Posts Tagged ‘ala annual’
I got to meet Cory Doctorow!
I was, and am, way too excited about this.
Massive kudos to ALA for inviting him to come to Annual. I only wish his Sunday session on privacy had been better promoted — it was one of the best ones I attended at the conference.
Home from ALA Annual 2008
Man, am I tired. I think I did more stuff at this conference than any I’ve been to previously. Still recovering. Some standouts:
Win: Preconference on “Library Instruction 2.0” presented by Karen Munro, Anne-Marie Dietering and Rachel Bridgewater was one of the best conference sessions I’ve ever been to. I came away with a ton of ideas.
Win: BIGWIG Social Software Showcase was not only interesting but fun. I spent the whole session with Cindi Trainor’s Libguides discussion group since I had some experience with it and felt like I could contribute. (Libguides seems to be a theme for me this summer.) I’m so glad that groups like BIGWIG are experimenting with new presentation models like this.
Win: I got to meet Cory Doctorow, my technology activist hero! The ALA Office of Intellectual Freedom had him, Beth Givens and Dan Roth in a fantastic panel discussion on privacy Sunday afternoon. After hearing this session, I’m planning to create a guide to online privacy tools for students. Win: Trading Twitter messages with Jessamyn West during the session. Fail: The session was poorly publicized (last-minute addition?) and therefore poorly attended. This should have been a centerpiece of the conference.
Addendum: Jessamyn’s blog post about the session, Jenny Levine’s post at Shifted Librarian, Kate Sheehan’s post at Loose Cannon Librarian.
Fail: The (paid) speaker at the LIRT session “Energizing Your Instruction” included ads for his wife’s (?) weight loss business in the handouts and opening slides. That’s the tackiest and most inappropriate thing I’ve ever seen in a presentation and it put me off even before he started.
Win: Meeting (”meating,” as my friend Amy would say) some online friends and acquaintances in person for the first time: Karin and Cindi, great to meet you guys at last! Fail: Logistical confusion ensued when some of us split off from the Twitter meetup at dinner and I didn’t get to hang out with Colleen and others I wanted to. Can we try again at Midwinter? Win: Made some unexpected new friends as well as seeing some old ones.
Win: I’m now the co-chair of Library Instruction Roundtable’s Teaching, Learning and Technology committee — we had a great discussion at our meeting and it looks like we’re going to do some sort of project based around reviewing/analyzing Libguides and its open-source competitors. (Is there a name for programs like Libguides? Research guide creator software?)
Cory Doctorow at ALA Annual
I am a big fan of Cory Doctorow, author/blogger/activist. I’m very excited to see that he’s appearing at ALA Annual in Anaheim this year, but I haven’t seen a lot of buzz about it in the biblioblogosphere yet. So I’m, um, buzzing.
As far as I’ve been able to tell, he’s got only two appearances on the schedule. If I’ve missed any, please comment and let me know.
Science Fiction and Fantasy: Looking at Information Technology and the Information Rights of the Individual
Saturday, June 28
4 p.m.-5:30 p.m.
Anaheim Convention Center 304 A/B
Distinguished science fiction and fantasy authors will discuss the visionary nature of their craft, how speculative literature suggests new ideas and technologies, and the possible impacts these developments could have on society in the future. This year’s authors are Cory Doctorow, Eric Flint, Vernor Vinge and Brandon Sanderson, experts in the field of information technology, access to information, and the rights of individuals, along with just being really good authors. Come to listen, ask questions, and enjoy! Speakers: Cory Doctorow, Tor Books; Eric Flint, Baen Books; Vernor Vinge, Tor Books; Brandon Sanderson, Tor Books
Privacy: Is it Time for a Revolution?
Sunday, June 29
1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
201D, Anaheim Convention Center
Protecting reader privacy and confidentiality has long been an integral part of the mission of ALA and its members. Should it continue to be a priority? In an age when people increasingly use social networking to expose intimate life details, does privacy still matter to information seekers? Does anyone care if their library records and online searches are being tracked? If they don’t, why should they? A panel of thought leaders from the information economy including author Cory Doctorow, Wired senior writer Dan Roth, and Privacy Rights Clearinghouse director Beth Givens will debate the importance of privacy and what’s at stake if the persistent erosion of privacy continues unchecked. Join us for a provocative examination of a librarian’s role in the future of privacy.
