The 107th Annual Conference of the Ontario Library Association SUPER CONFERENCE 2009January 28 - January 31, 2009 Metro Toronto Convention Centre Details, click here
Friday, September 19, 2008
SUPER CONFERENCE 2009
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Conference Session Visualization -- Best Practices
Jean-Claude Bradley a Coordinator for E-Learning at the College of Arts and Sciences at Drexel University has excellent Blog post on a poster session in-progess, with sign board:
PS. I wish they'd bring this Useful Chemistry visualizer to OLA? Hello: Are you bringing this creative mind, otherwise at the least change the Chemistry we have--that which is now static?
Session sign:
NB. All the posters are still available for viewing. (SLURL)PS. I wish they'd bring this Useful Chemistry visualizer to OLA? Hello: Are you bringing this creative mind, otherwise at the least change the Chemistry we have--that which is now static?
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Mementoes For All Friends-of-Libraries
We Celebrate the Spirit of Dr. S.R. Ranganathan's Five Laws of Library Science:
Some more if you like it:
Searching Is Polarized; Will The Five Laws Get a New Revised Version: Every Search Engine Its Searcher Diversity Resources - Accommodation, Tolerance and Coexistence
Some more if you like it:
PS. I am not the first librarian to wear this hat of using the imagechef tool, there are others too: Library and Technology PLC, Senior Friendly Libraries , etc. etc..
My previous post:
Monday, March 3, 2008
MEDIA MONITORING: What Other Bloggers Say: Update VIII
- Evergreen workshop at code4lib 2008
26 Feb 2008 by nospam@example.com (Dan Scott) This laptop worked fine with the projector at the OLA Superconference just a few weeks ago, and Bill was afflicted by the same problem - so it really put a crimp in my ability to switch from the presentation to the live install image. ...CoffeeCode : Dan Scott, Caffeinated Librarian... - - ONTARIO'S CENTENNIAL PUBLIC LIBRARIES, 1967
22 Feb 2008 by Lorne Bruce Now for the latest presentation at OLA SuperConference on February 1st -- a PDF version of my talk to an avid group of library history people who got to discuss Canada's centennial year and some of the libraries that were built at that ...Libraries Today Blog - - OLA Super Conference notes
20 Feb 2008 by Alex Yarrow I was at the OLA Super Conference last week, and attended two particularly cool sessions. I thought I would share some highlights from my notes with you! Session # 418: Open Source and Libraries in the Developing World with Bess Sadler, ...CLA Montreal Chapter
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
MEDIA MONITORING: What Other Bloggers Say: Update VII
- EGERTON RYERSON'S LIBRARY SYTEM
18 Feb 2008 by Lorne Bruce OK, another OLA SuperConference in Toronto has come and gone at the start of February along with the snowstorm! I was lucky to make it to the Metro Convention Centre to give a presentation on "Centennial Libraries" that were built ...- Wild Ride buzzes OLA Super Conference
18 Feb 2008 by liam As one of the few graphic novels specifically written for kids, Wild Ride caused a good deal of buzz at the recent OLA Super Conference. Thanks to all the teacher-librarians who said hi and got a copy for their school library. ...- WIN.
16 Feb 2008 Heading to the OLA Super Conference. SD Bill Would Allow Higher Brand Fee. Council OKs disaster plan. RADIO CONTROL CAR. Bhutan blast. Pat-In Pie Crust (No-Roll). High-tech fish count. Billerica election heats up. ...
- Backlog:
- Thank-You, OLA!
5 Feb 2008 by Ami Just back from a short trip to Toronto where I picked up this gorgeous Evergreen Award from the Ontario Library Association (in the middle of a howling snowstorm, I might add...) We maritime mommies... [[ This is a content summary only. ...- The Surfacing of Slow Library: OLA Super Conference 2008
1 Feb 2008 by John It could be said that Slow Library represents a better balance of people and technology, and that seemed to be a significant part of the agenda at OLA 2008. A keynote speaker today was Carl Honoré, author of In Praise of Slow: How a ...- Upcoming events…
21 Jan 2008 by justinelibrary OLA 2008. David Sharron and I will be presenting a poster session entitled “Adventures in English Literature” on Friday, February 1. The session will detail our Special Collections/digital resources workshops offered to English students ...NB. Click here for all updates (of The OLA Superconference 2008 Blog's MEDIA MONITORING)
Thursday, February 14, 2008
MEDIA MONITORING: What Other Bloggers Say: Update VI
- Learning 2.0 at OLA Super Conference
13 Feb 2008 by angelacw I had the opportunity to attend the OLA Super Conference recently. One of the sessions I attended was “Moving Your Library to 2.0 and Beyond”, with Amanda Etches-Johnson (McMaster University), Gail Richardson, and Beckie MacDonald ...mélange - - Through a glass darkly...
11 Feb 2008 by librarianinblack@gmail.com If you're not up for a full book that questions and criticizes the house that the web built, at least see what Keen said in a speech he gave at the Ontario Library Association's Super Conference (blogged gloriously by Amanda ...LibrarianInBlack - - Review: Eye of the Crow by Shane Peacock
11 Feb 2008 by Jen The other week when I was at the OLA Super Conference, I picked up just two books, and this was one of them. See, unlike many librarians, I'm not into the whole "grab a load of free crap" when it comes to the vendor expo. ... - What should a literate teacher be able to do?
10 Feb 2008 by Diana Deco This is quoted from David Warlick's blog 2c worth, who wrote these notes live from Stephen Heppel's keynote address at the 105th annual OLA Super Conference on January 30th. Heppell asked a group of students what a literate teacher ... - Finding the Fit
10 Feb 2008 by drbrucepk He’s commenting on a keynote by Stephen Heppell at the Ontario Library Association, and Heppell had asked students what a technology literate teacher should be able to do and they listed these things: ...The International Teacher - - Backlog:
- OLA Post: part two
9 Feb 2008 by Michelle Session # 303 Blogging in the Library Jessica Olliver, MLIS Candidate, University of Western Ontario. Jess is a friend and I was thrilled to see her present at the conference. This was a really good overview of the blogging basics and ... - Long overdue OLA post: part one 9 Feb 2008 by Michelle For those not in the biz, OLA is the Ontario Library Association, and the supercoference is huge, over 4500 attendees this year, all of whom have a connection to the library community. The conference does maintain a website, ...Yarns from M. : An Earnest, Savvy, Fetching... -
- Superconference 2008
8 Feb 2008 by glowworm I’ve been to recent Sirsidynix Superconferences, but am tending to the “no-go” for 2008. I thought last year’s event was good for content, and while luxuriating at length in a bathtub in my room that might have been used by some ... - Exhuming Taddle Creek
6 Feb 2008 toronto-sewer.jpg I met up with my editor on Friday after the OLA Super Conference. Although it will still be a couple of weeks before we can get into the serious editing of The Young City, we discussed some ideas. ... - This is a great video - Stephen Heppell was the keynote at OLA ...
5 Feb 2008 by tldlblog This is a great video - Stephen Heppell was the keynote at OLA Superconference and everyone is talking about him. Here is Stephen talking about technology in education. youtube=http://youtube. com/v/W2YCOhljF6U. - Deb's Totally Unofficial OLA Conference Blog, The Second
31 Jan 2008 by Deb Oh, kids. What a day I had. Never mind that I went over to the CBC museum, saw the tickle trunk and the Friendly Giant's Castle, never mind that I had a 'hey how you doin'" head-nod moment with Brent Bambury (I'd have preferred George ... - OLA Conference
30 Jan 2008 by Mr. T. Looking for Mr. Thomson or Mrs. Brown during Exam Return Day or the Feb. 1 PD Day? You'll find them at the Ontario Library Association Conference in Toronto! We'll be back for the start of Semester 2 on Monday; if you have library needs ... - Blog the OLA conference!
22 Jan 2008 by Jen Hey there. I just saw this posted and thought I'd share it with you. Unfortunately my laptop is too dilapidated (missing keys, shorted-out battery, etc.) that I really don't use it anymore except in my bed (well, last week I did use it ... - Research Help Debriefing Jan. 21, 2008
21 Jan 2008 by rhblog The OLA conference is next week Friday. Please make sure you have it in Corporate Time so that Frances can do the scheduling. Janice will not be starting at the Research Help Desk until the summer, due to other projects. ...
NB. Click here for all updates (of The OLA Superconference 2008 Blog's MEDIA MONITORING)
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
OLA's Super Conference 2008: Session Presentations
Wednesday, January 30, 2008 @ 9:30 AM-4 PM
- No iPod Required, Katina Papulkas :Session Presentation (.ppt)Podcasting (.pdf)Audacity download (.pdf)Control Toolbar (.pdf)Podcast Resources and Bibliography (.pdf)Audacity effects and audio (.pdf)Export Audacity MPS (.pdf)
Thursday, January 31, 2008 @ 9:05 AM
- How and Why to Bring Users Into the Service and Web Design Process Session Presentation Patricia Eastman (.pdf) / Session Presentation Terry Costantino (.pdf) / Session Presentation Melanie Rodney (.pdf)
- Libraries on the Go. A Shared Experience. Session Presentation Barbara Franchetto (.ppt)
- How and Why to Bring Users Into the Service and Web Design Process Session Presentation Patricia Eastman (.pdf) / Session Presentation Terry Costantino (.pdf) / Session Presentation Melanie Rodney (.pdf)
- Libraries on the Go. A Shared Experience. Session Presentation Barbara Franchetto (.ppt)
- “I just got hired, now what?” Transitioning From Classroom To Workplace Session Presentation (.pdf)
- Connecting for Learning: The TL as Interdisciplinarian Session Presentation (.ppt) / Handout (.doc)
- IM a Librarian: the Meebo, Skype-Unyte Solution Session Presentation (.ppt)
- New Learning Spaces to Foster a Collaborative Information Learning Community for Students Session Presentation (.zip)
- Social and Economic Value of Your Library to Your Community Session Presentation Martin Gómez (.ppt)
- Character Education @ your library Session Presentation (.ppt)Handout - Books for Building Character (.doc)Handout - Grade 7 Language lesson (.doc)Handout - Grade 10 Civics lesson (.doc)Handout - Grade 10 Careers activity (.doc)
- Enhancing the Undergraduate Experience of ESL students: A Collaborative Model Session Presentation (.pdf)
- Webquests for Literature and Information Circles Session Presentation (.ppt)
- Tipping Point and Your School Library Program Session Presentation (.ppt)- HandoutsThe Tipping Point and Your School Library Program (.doc)Thank You For: (.doc)Partners Library Coupons 1 (.pdf)Partners Library Coupons 2 (.pdf)
- "Here There Be Dragons"...Dispelling the Myths and Charting a Course to Roving Handout - Participant Material (.pdf)Handout - Additional Sources (.doc)
- Picture-book Perfect Selections Handout (.pdf)
- Get Smart @Your School Library Handout (.doc)
Friday, February 1, 2008 @ 8:00 AM
- Connecting With South Asian Customers: Developing Cultural Awareness Session Presentation Sarala Uttangi (.ppt)
- Engaging Your Community Through Assessment Session Presentation (.pdf)
- Information Literacy and the Contributions of Library Technicians in the Academic Library Session Presentation (.ppt)
- Listening to Your Library: How People with Vision Loss See Your On-Line Library Services Session Presentation Margaret Williams (.zip)
- Plagiarism in Canada and the Library's Response Session Presentation (.ppt)
- Understanding Academic Misconduct in Canadian PSE Julia Christensen Hughes (.ppt)Works Cited Joy Muller (.doc)
- Rainbow Treasure Chest: Nuggets for Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual, and Transgender Users Session Presentation (.ppt)Partial List of Elementary Titles... (.doc)Partial List of Secondary Titles... (.doc)
- The Ontario Time Machine Session Presentation (.ppt)
- Why Values Matter: The Power of Values Governance At Markham Public Libraries Session Presentation (.ppt)
- Social Networking: Innovation and Research Session Presentation (.ppt)
Libraries and Literacy Working Together Session Presentation (.ppt) - Making Better Decisions: Incorporating Evidence into your Practice Session Presentation (.ppt)Handout (.doc)
- Media Literacy - Making Movies and Posters Session Presentation (.ppt)• Handouts:Stop Film Animation (.doc)The Big Five questions for media literacy (.doc)Animation Rubric (.pdf)How to create a Read poster in Fireworks (.doc)Using Microsoft Windows Movie Maker 2 (.doc)READ Poster (.doc)
- International Role of a National Institution: Challenges and Best Practices at LAC Session Presentation (.ppt)
- Influence Without Authority Session Presentation (.ppt)
- Librarianship as a Profession: The Top Ten Trends and What They Mean For Your Career Handout (.doc)
Saturday, February 2, 2008 @ 8:00 AM
- Inside Out: Library Services At Point Of Need Session Presentation (.ppt)- HandoutsGraduate Focus Groups - Questions (.doc)Graduate Student Survey (.pdf)Library Instruction - Student Evaluation (.doc)Pre-Test Information Literacy Questionnaire (.doc)
- Talking to Strangers: Personalizing the Reference Interview Session Presentation (.pps)Handout (.pdf)
- Designing Assignments Worth the Effort Session Presentation (.ppt)Handout - Designing Assignments that Work (.doc)
- Working with an Outside Agency to Conduct a Community Survey: The Burlington Experience Telephone Survey (.doc)Proposal Authorization Form – market research services (.pdf)
- RDA : the Inside Story Session Presentation [English français] Ingrid Parent (.ppt)Session Presentation Marcia Salmon (.pdf)Session Presentation Patricia Longo (.ppt)
- Making it Theirspace! New and Practical Ways to Attract Teens to the Public Library Session Presentation (.pdf)
- Marketing on a Small Budget: a Toolkit and the Proof It Works Session Presentation Karen Thistle and Douglas Davey (.ppt)
Community Blog List - Didyou know about this list?
NB. I didn't know that there is a master list of forums and discussion groups. I just noticed. Our blog is yet to be inexed. So, is the case of our 2007 and older logs / blogs....
Monday, February 11, 2008
OLA slide show
Click to view: Libraries of the World - By OLA members
Note for any one who is interested in going 2.0:
How to embed a Flickr slideshow in your blog
How to put a Flickr Slideshow on your blog
Note for any one who is interested in going 2.0:
Saturday, February 9, 2008
MEDIA MONITORING: What Other Bloggers Say: Update V
- 7 months to grow up or till Graduation
9 hours ago by Book Lover I was at the Ontario Library Association conference last weekend volunteering. It was quite an exciting experience. It would have been more exciting had I not been sick. I had a quick look around the Exposition Hall (where all the ...- OLA
7 Feb 2008 by Alyssa Orca authors leave no book unsigned at the Ontario Library Association Super Conference last weekend:. Raquel Rivera signs… and signs… and signs… and signs… (more…)- share your experience and volunteer
7 Feb 2008 by Jennifer I'm back from OLA Super Conference 2008 where I made myself available as a volunteer, spending time over two days at the mentoring booth. I spoke with people interested in career shifts, those moving from the US and those who have.- * SUPER CONFERENCE'S UNIQUE BRAND OF EDUCATION
6 Feb 2008 Another Super Conference is over and what an excellent run of speakers and sessions we have had once more. Ethan Zuckerman, Irshad Manji, Carl Honoré provided enormous buzz with their dynamic and provocative presentations. ...OLA Headline Stories - - References- Exhuming Taddle Creek
6 Feb 2008 toronto-sewer.jpg I met up with my editor on Friday after the OLA Super Conference. Although it will still be a couple of weeks before we can get into the serious editing of The Young City, we discussed some ideas. ...- Best Bets, in books AND in friends This is a photo of Melanie with ...
6 Feb 2008 by The Mysterious Mrs. Jackson While Melanie was in TO for the recent OLA SuperConference, she found out that the Ontario Library Association has named Shadows on the Train one of its Best Bets for Children 2007. Yay! Thanks, OLA! Hey, and thanks to Gianna for taking ...- Wild Wednesday
6 Feb 2008 by Matthew A PowerPoint slideshow from an OLA SuperConference Session - Building Capacity for Learning: Learning 2.0. I'm not quite done going through it yet, but it's well worth the time. (via Stephen's Lighthouse) ...- Flu trumps blogging (and pretty much everything else)
5 Feb 2008 by Meredith Farkas All in all, it was a great conference and I learned about some exciting projects being developed by Ontario libraries. I’m definitely impressed with how collaborative libraries are in Ontario and wish we had that same spirit of ...- More Tag Clouds
5 Feb 2008 Last Thursday, I posted my notes from Andrew Keens presentation at the Ontario Library Association conference in Toronto. What’s in that blog are some fairly word-for-word quotes from his address, where I think he drew some unfair and ...- Those Super Librarians!
4 Feb 2008 by patricia storms Just a quick note to thank all the wonderful librarians and technicians who came by the Scholastic booth on Friday at the OLA Super Conference to get a signed copy of 13 Ghosts of Halloween. It was wonderful meeting you all, ...- OLA presentation
3 Feb 2008 by admin I presented a session called IM a Librarian: The Meebo, Skype-Unyte Solution at this year’s OLA Super Conference. Here are the PowerPoint slides. The slides leave out a lot. Feel free to drop me a line if you have any questions.NB. Click here for all updates (of The OLA Superconference 2008 Blog's MEDIA MONITORING)
Friday, February 8, 2008
Ethan Zuckerman Blogs OLA Super Conference
Those of you who attended Ethan Zuckerman's plenary presentation on the Thursday of the OLA Conference will may recall this speaker's involvement with projects such as Global Voices, Geekcorps and his involvement with Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet and Society. Zuckerman is also well known for his fascinating blog My Heart's in Accra. Zuckerman is a very prolific blogger who posts substantial essays almost daily (if not more often) on "Africa, international development and hacking the media".
One of the spin-off benefits of inviting a blogger to speak at the Super Conference is that we're also likely to get blogged. True to form Zuckerman posted some fascinating pieces related on the Conference.
Only just hours after his plenary, a post appeared on Zuckerman's blog entitled Help, I'm surrounded by librarians. Zuckerman writes a bit about how pleased he is to have been invited to a gathering of librarians and finds significant areas of overlap with his own interests.
One of the spin-off benefits of inviting a blogger to speak at the Super Conference is that we're also likely to get blogged. True to form Zuckerman posted some fascinating pieces related on the Conference.
Only just hours after his plenary, a post appeared on Zuckerman's blog entitled Help, I'm surrounded by librarians. Zuckerman writes a bit about how pleased he is to have been invited to a gathering of librarians and finds significant areas of overlap with his own interests.
Okay, so I’m at Canada’s largest gathering of librarians. There are likely 4500 librarians from across Ontario in a conference center located in the funky-shaped shadow of the CN Tower. I’m here because I’ve been asked to give a keynote this afternoon. When I got the invitation, I assumed that the Ontario Library Association had wanted to invite David Weinberger, realized he was busy and invited me instead. To my surprise and pleasure, the folks who invited me, knew my work and hoped I’d come to Ontario to talk about some of the issues I addressed at the Idea Festival in Louisville late last year - the internet in the developing world, homophily, serendipity, xenophilia. Which should be fun… for me at least.
Zuckerman then goes on to cover in detail session 418 entitled "Open Source and Libraries in the Developing World" by Bess Sadler, Randy Metcalfe and Nasser Saleh who presented on the eIFL project (Electronic Informatio for Libraries). He describes the eIFL project as one area in which there is enormous overlap between his work and that of librarians.
His post entitled Oh Canada is not directly related to the Conference but at least we can take some credit for getting him up here and inspiring him to muse: "Oh Canada, that frigid, yet funky land. You have ever so much to teach us."
Finally there is Zuckerman's fascinating post on one of the spotlight speakers, Andrew Keen, author of The Cult of the Amateur who spoke about "The Democritization of Web 2.0 and Digital Narcissism". There was a nice (but unintentional) point-counterpoint to having Zuckerman and Keen booked back to back since in many ways they represent diametrically opposed perspectives on the issue of the potential of the internet for social (and political) transformation. Zuckerman was keenly (pun not intended) aware of the contrast. Unfortunately Keen was oblivious. Zuckerman writes:
I hadn’t realized, when I signed up for the gig, that I was speaking directly before Andrew Keen. Keen is one of the hottest internet skeptics right now, and has been touring to promote his book, “Cult of the Amateur”. My friend David Weinberger has been invited to debate Keen several times, most notably in the Wall Street Journal, and I found myself worrying that I’d been put on stage as a cyberutopian strawman for Keen to batter afterwards. As it turns out, that wasn’t the intention. I addressed a plenary session, then Keen ran one of a dozen simultaneous sessions. To the two hundred or so crammed into a too-small room for Keen’s talk, it likely felt that he was responding directly to my optimism about the internet - as it turns out, he hadn’t actually caught my talk, which meant that the conflict between our worldviews was an inherent one, not one created by the structure of the conference.
Too bad we didn't think to set up a debate. Zuckerman was hoping to engage Keen during his Q&A:
I had my hand up for much of the question and answer session, but didn’t get to offer my query. I got asked by several people afterwards what I wanted to ask. Basically, I planned to ask Keen when he’d become worth listening to. He argues that we should listen to experts, not to amateurs… but this is his first book. Did he become an expert in a single moment of enlightenment? Or when the check from the publisher cleared? If it wasn’t a quantum process, was there a moment as a very good amateur where he was suddently worth listening to? And if so, doesn’t that mean that there could be, theoretically, out there on the citizen-generated internet, someone else worth his time to listen to?
The discussion then continues in the comments with interesting personalities like Larry Sanger (of Citizendium) and author David Weinberger weighing in.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
MEDIA MONITORING: What Other Bloggers Say: Update IV
OLA SuperConference Session
5 Feb 2008 by stephen
We did a session for the OLA SuperConference in Toronto on Saturday. Here are the PPT's. Building Capacity for Learning: Lerning 2.0. Stephen.
Stephen's Lighthouse -
Présentation Evergreen / OLA Super Conference
5 Feb 2008 by Camille Espiau
Une présentation d'Evergreen, intitulée "Evergreen : state of the open-source ILS", a été faite le 01/02/08 par Dan Scott, lors de l'Ontario Library Association Super Conference (OLA Super Conference). Le diaporama est disponible sur ...
Groupe de réflexion sur les SIGB libres -
OLA Super Conference
5 Feb 2008 by ebonymoonblade
Greetings, all. Last week was wonderful week in that I got the chance to go to the big OLA Super Conference. Our school paid for our trip down to see the Expo, which is where every library-related vendor in the country tries to be. ...
Ebony's journal -
"...A Great Presentation at the OLA Super Conference!"
4 Feb 2008 by Of Peter,
"Dear Peter, Thank you so much for your great presentation at the Ontario Library Association Super Conference today! You have put together a very informative and thought-provoking session. In an ever growing media-blitzed society, ...
Peter Stranks-Photography, Advertising... - - References
Who is Citing / Promoting this Blog
- Connie Crosby says she found Ontario Library Association Superconference 2008 - Blog -- cited by John Dupuis at Confessions of a Science Librarian
- Jen @ Canuck Librarian posted the call for bloggers to Blog the OLA conference!
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
MEDIA MONITORING: What Other Bloggers Say: Update III
"...A Great Presentation at the OLA Super Conference!"
6 hours ago by Of Peter, Thank you so much for your great presentation at the Ontario Library Association Super Conference today! You have put together a very informative and thought-provoking session. In an ever growing media-blitzed society, it is through ...Peter Stranks-Photography, Advertising... -Docutek vs IM
8 hours ago by Paul R. Pival Dan Sich from the U of Waterloo has posted the slides from a presentation he just gave at the Ontario Library Association Super Conference. The title of his talk was IM a Librarian: the Meebo, Skype-Unyte solution, and one really ...The Distant Librarian -Super Roundup
8 hours ago by theweelibrarian I’ve just returned from presenting and attending the Ontario Library Association’s SuperConference (despite a wicked snowstorm on Friday). As per usual, there were too many sessions and not enough time and I had some great conversations ...the wee librarian -The Future of Academic Libraries
10 hours ago by Joe This is a very interesting post and presentation at the Ontario Library Association Super Conference -- "My Job in 10 Years: The Future of Academic Libraries."Science and Engineering ResourcesSuperconference 2008
3 Feb 2008 by Sharon Seslija The Superconference 2008 site will have all the presentations posted for all sessions - it's a great place to go for personal teaching resources and pd. I also attended the OSLA's Hot Issues session and have a draft copy of the new ...Betty Bunhead Blog -Blog of the week January 3, 2008
3 Feb 2008 by Sylvia McNicoll Eighteen out of twenty authors showed up at the Convention Centre in Toronto on this stormy day. Most businesses and government offices, certainly schools closed. Librarians didn’t all make it. But I think everyone enjoyed it. ...Sylvia mcnicoll's Blog -ola stuff
2 Feb 2008 by Mike The session was Patricia Eastman from Toronto Public Library and two of their usability consultants. I found this to be quite a good session covering a lot of things we need to think about for our upcoming website redesign. ...ex libris -Weekend in Toronto
3 Feb 2008 by Barbara in Beamsville On Friday, I went to the Ontario Library Association Conference at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Later, Brendan and Amie and I went to a restaurant called Coca's and had a nice dinner. Then we walked back through the snow. ...Untitled -Things learned at SuperConference
3 Feb 2008 by MadJenny This week was the annual Ontario Library Association SuperConference. Held, luckily, in Toronto. There, I took part in a little of this, and also a lot of sitting listening to people, and a lot of droning on for myself. ...
Interesting Conclusion of a Blogger at the end of the day two...
"All in all it was another very well organized event with interesting speakers and topics. My only complaint was the lack of a free pen in my conference package. Also I can’t really be seen carrying around a bag covered in butterflies so I had to give the conference bag away to my Mom. I also forgot to see if Access Copyright was giving away free mints again this year. There’s always next year." [@ Library Playground -- Libraries, Technology & Me]
VIRTUAL ACCESS: Where is this access?
I am reading the following info on the OLA's Website: (under the caption virtual access)
"A professional company has been hired to make certain sessions available on the Web in video or audio format to OLA members who have not been able to come to Super Conference, or who have not been able to attend your session at the time allotted...."
My first question is to the organizers, participants, etc.: WHERE are these videos / audios? Is there a web link?
On another issue, I noticed that the Bloggers of 2007 OLA SuperConference did more visuals / colorful blog posts. Then, my second question is to the Team of SuperConference Bloggers 2008: Are we contented with mere textuals; presumably, we are better off with web 2.0 / Library 2.0 / and another feather in our cap that we are 'proud' of: Library Of Congress Images Goes Web 2.0
I am sure many participants must have clips (and may be at YouTube, Video.Google, etc). And, in case you find it any where, lets post it on the blog. Is any body reading this? Hello.....
NB. I found video that reports the ALA conference and reports OLA 2008 @ Help, I’m surrounded by librarians. :-)
Monday, February 4, 2008
Session 418: Open Source and Libraries in the Developing World
Presenters:
Bess Sadler, Research and Development Librarian, University of Virginia; former co-chair of eIFL-FOSS
Nasser Saleh, Integrated Learning Librarian, Queen's University
Randy Metcalf, Program Manager for eIFL-FOSS
Bess started with a few words about open source software, and the meaning of "free" - in terms of "as kittens" (where there are associated costs down the road) or "as beer" (where there are no future costs). Then she outlined Stallman's four freedoms associated with software:
Digital collections and libraries are of growing interest in developing countries, where it is often easier to access information on foreign collections that it is to learn about local histories.
For me, one of the most eye-opening lessons from Bess's talk was when she brought up the frequent criticisms of programs working to bring open source software to developing countries: what use is it when people are starving in those places?
Both Nasser and Randy talked about what eIFL is and does, and why its work is so important. Randy also talked about the aims of the program, and the need for realism.
(Ethan Zuckerman's summary of the session can be found here.)
Bess Sadler, Research and Development Librarian, University of Virginia; former co-chair of eIFL-FOSS
Nasser Saleh, Integrated Learning Librarian, Queen's University
Randy Metcalf, Program Manager for eIFL-FOSS
Bess started with a few words about open source software, and the meaning of "free" - in terms of "as kittens" (where there are associated costs down the road) or "as beer" (where there are no future costs). Then she outlined Stallman's four freedoms associated with software:
- you are free to run the program;
- you are free to study and adapt the program to your needs;
- you are free to redistribute;
- you are free to improve the software and release your improvements (and the whole community benefits).
Digital collections and libraries are of growing interest in developing countries, where it is often easier to access information on foreign collections that it is to learn about local histories.
For me, one of the most eye-opening lessons from Bess's talk was when she brought up the frequent criticisms of programs working to bring open source software to developing countries: what use is it when people are starving in those places?
- The technology is a part of the solution - it facilitates the spread of knowledge and supports access to it;
- Information access is vital to alleviating poverty;
- Access to information is as basic and vital as other services; and
- Where will local experts, such as engineers or farmers, get their information from?
Both Nasser and Randy talked about what eIFL is and does, and why its work is so important. Randy also talked about the aims of the program, and the need for realism.
- Simple advocacy isn't enough (you need action to back it up);
- Understanding alone doesn't get you a functional ILS;
- Building a community takes time (it doesn't happen overnight);
- There are always more challenges than are obvious at first;
- Expectations of the community can't always be managed.
(Ethan Zuckerman's summary of the session can be found here.)
OLA Conference Archives: Historic Perspective
On the Internet, I hardly see the 100+ years history of the OLA and its conferences. Mere news story or a passing reference to the Ontario Library Association's 100th Anniversary Super Conference (COUNTDOWN TO THE EVENT OF THE CENTURY AND FOR THE CENTURY) is not my major concern.
This is not an allegation about lack of documenation or absence of primary sources to write this history. I am sure most of this archival information may be in the physical storage, i.e, main office's vault (irrespective of the case-history we are interested in, and that includes OLA, CLA, ALA, etc). Whereas, I am concerned about the fact that virtual archives, of any of these are very few and data is hard to find.In short, does anybody know where on the Internet one may find complete historic information about all the OLA's growth and developement, as well as, more significantly about the conferences -- including, abstracts, presentations, handouts, announcements, news stories, awards, etc.?
Note: recent stuff is at the OLA Website* + Wayback Machine **
Ps. I am not the only soul hunting for this type of archival materials. See the most recent inquiry @ Library 2.0 Stuff*THE SUPER CONFERENCE ARCHIVE 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004
**Wayback machine has a few traces 1999 to 2003
Sunday, February 3, 2008
MEDIA MONITORING: What Other Bloggers Say: Update II
Andrew Keen @ Super Conference
32 minutes ago by amanda OLA ’s Super Conference wrapped up yesterday — it was good. I’d say it was great but, truth is, I only made it to one session (other than my own). I had many more circled in the program, but a combination of last-minute preparations for ...blogwithoutalibrary.net -OLA Super Conference 2008: My Session
1 hour ago by John Dupuis As I mentioned the other day, I presented yesterday at the OLA Super Conference this year on My Job in 10 Years: The Future of Academic Libraries. Between the bad weather all day Friday and the 9:05 Saturday timeslot (not to mention ...Confessions of a Science Librarian -Naptime
9 hours ago by djfiander djfiander posted a photo:. Naptime. Bill Denton (wtd) rests his eyes at OLA Superconference 2008. This is, in fact, the only picture I took at this year's conference.Photos from djfiander -Top Tech Trends
2 Feb 2008 by Casey Fiander in a roundtable discussion of Top Tech Trends at OLA’s Superconference. We’ve made a pact not to share our trends with each other in advance (no peeking), so it’ll be interesting to see how much overlap we have [...]Untitled -
Session 1210: I’m Teaching As Fast As I Can
Resenters: Ruth Hall, Tina Antaoniou, Marc Kopyto
Notes were taken during the session as the presentation was going on.
Teacher librarians are making purposeful connections but how do you get a clear picture of how this benefits the whole school. We have very busy positions need to know where we are going.
We have no course profile, curriculum document, and have to maintain the library. Need a common approach, to help determine if are you progressing in the school
Set up a framework to create a vision.
Three things you can do:
1. Design a brand (library handouts)
2. Framing lessons through the Research Process
3. Use curriculum mapping to find research tasks across grades and subjects.
LibraryHandouts (branding)
Use consistent headers for all library handouts. Handouts are colour-coded. All are posted online for the kids. Colour-code the research stage handouts. Postings are categorized as well.
(Blogger's note: Interesting – what they are showing is what I’ve been doing – great to see that the same thinking is happening.)
Framing Projects using the Reseach Process
Teachers forget that students need many repetitions of a skill.
They also shared some of the challenges of getting teachers to partner and buy in to a research process. Reasons: Problem of time – planning seems like more work; curriculum content is more important than process; and planning ahead makes some teachers nervous. Some schools have numerous reports and interruptions.
There was some discussions regarding how to use the guides (Imagine the Learning, Research Success@your library, Grand Erie’s GEARS). Using the research process chunks the project and makes it easier. Chunk and assess each chunk. Many assignments involve a lot if implying. This lays it out for students.
There are inconsistencies; some classes buy in some don’t. What happens to the students who don’t get the skills and processes?
Can’t reach all teachers. Teachers that you work with can spread the word
The speakers shared that they have common library assessments completed by all students in a grade. Grade 9 Geography: Library orientation. Grade 9 Science: notes and sourcing. Grade 10 Civics and Careers: databases, effective searches. Grade 10 History – notes, sourcing, supports. Grade 11 English: plagiarism and sourcing, and they distribute Research Success@ your library.
Curriculum Mapping
A group of teacher librarians are using the Curriculum Unit Planner to extract expectations and are mapping the curriculum to determine common expectations across subjects. Projects are being developed to address these expectations in large common assessment tasks. Used the core subjects This allows for the coordination of lessons for students. This allows for consistency from class to class and save time. If students have already been tsught he skills in one course then just review, reinforcement or reminder will need to be done in the library. Curriculum mapping will allow teachers see where skills occur across curriculum.
Examples of the Curriculum Maps and projects are at Secondary T-Ls Wiki.
Notes were taken during the session as the presentation was going on.
Teacher librarians are making purposeful connections but how do you get a clear picture of how this benefits the whole school. We have very busy positions need to know where we are going.
We have no course profile, curriculum document, and have to maintain the library. Need a common approach, to help determine if are you progressing in the school
Set up a framework to create a vision.
Three things you can do:
1. Design a brand (library handouts)
2. Framing lessons through the Research Process
3. Use curriculum mapping to find research tasks across grades and subjects.
LibraryHandouts (branding)
Use consistent headers for all library handouts. Handouts are colour-coded. All are posted online for the kids. Colour-code the research stage handouts. Postings are categorized as well.
(Blogger's note: Interesting – what they are showing is what I’ve been doing – great to see that the same thinking is happening.)
Framing Projects using the Reseach Process
Teachers forget that students need many repetitions of a skill.
They also shared some of the challenges of getting teachers to partner and buy in to a research process. Reasons: Problem of time – planning seems like more work; curriculum content is more important than process; and planning ahead makes some teachers nervous. Some schools have numerous reports and interruptions.
There was some discussions regarding how to use the guides (Imagine the Learning, Research Success@your library, Grand Erie’s GEARS). Using the research process chunks the project and makes it easier. Chunk and assess each chunk. Many assignments involve a lot if implying. This lays it out for students.
There are inconsistencies; some classes buy in some don’t. What happens to the students who don’t get the skills and processes?
Can’t reach all teachers. Teachers that you work with can spread the word
The speakers shared that they have common library assessments completed by all students in a grade. Grade 9 Geography: Library orientation. Grade 9 Science: notes and sourcing. Grade 10 Civics and Careers: databases, effective searches. Grade 10 History – notes, sourcing, supports. Grade 11 English: plagiarism and sourcing, and they distribute Research Success@ your library.
Curriculum Mapping
A group of teacher librarians are using the Curriculum Unit Planner to extract expectations and are mapping the curriculum to determine common expectations across subjects. Projects are being developed to address these expectations in large common assessment tasks. Used the core subjects This allows for the coordination of lessons for students. This allows for consistency from class to class and save time. If students have already been tsught he skills in one course then just review, reinforcement or reminder will need to be done in the library. Curriculum mapping will allow teachers see where skills occur across curriculum.
Examples of the Curriculum Maps and projects are at Secondary T-Ls Wiki.
Session 1000: David Warlick: Harnessing the Changing Shape of Information
I’m waiting for the session to start – David Warlick is sitting right in front of me speaking with Stephen Heppell – the two of them will be doing a session later today. On a screen in the front of the room there are a variety of quotes from 11 year olds from a science exam. For example: The magnet: something you find crawling all over a dead cat. Vacuum: a large empty space where the pope lives.
Peggy Thomas is introducing David Warlick. He is from N. Carolina – I look forward to hearing his southern accent.
Also showed Our Students Our Worlds – wiki documents that the presentation is based on.
Password for wiki is teacher. David invited us to edit his handouts on the wiki. Why? Because we learn from each other. He also said that his presentation is available on Slideshare. Can embed into wikis, blogs webpages by using Slideshare. He spoke about Second Life. There is an island for Second Life called EduIsland. Second Life http://landmark-project.com/sl/
Can create a virtual library on Second Life. Suruawang Dapoto (that's what David W. is called in Second Life)– showed us his avatar.
David spoke about what education prepared students for - straight rows, close supervision, repetitive tasks – but this is not the future.
He says that the cell phone is revolutionizing our culture.
How much information is accurate 2oo2 – 5 exabytes of info added (37 x Lib of Congress)- .01% was ever printed. We need to be teaching kids how to use this info.
More and more professional communications will be virtual. Clothing is being made that is fully connectable ie cellphone embedded in the jacket. GPS toe ring!!!!
First time in history we are preparing our child for a future we can not clearly describe. What do we do?
Three conversion conditions:
1. Unpredictable Future
What students learn is not as important. How they are learning is more important – teach kids how to teach themselves. (He cited the book TheWorld is Flat). Workforce requires cooperaration.
Richard Florida – The Rise of the Creative Class. Similar to what Daniel Pink has written regarding the increasing need fro right-braqined thinking. 400 000 creative arts jobs in the next couple of years. Implication – just as much funding into the creative arts as science is needed.
Our kids are 21st century but learning in 19th century classrooms.
2. Info-oriented Kids
They are social, multi-task, use multiple technolgies, have diverse family structures. Kids are learning things because they are connected. We don’t understand the vastness of the digital divide. There is power in community
As teachers we need to teach kids appropriate ways to communicate ie make the decision to write in ways appropriate to task. Many video games are learning engines. How can we harness this for educations? Book: What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy – James Paul Gee
Machinima – collaborative movie making through game.
Kids see info as raw material – they use it to make products. Kids today need:
To work in responsive information environments
Communicate with other
Share personal experiences
Form and take part in communities
Ask questions
Illustrated their accomplishments
Invest themselves
Safely make mistakes
The nature of info has change. We need to redefine literacy.
3. New information landscapes.
We can now make information find us. For example, RSS feeds, digitalization. The 3 Rs are:
Reading – exposing
Rithmetic – employing
Riting – expressly ideas
Many students are more literate that our students – Classrooms are flat.
Our job is to teach kids how to teach themselves. Not literacy, learning literacy, habits of literacy, a learning lifestyle.
Problems – Humans have a tendency to pay attention to people who think like us. We need to teach kids to question all viewpoints and look for all viewpoints.
Note: I keyed my notes during the session. Please excuse me if some content doesn't make sense. Just go to the website for handouts: http://handouts.davidwarlick.com This will also take you to a wiki called Our Students, Our World upon which this presentation is based.
Peggy Thomas is introducing David Warlick. He is from N. Carolina – I look forward to hearing his southern accent.
Also showed Our Students Our Worlds – wiki documents that the presentation is based on.
Password for wiki is teacher. David invited us to edit his handouts on the wiki. Why? Because we learn from each other. He also said that his presentation is available on Slideshare. Can embed into wikis, blogs webpages by using Slideshare. He spoke about Second Life. There is an island for Second Life called EduIsland. Second Life http://landmark-project.com/sl/
Can create a virtual library on Second Life. Suruawang Dapoto (that's what David W. is called in Second Life)– showed us his avatar.
David spoke about what education prepared students for - straight rows, close supervision, repetitive tasks – but this is not the future.
He says that the cell phone is revolutionizing our culture.
How much information is accurate 2oo2 – 5 exabytes of info added (37 x Lib of Congress)- .01% was ever printed. We need to be teaching kids how to use this info.
More and more professional communications will be virtual. Clothing is being made that is fully connectable ie cellphone embedded in the jacket. GPS toe ring!!!!
First time in history we are preparing our child for a future we can not clearly describe. What do we do?
Three conversion conditions:
1. Unpredictable Future
What students learn is not as important. How they are learning is more important – teach kids how to teach themselves. (He cited the book TheWorld is Flat). Workforce requires cooperaration.
Richard Florida – The Rise of the Creative Class. Similar to what Daniel Pink has written regarding the increasing need fro right-braqined thinking. 400 000 creative arts jobs in the next couple of years. Implication – just as much funding into the creative arts as science is needed.
Our kids are 21st century but learning in 19th century classrooms.
2. Info-oriented Kids
They are social, multi-task, use multiple technolgies, have diverse family structures. Kids are learning things because they are connected. We don’t understand the vastness of the digital divide. There is power in community
As teachers we need to teach kids appropriate ways to communicate ie make the decision to write in ways appropriate to task. Many video games are learning engines. How can we harness this for educations? Book: What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy – James Paul Gee
Machinima – collaborative movie making through game.
Kids see info as raw material – they use it to make products. Kids today need:
To work in responsive information environments
Communicate with other
Share personal experiences
Form and take part in communities
Ask questions
Illustrated their accomplishments
Invest themselves
Safely make mistakes
The nature of info has change. We need to redefine literacy.
3. New information landscapes.
We can now make information find us. For example, RSS feeds, digitalization. The 3 Rs are:
Reading – exposing
Rithmetic – employing
Riting – expressly ideas
Many students are more literate that our students – Classrooms are flat.
Our job is to teach kids how to teach themselves. Not literacy, learning literacy, habits of literacy, a learning lifestyle.
Problems – Humans have a tendency to pay attention to people who think like us. We need to teach kids to question all viewpoints and look for all viewpoints.
Note: I keyed my notes during the session. Please excuse me if some content doesn't make sense. Just go to the website for handouts: http://handouts.davidwarlick.com This will also take you to a wiki called Our Students, Our World upon which this presentation is based.
Session 900: Vincent Lam
Vincent Lamb is reading from his book Bloodletting and Other Miraculous Cures. He showed us a variety of book cover that were suggested for his book. Some of the covers were quite humourous. His book was published in 2006. He spoke of being shocked and amazed that his book won the Giller. The reason he feels is that it crosses the field of medicine and literature.
Lam suggested that there are a lot of parallels between doctors and writers, ie they spend lots of time in the library. Lam said there are a lot of doctors who are writers. What is the link? He says that writers and doctors, like shamans have an ancient shared core - they are storytellers.
Doctors go off to medical school, shamans go off for personal journey, the writer goes off and writes – personal deprivation and isolation are shared conditions. After this period, the doctor, the shaman and the writer bring something back that benefits others - the doctor his knowledge of medicine, the writer his book and the shaman his visions and stories.
Lam says that we desire an experience that transcends ourselves. Books do this. We enter the writer’s world. Just as we trust the writer when we enter his world, we trust the doctor when we enter his. The shaman lives in 2 worlds just as do writers and doctors. The doctor, the writer, the shaman inhabits the world of spirits.
For medicine, language is the bedrock. Writers and shaman also operate with language as the foundations of their practice. The art of medicine is the art of storytelling. Patients tell doctors stories and as a doctor, he must understand that story. He must pick up the thread of the narrative from the patient and provide an interpretation. That is the foundation of medicine. It took Lam 3 years to realize that writing and medicine are the same thing.
A soft-spoken man (I found it sometimes difficult to hear him), his comparison of doctors, writers and shamans was very intriguing.
Lam suggested that there are a lot of parallels between doctors and writers, ie they spend lots of time in the library. Lam said there are a lot of doctors who are writers. What is the link? He says that writers and doctors, like shamans have an ancient shared core - they are storytellers.
Doctors go off to medical school, shamans go off for personal journey, the writer goes off and writes – personal deprivation and isolation are shared conditions. After this period, the doctor, the shaman and the writer bring something back that benefits others - the doctor his knowledge of medicine, the writer his book and the shaman his visions and stories.
Lam says that we desire an experience that transcends ourselves. Books do this. We enter the writer’s world. Just as we trust the writer when we enter his world, we trust the doctor when we enter his. The shaman lives in 2 worlds just as do writers and doctors. The doctor, the writer, the shaman inhabits the world of spirits.
For medicine, language is the bedrock. Writers and shaman also operate with language as the foundations of their practice. The art of medicine is the art of storytelling. Patients tell doctors stories and as a doctor, he must understand that story. He must pick up the thread of the narrative from the patient and provide an interpretation. That is the foundation of medicine. It took Lam 3 years to realize that writing and medicine are the same thing.
A soft-spoken man (I found it sometimes difficult to hear him), his comparison of doctors, writers and shamans was very intriguing.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
MEDIA MONITORING: What Other Bloggers Say: Update
My OLA Experience.
18 hours ago by rainbowspryte Thursday I went to OLA Superconference the huge professional conference for librarians at the International Center. Session #322: Best Bets for Children 2007 presented by Jane Salmon, Barrie Public Library; Sandy Laird, ...Insights into Air and shadowOLA Superconference Presentation on Scriblio
23 hours ago by nobody@flickr.com (misterbisson) misterbisson posted a photo:. OLA Superconference Presentation on Scriblio.Photos from misterbissonOLA Superconference Presentation: Scriblio
1 Feb 2008 by Casey I’m honored to be invited to the Ontario Library Association Superconference to present my work on Scriblio today (session #1329). A PDF of my slides is online. Scriblio has had about a year of use in production at each of three sites, ...MaisonBisson.comAndrew Keen on Digital Narcissism
31 Jan 2008 by Dave Andrew Keen at OLA SuperConference Andrew Keen says, “So instead of a dictatorship of experts, we’ll have a dictatorship of idiots.” He’s from England with fond memories of taking his motorcycle from library to library, where he, ...
Friday, February 1, 2008
Common Threads; Cyber Bullying; and Google in Academic Research
Well, here's the three sessions I attended:
Common Threads: Social justice curriculum @ your school library:
The OSSTF (Ontario Secondary School Teacher's Federation) has been doing a series of research trips resulting in curriculum products related to current issues.
The first one, "Globalization, Sweatshops, and the Clothes We Wear", (apparently it was originally called "Common Threads," hence the name of the series/project) was based on a trip to Guatemala and is about sweat shops, child labour, and the social aspects of the clothes we wear.
The second one, "From Canada to South Africa Combatting HIV/AIDS Together", is - of couse - based on a trip to South Africa and is about the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
The latest one currently available, "Tapped Out: The World Water Crisis" is based on a trip to Bolivia and is about the social and environmental aspects of water. (I'm suprised by how many don't know that Bechtel brought all the water in Bolivia in 1980, making it illegal for people to collect rain water, but that - due to a combination of consumer outrage in Europe and direct action in Bolivia - Bechtel withdrew from the contract.)
The fourth one should be revealed come April.
These all look like good resources; see Commong Threads: An OSSTF Initiative for more information.
Re-Wiring our Youth:
This session was really about Cvberbullying, the dark side of the web 2.0 if you will. And there's more than enough sad, scary and horrible stories to go around...but with people like Sgt. Robyn MacEachern on the case (she's currently the Provincial Youth Issues Coordinator with the Ontario Provincial Police and was the presenter of this session) there's good reason to have hope and a balanced perspective.
Sgt. MacEachern has lots of experience with the issues of bullying, internet saftey, and youth; if these issues are relevant to your work and you have an oppurtunity to attend one of her presentations, I'd definately recommend it.
My favourite tip from the session was how to create a password no-one can guess: simply pick a randopm sentence, then use the first letter from each word and add some numbers for the year...
Google in Academic Research and Library Instruction:
This session was about a survey by Charlene Sorenson and Candice Dahl from the University of Saskatchewan Libraries which asked how University librarians used Google in their personal practice compared to how they used it in their formal instruction and whether there was any Faculty influence in how they presented Google in their formal instruction.
With the exception of searching for sholarly inforamtion and journal articles, the librarians in the sample tended to use Google more often in their personal practice, as compared to often they used Google in their formal instruction. Also, there was a noticeable influence from Faculty not to use Google when instructing or assisting students.
I found this to be not suprising at all; but, as is the case with any issue, it's good to document it.
I also appreciated the authors' main reflection; which, if I can paraphrase accurately, was: "it's time to transcend the issue of whether the use of Google (and other similar technology) is appropriate for academic research, and move on to learning and providing instruction around the subleties of using Google etc."
Common Threads: Social justice curriculum @ your school library:
The OSSTF (Ontario Secondary School Teacher's Federation) has been doing a series of research trips resulting in curriculum products related to current issues.
The first one, "Globalization, Sweatshops, and the Clothes We Wear", (apparently it was originally called "Common Threads," hence the name of the series/project) was based on a trip to Guatemala and is about sweat shops, child labour, and the social aspects of the clothes we wear.
The second one, "From Canada to South Africa Combatting HIV/AIDS Together", is - of couse - based on a trip to South Africa and is about the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
The latest one currently available, "Tapped Out: The World Water Crisis" is based on a trip to Bolivia and is about the social and environmental aspects of water. (I'm suprised by how many don't know that Bechtel brought all the water in Bolivia in 1980, making it illegal for people to collect rain water, but that - due to a combination of consumer outrage in Europe and direct action in Bolivia - Bechtel withdrew from the contract.)
The fourth one should be revealed come April.
These all look like good resources; see Commong Threads: An OSSTF Initiative for more information.
Re-Wiring our Youth:
This session was really about Cvberbullying, the dark side of the web 2.0 if you will. And there's more than enough sad, scary and horrible stories to go around...but with people like Sgt. Robyn MacEachern on the case (she's currently the Provincial Youth Issues Coordinator with the Ontario Provincial Police and was the presenter of this session) there's good reason to have hope and a balanced perspective.
Sgt. MacEachern has lots of experience with the issues of bullying, internet saftey, and youth; if these issues are relevant to your work and you have an oppurtunity to attend one of her presentations, I'd definately recommend it.
My favourite tip from the session was how to create a password no-one can guess: simply pick a randopm sentence, then use the first letter from each word and add some numbers for the year...
Google in Academic Research and Library Instruction:
This session was about a survey by Charlene Sorenson and Candice Dahl from the University of Saskatchewan Libraries which asked how University librarians used Google in their personal practice compared to how they used it in their formal instruction and whether there was any Faculty influence in how they presented Google in their formal instruction.
With the exception of searching for sholarly inforamtion and journal articles, the librarians in the sample tended to use Google more often in their personal practice, as compared to often they used Google in their formal instruction. Also, there was a noticeable influence from Faculty not to use Google when instructing or assisting students.
I found this to be not suprising at all; but, as is the case with any issue, it's good to document it.
I also appreciated the authors' main reflection; which, if I can paraphrase accurately, was: "it's time to transcend the issue of whether the use of Google (and other similar technology) is appropriate for academic research, and move on to learning and providing instruction around the subleties of using Google etc."
Scaredy Squirrel
What a day. This is my first superconference. The whole of Thursday was great. My highlight was meeting Melanie Watt, the author of the Scaredy Squirrel series. I have been to many author visits but this one had the longest line I have ever seen. Her work is fantastic and the success of her books is amazing. I am a school librarian and we can not keep her books on the shelves. Some older reluctant readers are grabbing this one too.
Make sure to check out the Kids Can Press booth and finding out about the germaphobe Scaredy Squirrel....you are sure to fall in love with this guy.
Make sure to check out the Kids Can Press booth and finding out about the germaphobe Scaredy Squirrel....you are sure to fall in love with this guy.
See CANSCAIP Authors On Stage! Win Free Books!
I am an author of two young adult fantasy novels (The Unwritten Girl and Fathom Five) and I always enjoy coming to conferences such as this. There is a critical mass of knowledge and enjoyment when all of these books and book-related items and people come together and the energy of the expo is really something to behold.
I'm coming in as part of CANSCAIP's presentation of authors. The organization of Canadian children's authors, illustrators and performers has kindly selected a bunch of CANSCAIP authors who produced books in 2007 and given them a stage and five minutes each to talk about their book and why you might be interested in getting one for your library. Interest was so intense this year that CANSCAIP had to put names in a hat and draw out their selection at random.
This is a wonderful opportunity for all the authors, especially those from smaller presses that have to fight for attention among the bigger players, and there is going to be a lot of talent on stage.
The presentation is taking place at the Expo Theatre at the base of the 100 aisle on the Expo floor. It starts at noon and continues until about 1:40, after which authors will be on hand to autograph copies of their books. There is also a draw at the end of the presentation -- a collection of the books being promoted on stage.
So, come on out! I hope to see you there!
I'm coming in as part of CANSCAIP's presentation of authors. The organization of Canadian children's authors, illustrators and performers has kindly selected a bunch of CANSCAIP authors who produced books in 2007 and given them a stage and five minutes each to talk about their book and why you might be interested in getting one for your library. Interest was so intense this year that CANSCAIP had to put names in a hat and draw out their selection at random.
This is a wonderful opportunity for all the authors, especially those from smaller presses that have to fight for attention among the bigger players, and there is going to be a lot of talent on stage.
The presentation is taking place at the Expo Theatre at the base of the 100 aisle on the Expo floor. It starts at noon and continues until about 1:40, after which authors will be on hand to autograph copies of their books. There is also a draw at the end of the presentation -- a collection of the books being promoted on stage.
So, come on out! I hope to see you there!
Thursday, January 31, 2008
MEDIA MONITORING: What Other Bloggers Say
Did you know how many Bloggers are reporting about this superconference (oops!!! super SPACE conference)?
PS. If you have access to a news (aggregating) database, do a search in all the local, regional dailies, please!!!
In the meanwhile see a sample using Google's Blog search:
PS. If you have access to a news (aggregating) database, do a search in all the local, regional dailies, please!!!
In the meanwhile see a sample using Google's Blog search:
Ethan Zukkerman at OLA SuperConference
7 hours ago by nobody@flickr.com (David Warlick) David Warlick posted a photo:. Ethan Zukkerman at OLA SuperConference. Photos from David Warlick -Dinah’s author off to OLA SuperConference
29 Jan 2008 by Alyssa Melanie Jackson is:. about to jump off the CN Tower; admiring the view from the Tower before she heads off to the Ontario Library Association’s SuperConference Friday, February 1 at the Metro Convention Centre to sign copies of the ...Orca Book Publishers Blog -Building the Social Library Online - OLA Superconference
28 Jan 2008 by librarianmer@slideshare.net(librarianmer) from: librarianmer 12 minutes ago. Tags: socialsoftware technology blogs wikis libraries. Recently Uploaded SlideshowsOLA Super Conference 2008
29 Jan 2008 by your librarian The OLA (Ontario Library Association) Super Conference starts Wednesday, January 30 and winds up on Saturday, February 2 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Here’s what some of our librarians are doing: ...Untitled - http://library.humber.ca/faculty/news.phpcode4lib: OLA Super Conference - Collex and Blacklight
14 Jan 2008 by erikhatcher I'm honored to be speaking at the upcoming OLA Super Conference 2008. I'm presenting "Collex: Collecting and exhibiting scholarly materials" (session #406, Thursday January 31, 10:40am) and " Blacklight: the University of Virginia's ...Planet code4libSigning Wild Ride at OLA Super Conference
13 Jan 2008 by deas03 This year’s Ontario Library Association (OLA) Super Conference is happening here in Toronto from January 30th to February 2nd and for the second year running, I have the honour of attending. On Friday February 1st, I’ll be at the Orca ...Graphic Guide AdventuresOLA Super Conference 2008
11 Jan 2008 by angelacw OLA Super Conference 2008. I’m attending the OLA Super Conference 2008 from January 30th-February 2nd, 2008. The theme of this year’s conference is Transformation and focuses on 3 R’s: reinvention, regeneration, and rejuvination. ...mélange -
Ask Ontario – Built To Last From The Start: Session # 403
In the news:I am delighted that I could attend this session. At OLA Superconference 2007 it had its focus group meetings, orientation, et al. This year it is the Beta (they call it pilot project). And having being associated with it for almost 18 months, as a team member and as one involved in its conceptual meetings, it is a pleasure to see that this project is getting very very good attention.
Minister of Culture to launch askON library chat-based research service
The Hon. Aileen Carroll, Ontario Minister of Culture will be on hand for the formal launch of Knowledge Ontario’s askON online research and virtual reference service. The launch will be held on Thursday January 31, 2008 at 5pm at the Knowledge Ontario exhibit booth (813/815) at the OLA SuperConference being held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. read more
Virginia Roy, Kathryn Klages and all members of the team need to be congratulated!!!
Ask Ontario is the Knowledge Ontario project focused on delivering and implementing real time, collaborative virtual reference services for the province. ...
Read more about the progress so far, and bookmark this link
Session 316: How and Why to Bring End Users Into The Service and Web Design Process
- two usability consultants + Toronto Public Library "User Experience Project Manager"
- huge system with huge resources, but, the ideas can be scaled down and used anywhere by the rest of us!
- types of user involvement: ongoing / periodic / one off
- this session was FAB for me, as I'm doing a big web site usability project this year...good timing
- provide multiple ways for the peeps to be involved...phone / face-to-face / online + multiple research methods: interview / survey / town-halls / focus groups / usability testing / contextual inquiry...different levels of commitment / effort / anonymity
- tools: 2.0 sites to engage users...ongoing dialogue + 1.o tools like surveys, polls, live chat, forums
- capture unsolicited comments (ie. at the desk)...collect and study
- Why involve users?...work WITH them...build understanding
- make your results available widely within your organization
- start / continue / deepen converstaions with users
- pull together ALL info you have from users...customer comments, survey results, informal (from staff) etc.
- usability goals: need to decide goal...ie. is it to have 100% use with no help?...need a goal in order to evaluate success
- determine REAL requirements of users...what they say vs. what they do...tricky
- also consider industry standards and guidelines, including accessibility / best practices
- "ethnographic research"...user-shadowing...watching how they use the site
- consider using "personas" to profile typical users + usage scenarios...need to update / keep current as well
- S.M.A.R.T. objectives: Specific / Measurable / Achievable / Realistic / Time-sensitive
- new Toronto PL web site to come soon (competing priority with new ILS and Fed. Search)
- "always in beta"...quest for the Holy Grail...which keeps moving...
Thank God for AV guys
I just wanted to send out a thank you to all the dedicated volunteers, staff and AV personnel who are working at the conference. I was convening Joan Giannone's session this morning on Roving Reference and the projector wouldn't show the output from her laptop. It took 20 minutes, 2 AV people, a quick sprint on my part to the OLA office and a walkie-talkie call from Jefferson to get the computer back up and running. It was quite an exciting morning, but I'm happy to report that both presenter and convenor were not scarred by this episode. In fact, I was quite impressed with the way Joan handled herself and presented her topic with ease.
Roving has been on the library radar for a while now, but the inspirational buzz seems to have come and gone. And I know I'm not the only one who has experienced a lull in my ability to leave the ref desk and talk to customers. There were a few session participants who expressed the same experience. Joan's presentation and the comments afterward offered some great tips on re-energizing staff:
- Clear expectations: outline why, where, when, who and how your staff are going to rove. If this means scheduling people to have on floor (strictly roving) and off floor time, then do it.
- Give them the right tools: PACs in the stacks, headsets, clipboards (with tally sheets), ID badges, etc. Give them anything they need to make the experience more effective.
- Work through obstacles and issues: Joan shared an exercise she uses called Group Chaos which involves role playing and creating opportunities for people to practice how they would approach various situations (I think this would work well, if revisited often by staff).
- One participant mentioned that pro-active service is noted in performance appraisals.
- Joan offers a series of follow-up emails, sessions and questions after her staff training sessions that keep staff interested in roving.
Roving is too important to keep in the back of our minds. We need a roving revival!
Roving has been on the library radar for a while now, but the inspirational buzz seems to have come and gone. And I know I'm not the only one who has experienced a lull in my ability to leave the ref desk and talk to customers. There were a few session participants who expressed the same experience. Joan's presentation and the comments afterward offered some great tips on re-energizing staff:
- Clear expectations: outline why, where, when, who and how your staff are going to rove. If this means scheduling people to have on floor (strictly roving) and off floor time, then do it.
- Give them the right tools: PACs in the stacks, headsets, clipboards (with tally sheets), ID badges, etc. Give them anything they need to make the experience more effective.
- Work through obstacles and issues: Joan shared an exercise she uses called Group Chaos which involves role playing and creating opportunities for people to practice how they would approach various situations (I think this would work well, if revisited often by staff).
- One participant mentioned that pro-active service is noted in performance appraisals.
- Joan offers a series of follow-up emails, sessions and questions after her staff training sessions that keep staff interested in roving.
Roving is too important to keep in the back of our minds. We need a roving revival!
career and mentoring forces at OLA Super Conference 2008
To tell you the truth, it took me a while; I had to ask at least six people to locate Mentoring services: Speakers in Residence (OLA Super Conference guide, p. 12). Incidentaly, the Web link to this MentorShip [see: CAREER MOVES AND MENTORING] doesn't give a clue about the location. Will the mappers and pathfinders wakeup NOW?Nevertheless, I did find the invisible counter, at last. I liked this session. I received personal and professional guidance while talking with the montors: Marian, Jim, Caitlin, Patricia and Yvonne.
During the discussions, I found there was a deep felt need for OLA / Education Institute / etc., to intitate a mock-interview (or practice Interview) for librarians.
Ps. Are you reading this Hon. Sam Coghlan (OLA 2008 President). Please consider this when you meet with the new Board of Directors.
NB. To get the momentum, here is a short reading list from a disseminator, which will help both, i.e., in-service librarians and those who are looking for an ice-breaker:
Practice Interview Questions: [Source: LIS WIKI ]
During the phone and in-person interviews you are usually presented with a standard set of questions asked to all candidates. Good reads in preparing for such questions include:
The people you talk to can have varying interviewing styles, and some questions may be deliberately designed to rattle you. See The 10 Toughest Job Interview Questions for some tricky examples.
See also on the same shelf and aisle:
Poster Sessions on Today!
Just thought I would do a PLUG for the poster sessions, on today and tomorrow at lunch in the EXPO hall. This is your chance to chat with colleagues about special projects they've been working on.
I'll be poster-presenting about the OLA WebSite Poll today, 1:15 - 2:00...stop by and say HI!
BTW, I just realized my "Library Detective" handle is attached to my posts. By way of introduction, I'm Joanna Aegard, Head of Virtual Library Services at Thunder Bay Public Library. This is my third OLA and I'm pumped about the adventure of learning / networking / sharing / connecting!
Off to La Marche for b'fast with a FaceBook friend, and my sister, who is here from Wasaga Beach P.L...extra bonus!
I'll be poster-presenting about the OLA WebSite Poll today, 1:15 - 2:00...stop by and say HI!
BTW, I just realized my "Library Detective" handle is attached to my posts. By way of introduction, I'm Joanna Aegard, Head of Virtual Library Services at Thunder Bay Public Library. This is my third OLA and I'm pumped about the adventure of learning / networking / sharing / connecting!
Off to La Marche for b'fast with a FaceBook friend, and my sister, who is here from Wasaga Beach P.L...extra bonus!
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Day One
Learned all about BiblioCommons (BC) today. Three of the presenters (including Stephen Abram -- boo hoo!) were grounded at various airports across the country, so a lot of improvisation went on -- very slickly. Two folks were there via phone / web, and did a great job communicating virtually.
It's late, so here are some quick points of interest:
BC is being used in BC, and is in Beta at Oakville PL now
It's late, so here are some quick points of interest:
BC is being used in BC, and is in Beta at Oakville PL now
- libraries are doing a lot of 2.0 stuff, but not a lot of patrons are participating (other libs are though!)...so we need to make the OPAC itself social
- the "best" resources are those that are most relevant to ME
- BC is starting to work with III...yippee!...John Blyberg
- set up involves:
- data dump
- mapping
- install thing client on the ils
- Karen Cole talked about cataloging in the age of social networks...info seeking as a CHAIN of activity...we need to bring info together for the peeps
- collectively libs have a lot of info that we're not capitalizing on
- "Quest for the Holy Grail" ...search for the perfect opac...a moving target
- Gail Richardson from Oakville: "using the collections to build connection"
- legal aspects / privacy addressed...choice/control/transparency
- will be a FAQ link on the ConnectOn site
I, for one, welcome our Librarian overlords
Hello everyone, and welcome to the 2008 OLA Superconference as I will experience it. Over the next few days, I will be posting about the sessions I attend and some of the interesting things that go on at the conference. As almost everyone knows, a lot of the interesting stuff doesn't always happen in the official sessions - it happens in the chance meetings in the hallways and vendor areas, in the lobbies and out on the street.
I'm looking forward to this conference and hope to see you around.
I'm looking forward to this conference and hope to see you around.
Countdown of another kind... ...welcome aboard
On behalf of our Blogging Team I welcome all Bloggers.
To the the Super Conference organizers, as well as the Librarians who are waiting for the event, I request you to support this Blogging spree in making this effort a grand success.
NB. I have posted a link on my blog: Picturing the Global Library: A Call for Photos of Libraries Around the World that will be eventually a part of the Super Conference 2008.
Best, Mohamed Taher
A disseminator and blogger:
.Information Visualization .Library Technicians .Multifaith Information Gateway .LIS Quotations .Mentors, Masters, Leaders .International and Comparative Librarianship .Librarians as Knowledge Managers .Reviews .Hyderabadiz 2.0.
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