A. Programs Where I Will Be Speaking
At this year’s ALA conference, I will be participating in three programs as invited panelists and speakers. If any of these topics interests you, come on by!
Game Making Interest Group Sunday June 29, 8:30-10 AM
This is the meeting of LITA Game-Making Interest Group. At the conference this year, several chapter authors of the recently published book, Games in Libraries: Essays on Using Play to Connect and Instruct (McFarland, 2014), will be discussing the ideas that they put into the chapters they contributed to this book. I will briefly talk about my chapter “Learning with Games in Medicine and Healthcare and the Potential Role of Libraries.” and the variables that affect the pedagogical efficacy of games. Most of the time at the meeting will be spent on a discussion between the attendees and the chapter authors. So bring your ideas for the exciting discussion on libraries, games, and gamification. Below are the slides for my part.
Top Technology Trends Sunday June 29, 1-2:30 PM
I am very excited to be on the Top Technology Trends panel this year. The trend that I will be talking about is Biohackerspace and DIYbio. Never heard of either of them? Check out this TED talk by molecular biologist, Ellen Jorgensen, who is also the founder of GenSpace in Brooklyn.
Won’t be attending the ALA conference this year? There will be live streaming! Follow the Twitter hashtag #ALATTT, and the live stream URL will be posted on the event day by @toptechtrends. The recording will also be made available later. (Big thanks to LITA Top Tech Trends Committee members for making this happen!)
All the trends that will be discussed by this year’s panelists are up on the Top Tech Trends page. This year’s trends include exciting topics such as Open hardware and Personally-tuned discovery system.
Emerging Leaders Interest Group World Cafe Sunday June 29, 3-4:30 PM
This is a meeting for past and present ALA Emerging Leaders, and I will be representing my 2011 class of Emerging Leaders along with other past ELs representing their class. Other EL class representatives are: 2013 Tyler Dzuba, 2012 Erica Findley, 2010 Leo Lo, 2009 Lisa Carlucci Thomas, 2008 Lauren Pressley, 2007 Alexia Hudson-Ward.
The questions that the each class representative will answer are:
- Â What was the best thing that happened to you since being named EL?
- Â Is it really true that being an EL is your ticket to fame and glory within ALA?
- Â Do you think you’re in your place in your career now because of the EL experience? Why and why not?What was the most important/memorable thing you learned from your EL experience?
If you have been one of the ALA Emerging Leaders, come chat with us and other ELs to talk about your experience!
B. Programs that I Will Be Attending
Now that I covered the programs where I will be speaking at, I may as well share some of the programs that I am planning to attend. Please comment if I missed anything great and hopefully this may help others in deciding what program to attend among the wide array of great choices.
Friday June 27
“Enough PHP to Be Dangerous†9 AM – 5 PM
I am arriving at Las Vegas in the morning. If I can still function after the five hour flight and don’t crash at my hotel room, I will be at “Enough PHP to Be Dangerous†program to hang out with librarians who are interested in coding. This is not an official ALA program. But if you are interested in learning how to code, this should be on top of your list along with the LITA/ALCTS Library CodeYear IG Meeting on Saturday!
“Enough PHP to Be Dangerous† is an event organized by Tim Spalding at LibraryThing. It will be 9am-5pm at Embassy Suites Convention Center, three blocks from the Convention Center. To cover the cost of the room and the free lunch, donations will be appreciated ($55 per person). Hope you can support so that more programs like this will continue to take place in the future!
Taiga Forum Meeting 2-4PM
I have never been at a Taiga Forum meeting. So I am planning to check out the program at the Annual this year. The program description says it will cover the way search firms look for academic library AULs & ADs. I am currently in an AD position and so I am hoping that this program will also cover the leadership qualities and experience sought from current and future AULs and ADs.
Even if you are not in a AUL or AD position, if you are interested in learning how decision-makers are selected for an academic library leadership positions, this may be a useful program to you. Or like me if you are just curious about Taiga Forum, that will do as well since the Taiga Forum always produces a controversial position paper.
LITA Open House 3 – 4 PM
If you are curious about LITA, make sure to check out LITA Open House program. Then come to the LITA Happy Hour on Sunday. If you work in libraries and work with technologies, LITA is a great place for you to meet like-minded, super-friendly, and knowledgeable people.
Opening General Session – Featuring: Jane McGonigal 4-5:15PM
And of course I am going to this one as I am a big fan of gamification. I will be also writing another Library Technology Report to be published by ALA TechSource on the topic of gamification this year. (My previous one was titled “The Library Mobile Experience: Practices and User Expectations”.) So hopefully I will get some insight from McGonigal, who is well known form her book, Reality is Broken.
Saturday June 28
> 8:30-10 AM
I think I will be at one of these places. Too many good choices.
- Health Sciences Interest Group Membership Meeting
- Is That a Penguin on Your Desktop?
- Middle managers discussion group
- Using Instructional Design Applications to Effectively Flip Library Instruction
> 10:30-11:30AM
Is the Public Library the New Education Institution of the Future?
I think public and academic libraries need to communicate and learn from each other more. This is the program that was recommended to me by Amy Garmer at Aspen Institute, whom I met at the Future of the Libraries Meeting this spring organized by ALA current president Barbara Stripling. She told me about the recent program she worked on at Aspen Institute, which interviewed many policy makers and various industry business people regarding the future of public libraries. It is likely that I will miss this because I have to go to the Top Tech Trends Committee meeting at the same time. But I think some of you may want to check this out!
Top Technology Trends Committee
I will be a good committee member attending my TTT committee meeting while missing the other two LITA committee meetings that are taking place at the same time.
ACRL New Members Discussion Group is a vibrant and friendly informal group that can be amazingly useful to new academic librarians and librarians-to-be. I highly recommend this meeting, and this year it has a great topic – the identity of academic librarians – and great speakers. There is a strong chance that if you like this group, you will end up hanging out with a lot of cool people at ACRL. It is at the same time as ACRL President’s Program: Financial Literacy at Your Library though. So you will have to make a wise choice!
> 1 – 2:30 PM
Library Code Year Interest Group
I will be probably going to be at this meeting! The topics look fantastic.
But if you are less interested in coding, some other options which I would be sad to miss are:
- New Directions for Data Visualization in Library Public Services
- 3D Printing at the Reference Desk & Library Makerspaces Without the Space
- Mobile Computing Interest Group
Always go to the Interest Group meeting that interest you. It is a great place to be even more so often than big programs according to my experience.
> 4:30 -5 PM
Redefining Humans from the Past to the Future
Many librarians’ beloved program by sci-fi and fantasy authors organized by LITA Imagineering IG meeting. Come early to get free books! These are usually the only free books I take with me from the ALA conference I attend.
> 9PM
I am not organizing a tweet-up at this year’s ALA annual conference. (Gasp! But there will be one in the upcoming Midwinter. So don’t be disappointed!)
But I am going to the After Hours Party, which is always fun.
Sunday June 29
LITA Board of Directors Orientation 10:30 AM-12 PM
I am starting my 3-year term on the LITA board of directors after this year’s ALA Annual Conference. So I will be oriented at this meeting. If you are a LITA member and have any thoughts, ideas, opinions, please let me know or communicate with any other LITA board of directors. BTW, the current board member, Andromeda, wrote an interesting and informative blog post about the LITA budget for the next year. You should check it out if you are a LITA member!
I will be sad missing these other programs taking place at the same time. But maybe some of you would be lucky and can go!
- Executive Board Meeting (NMRT) – My term as the NMRT Outreach Director ends at the end of the conference and I will be missing the meeting! But best of luck to the NEW NMRT board members!
- Understanding Schema.org
- Makerspace and Digital Badging: New Avenues To Help Students Show What They Know
Monday June 30
Conversation Starter: Where Does My Money Come From and How Can I Get More? 8-8:45 AM
We can always learn more about library advocacy and funding I think.
This is the inaugural meeting of LITA User Experience IG meeting which I am co-chairing. If you are interested in UX, come by and have an informal and fun conversation with us!
Conversation Starter: Data for Librarians 2:45pm – 3:30 pm
I need to learn more about data management just like everyone else.
Conversation Starter: What I Really Want to Do is Direct: First-Time Library Directors Discuss Their Experiences. 4:00pm- 4:45 pm
I recently started my new position as an Associate Director at my library. So I am looking forward to this program to learn more about management and leadership.
The Library Games 5:30pm to 7:00pm
If I am still standing at this point, I might enjoy watching librarians playing some games.
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Did I miss any great obvious choices? Any programs that slipped through my radar? Let me know and see you at Las Vegas. Safe travels, librarians!
