Conference reports and more from ZSR Librarians
Some less-than-stellar ALA programs reminded me of a couple catch-phrases from an old music ed. professor. First, “a good example of a bad example”. Or in other words, some guaranteed ways to make people walk out of your program in droves: Don’t have or follow an agenda Don’t alert the incoming crowd to the fact... more ›
I spent a lot of time talking to vendors about e-books and library systems; saw a cool DVD dispenser by PIKinc.; went to a discussion group on offsite storage; and heard The Myth and the Reality of the Evolving Patron: The RUSA President’s Program with Lee Rainie (Director of the Pew Research Center’s Internet &... more ›
I learned lots of things at ALA, but one thing I learned almost right away: bring numerous pairs of comfortable shoes. I had heard people say that, and my standard-issue brown slip-ons are *kind of* comfortable (and hey! they go with everything! I only have to pack one pair!), so I mostly ignored all of... more ›
My [second] ALA Annual conference commenced on Friday afternoon, as I attempted to catch the #5 shuttle bus bound for McCormick Place, only to find myself (and other librarians, too, but this is the “all about me” show) stuck in rush hour traffic. Despite my best efforts to arrive in time for the Opening General... more ›
Let me first say that this has been one of my best ALA conference experiences, however, I am not a huge fan of Chicago as a conference site. It is so spread out and personally, I find it somewhat challenging crossing the street with 50 other folks at the same time. That aside, I have... more ›
ALA Annual Conference 2013 @ McCormick Place, Chicago I always prided myself (not sure why, but that’s probably just another of my issues) on staying on top of daily conference posts on this professional development blog. I find that I am better able to relay information in short spurts (hmm, maybe it’s my newspaper background... more ›
After a friendly conversation with a very patient lady at the ALA registration desk, it turned out that the reason they had no record of my registration was…I hadn’t actually remembered to register. So that’s a shining start to the conference. Friday afternoon I went to LITA 101, a gentle introduction to ALA’s coolest little... more ›
My ALA started on Friday with an all-day ProQuest User Group meeting. This was the first time ProQuest had done one of these and it was really, really useful. Their goal was to hear from librarians about a variety of issues and to update us on what is coming with ProQuest products. I spent the... more ›
So maybe it was a little crazy getting to our hotel in the middle of a city-wide celebration, and maybe Susan, Carolyn and I looked a little strange wheeling our luggage through a sea of red shirts (and no shirts), but honestly, how often does crazy like that happen, and how often do you get... more ›
This year’s conference of the North American Serials Interest Group (NASIG) was held June 6-9 in Buffalo, NY. After a bumpy plane ride, Chris and I arrived safely in Buffalo. (NASIG VP/Pres-elect Steve Kelley got there a day ahead of us.) The opening session was presented by Dr. Bryan Alexander, from the National Institute for... more ›