thriving organization. Three areas – membership, education, and publications – bring in the most revenue for LITA. Of those, membership is the largest money generator. However, membership has been on a decline, a trend that’s been seen across the American Library Association (ALA) for the past decade. In response, the Board, committees, interest groups, and many and individuals have been focused on improving the member experience to retain current members and attract potential ones. With all the changes to the organization and leadership, LITA is on the road to becoming profitable again and will remain one of ALA’s most impactful divisions. Read more in the LITA Annual Report.

2014

LITA Forum: Online Registration Ends Oct. 27

Don’t miss your chance to register online for the 2014 LITA Forum “From Node to Network” to be held Nov. 5-8, 2014 at the Hotel Albuquerque in Albuquerque N.M. Online registration closes October 27, 2014. You can register on site, but it’s so much easier to have it all taken care of before you arrive in Albuquerque. Book your room at the Hotel Albuquerque. The guaranteed LITA room rate date has passed, but when you call at: 505-843-6300 ask for the LITA room rate, there might be a few rooms left in our block. Three keynote speakers will be featured at this year’s forum: AnnMarie Thomas, Engineering Professor, University of St. Thomas Lorcan Dempsey, Vice President, OCLC Research and Chief Strategist Kortney Ryan Ziegler, Founder Trans*h4ck. More than 30 concurrent colleague inspired sessions and a dozen poster sessions will provide a wealth of practical information on a wide range of topics….

2014

2014 LITA Forum: 3 Amazing Keynotes

Join your LITA colleagues in Albuquerque, Nov 5-8, 2041 for the 2014 LITA Forum. The guaranteed discount hotel rate at the Hotel Albuquerque ends Tuesday Oct. 14th, 2014 Registration closes Monday Oct. 27th, 2014 This year’s Forum has three amazing keynotes you won’t want to miss: AnnMarie Thomas, Engineering Professor, University of St. Thomas AnnMarie is an engineering professor who spends her time trying to encourage the next generation of makers and engineers. Among a host of other activities she is the director of the Playful Learning Lab and leads a team of students looking at both the playful side of engineering (squishy circuits for students, the science of circus, toy design) and ways to use engineering design to help others. AnnMarie and her students developed Squishy Circuits. Check out AnnMarie’s fun Ted Talk on Play-Doh based squishy circuits. Lorcan Dempsey, Vice President, OCLC Research and Chief Strategist Lorcan Dempsey…

2014

2014 LITA Forum Student Registration Rate Deadline Extended

The special student registration rate to the 2014 LITA National Forum has been extended through Monday October 6th, 2014.  The Forum will be held November 5-8, 2014 at the Hotel Albuquerque in Albuquerque, NM. Learn more about the Forum here. This special rate is intended for a limited number of graduate students enrolled in ALA accredited programs. In exchange for a discounted registration, students will assist the LITA organizers and the Forum presenters with on-site operations. This year’s theme is “Transformation: From Node to Network.” We are anticipating an attendance of 300 decision makers and implementers of new information technologies in libraries. The selected students will be expected to attend the full LITA National Forum, Thursday noon through Saturday noon. This does not include the pre-conferences on Thursday and Friday. You will be assigned a variety of duties, but you will be able to attend the Forum programs, which include…

2014

Voice your ideas on LITA’s strategic goals

As mentioned in a previous post, LITA is beginning a series of informal discussions to let members voice their thoughts about the current strategic goals of LITA. These “kitchen table talks” will be lead by President Rachel Vacek and Vice-President Thomas Dowling. The kitchen table talks will discuss LITA’s strategic goals – collaboration and networking; education and sharing of expertise; advocacy; and infrastructure – and how meeting those goals will help LITA better serve you. The talks also align with ALA’s strategic planning process and efforts to communicate the association’s overarching goals of professional development, information policy, and advocacy. When ONLINE: Friday, September 19, 2014, 1:30-2:30 pm EDT ONLINE: Tuesday, October 14, 2014, 12:00-1:00 pm EDT IN-PERSON: Friday, November 7, 2014, 6:45-9:00 pm MDT at the LITA Forum in Albuquerque, NM We look forward to the conversations!

2014

2014 LITA Forum: early bird rates available through Sept. 15

Don’t miss your chance to save up to $50 on registration for the 2014 LITA Forum “From Node to Network” to be held Nov. 5-8, 2014 at the Hotel Albuquerque in Albuquerque N.M. Don’t forget to book your room at the Hotel Albuquerque by Oct. 14, 2014 to guarantee the LITA room rate. This year’s Forum will feature three keynote speakers AnnMarie Thomas, Engineering Professor, University of St. Thomas Lorcan Dempsey, Vice President, OCLC Research and Chief Strategist Kortney Ryan Ziegler, Founder Trans*h4ck. More than 30 concurrent colleague inspired sessions and a dozen poster sessions will provide a wealth of practical information on a wide range of topics. Networking opportunities, a major advantage of a smaller conference, are an important part of the Forum. Take advantage of the Thursday evening reception and sponsor showcase, the Friday networking dinners or Kitchen Table Conversations, plus meals and breaks throughout the Forum to…

2014

LITA Kitchen Table Conversations

LITA is beginning a series of informal discussions to let members voice their thoughts about the current strategic goals of LITA. The first couple of these “kitchen table talks,” lead by President Rachel Vacek and Vice-President Thomas Dowling, will take place online in September and October (details to follow), and will be followed by in-person dinners at the 2014 LITA Forum in Albuquerque. The kitchen table talks will discuss LITA’s strategic goals – collaboration and networking; education and sharing of expertise; advocacy; and infrastructure – and how meeting those goals will help LITA better serve you. The talks also align with ALA’s strategic planning process and efforts to communicate the association’s overarching goals of professional development, information policy, and advocacy. So if you’re coming to Forum (and you really should!), come have a bowl of green chile stew with Rachel or Thomas and let your voice be heard.

2014

Plan to Attend 2014 LITA Forum, Albuquerque NM, Nov. 5-8, 2014

2014 LITA Forum Albuquerque, NM November 5-8, 2014 Registration Now Open! Plan now to join us in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at the Hotel Albuquerque for the 2014 LITA Forum, a three-day educational event that includes preconferences, general sessions, and more than 30 concurrent sessions. Registration is limited in order to preserve the important networking advantages of a smaller conference. Take advantage of the informal Thursday evening reception and Friday evening networking dinners to get to know LITA leaders, Forum speakers, and your colleagues. 2014 LITA Forum is the 17th annual gathering of technology-minded information professionals and is a highly regarded annual event for those involved in new and leading edge technologies in the library and information technology field. Comments from past attendees: “Best conference I’ve been to in terms of practical, usable ideas that I can implement at my library.” “I get so inspired by the presentations and conversations with…

2014

LITA Town Meeting, January 27, 2014

The LITA Town Meeting will take place on Monday January 27, 2014, from 8:30-10:00 am, EST. If you are able to attend in person, great! I’ll be happy to see you there! If not, I encourage you to participate remotely. Here are all the links you’ll need, no matter how or when you want to participate. Information on what we’re doing at the Town Meeting: http://litablog.org/2014/01/how-has-lita-made-your-life-awesome-tell-us-at-hashtag-becauselita/ The Tagboard where we are aggregating items with the hastag #becauseLITA: https://tagboard.com/becauselita The Google Doc containing the six different activites used during the Town Meeting: http://goo.gl/Jhnj50 The Google Doc where we are sharing our work: http://goo.gl/j5jgo9 Additional online resources for remote users: Create a comic with Bitstrips: http://bitstrips.com/create/comic/ Brainstorm: https://bubbl.us/ Make a chart: https://developers.google.com/chart/ Create a storyboard: http://studios.amazon.com/storyteller I want to emphasize that this activity is very different than the types of activities that we’ve previously done at Town Meetings. Here, we’re trying to…