American Library Association Annual Conference Research Articles

NISO Webinar: The Future of Integrated Library Systems: Part 1: RDA & Cataloging

This column's offerings cover late spring through summer to fall of 2011: NISO Webinar: The Future of Integrated Library Systems: Part 1: RDA & Cataloging (May 11); American Library Association Annual Conference (June 23–28); Association of College and Research Libraries New England Serials and Electronic Resources Interest Group Summer Program: Current Trends in E-Journals (August 18); Kentucky Library Association/Kentucky School Media Association Joint Conference (September 28–October 1); American Society for Information Science and Technology Annual Meeting (October 9–12); Great Lakes E-Summit Conference (October 10–11); and Potomac Technical Processing Librarians Annual Meeting (October 21).

NISO Webinar: The Future of Integrated Library Systems: Part 1: RDA & Cataloging

This column's offerings cover late spring through summer to fall of 2011: NISO Webinar: The Future of Integrated Library Systems: Part 1: RDA & Cataloging (May 11); American Library Association Annual Conference (June 23–28); Association of College and Research Libraries New England Serials and Electronic Resources Interest Group Summer Program: Current Trends in E-Journals (August 18); Kentucky Library Association/Kentucky School Media Association Joint Conference (September 28–October 1); American Society for Information Science and Technology Annual Meeting (October 9–12); Great Lakes E-Summit Conference (October 10–11); and Potomac Technical Processing Librarians Annual Meeting (October 21).

Observations on the 2011 ALA Annual Conference by a First-Time Attendee and Reports on Transliteracy and Wikipedia Programs

I lived the experience of many first-time attendees at the 2011 American Library Association (ALA) annual conference in New Orleans. I tried to attend four to six sessions or events in addition to ...

American Library Association Conference 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide a flavour of the content of the American Library Association Annual Conference held in Washington DC in June 2010.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is an outline description of the issues, content, networking, speakers and participants at this conference.FindingsThis major conference covered many topical issues and themes, latest trends and research and leading edge technology applicable to librarians and information professionals internationally. It facilitated many networking opportunities.Originality/valueThis represents a conference report of value to librarians and information professionals, as the variety of themes applies to the various aspects of library and information work.

A Poster Experience: From Idea to Presentation.

This paper describes the creation of a poster for the poster session that was part of the ACRL Science and Technology Section program "Federal Friends: Creating Greater Access to and Support for Science and Technology Information," at the American Library Association Annual Conference in June 2010. Details about the making of the poster up to and including the final presentation serve to capture the experience and share information about the lessons learned during the process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

American Library Association Conference 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide a flavour of the content of the American Library Association Annual Conference held in Chicago in July 2009.Design/methodology/approachThe approach takes the form of an outline description of the issues, content, networking, speakers and participants of this conference.FindingsThis major conference covered many topical issues and themes, latest trends and research and leading edge technology applicable to librarians and information professionals internationally. It facilitated many networking opportunities.Originality/valueThe paper is a conference report of value to librarians and information professionals, as the variety of themes apply to the various aspects of library and information work.

American Library Association Conference 2009: Encounters with library Literati, Glitterati, Gelati, and Discipuli

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide a flavor of the content of the American Library Association Annual Conference held in Chicago in July 2009.Design/methodology/approachThis is a first time conference attendee's description of the issues, content, networking, speakers and participants of this conference. The future and purpose of libraries are discussed.FindingsThis major conference covered many topical issues and themes that are applicable to librarians, information professionals, and library students internationally. It facilitated many valuable networking opportunities.Originality/valueThe paper is a conference report of value to librarians and information professionals, as the variety of themes apply to the various aspects of the library and information professions and education.

2009 American Library Association Annual Conference: Reports of Selected Sessions

2009 American Library Association Annual Conference: Reports of Selected Sessions

Association for Library Collections and Technical Services Annual Report 2008–9

This year was full of accomplishments new initiatives, and the start of a thorough review of the Association for Library Collections and Technical Services (ALCTS) organizational structure. The effect of the current global economy has been far-reaching and has affected members, their libraries and organizations, membership renewals, division participation, conference attendance, and the operation and financial management of the division. Data Gathering The survey of the membership conducted in 2007-8, based on The 7 Measures of Success: What Remarkable Associations Do That Others Don't, continued to provide valuable insight into member needs, concerns, perceptions, and expectations. (1) Additional analysis, including the Preservation and Reformatting Section (PARS) study titled Changing PARS Discussion/Interest Group Structure and the Committee review of members in public libraries provided additional useful information. The Membership Research Study, conducted by the American Library Association (ALA) Office for Research and Statistics also revealed demographic and employment data. Communication Increasing and improving communication with and between the membership and implementing new modes of communication were accomplished. The Newsletter Online and a rejuvenated ALCTS@aGlance featured conference and meeting previews as well as reports, news, and announcements of education opportunities. An assortment of discussion lists enabled members to examine topics ranging from digital preservation to the future of subject headings. The E-forum, which debuted in May 2008, has attracted more than nine hundred subscribers for lively discussions on subjects including disaster preparedness, coping with shrinking resources, and national cataloging standards versus local policies. The ALA Connect introduction, in spring 2009, offers another communication tool that members will find very useful for sharing documents and information. 2009 ALA Midwinter Meeting and Annual Conference Forums during the 2009 ALA Midwinter Meeting in Denver attracted large audiences listening to experts discuss a variety of hot topics. Particularly noteworthy were RDA [Resource Description and Access] Update Forum and Who's at the Wheel? What We've Learned About Patron-Driven Collection Development. Creating and Sustaining Communities around Shared Library Data, a forum that focused on OCLC's proposed change to its record use policy, drew more than 150 attendees. The 2009 Annual Conference in Chicago featured an excellent schedule of events. ALCTS 101 Primer: We Are, What We Do, and How You Fit provided new members with an overview of the opportunities the division offers. Programs included Leadership Development in Transition: Steering the Ship from the Helm and Deck, Swingin' with the Pendulum: Facing Cancellations in the Age of E-Journal Packages, and the President's program, Who Owns Antiquity? Museums and the Battle over Our Ancient Heritage, featuring James Cuno, president and Eloise W. Martin director, from the Art Institute of Chicago. The recipient of the 2009 Ross Atkinson Lifetime Achievement Award, Cindy Hepfer, was recognized at the awards ceremony for her exceptional service to and to the library profession at-large, as a library leader, educator, author, scholar, and mentor. Library Resources and Technical Services The division's highly respected peer-reviewed journal, Library Resources and Technical Services (LRTS), adds to its deserved reputation for quality articles under the leadership of Editor Peggy Johnson. The LRTS article Approaches to Selection, Access, and Collection Development in the Web World: A Case Study with Fugitive Literature, by Karen Schmidt, Wendy Allen Shelburne, and David Steven Vess, won the 2009 Blackwell's Scholarship Award and the 2009 Best of LRTS Award. (2) LRTS has seen slowly declining subscriptions over the last several years. …

This is Our Time to Shine

As I begin my first presidential column, I believe what is upmost on everyone's mind is the state of the economy This recession officially began in December 2007, but according to the New York Times, it wasn't officially declared a recession by the National Bureau of Economic Research until December 2008. (1) Unfortunately, the effects of the recession will still be felt as you read this column. In this column I will * describe how librarians are helping users during the recession and why users need their libraries; * explain the affects of the recession on RUSA and how your leadership is responding to the current economic conditions; * show how libraries are being portrayed in the media and what professional resources the American Library Association (ALA) has created to help librarians face the increasing demands of the public; * conclude by reviewing the importance and value of being a member of RUSA today; and * remind you why you joined a professional organization in the first place and why it is important to stay a member. Last fall we saw the stock market crash. Even if you did not lose a huge amount of money and you still have a house and a job, the current economic crisis affects you. Businesses are closing, including my favorite vegetarian restaurant. People have not only lost their nest eggs, many have lost their jobs and some have even lost their homes. By the time you read this article, I hope things will have turned around. I imagine you do, too. The recession has changed our work, no matter what kind of library we work in. I work in an academic library, and I am seeing many more students searching for information about the economy Just yesterday, I had a student who wanted to look at Texas newspapers to see what effect Texas's budget has on the state's economy HOW IS THE RECESSION AFFECTING ALA AND RUSA? RUSA is not immune to the current economic situation. ALA is projecting a shortfall of 1.6 million dollars in the general fund, which does not include the divisions. RUSA is predicting an annual deficit as well. RUSA's traditional funding sources--membership dues and advertising revenues--are declining. These two areas represent 71 percent of our in come. According to the February 2009 membership report, our membership has fallen by 7.78 percent. Registration for preconferences at the 2010 ALA Annual Conference in Chicago was also down. This year it also has been difficult getting volunteers for committees in RUSA's sections. RUSA has 140 committees spread across its 6 divisions. One vice-chair told me that she had only had eight volunteers for her very large section, which has more than twenty different committees. Even the committees that have traditionally been considered plum appointments are falling short. There is uneasiness among our members about how they will be able to fund their conference attendance, especially two times a year. They question if they will receive any library support to attend conferences or preconferences. Our vendors are scaling back on their donations, advertising, and exhibit space at conferences as they face the realities of the changing economy. While overall ALA membership is up, members are thinking twice about continuing with multiple divisions. All of these factors affect our ability to achieve our goals. On a positive note, our continuing education offerings are growing, including registration for our online continuing education courses. We provide cost-effective means for our members to take quality coursework without traveling long distances to keep up with the current trends in our field. We now offer Genealogy 101, the Reference Interview, Business Reference 101, Readers' Advisory 101, Marketing Basics for Libraries, and another course is in the making from our Sharing and Transforming Access to Resources Section (STARS). HOW IS RUSA RESPONDING? …

Editorial: ALA and Our Carbon Footprint

Editorial: ALA and Our Carbon Footprint

American Library Association Conference 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide a flavour of the content of the American Library Association Annual Conference held in Anaheim in June 2008.Design/methodology/approachThis is an outline description of the issues, content, networking, speakers and participants of this conference.FindingsThis major conference covered many topical issues and themes, latest trends and research, and leading edge technology applicable to librarians and information professionals internationally. It facilitated many networking opportunities.Originality/valueThis paper is a conference report of value to librarians and information professionals as the variety of themes apply to the various aspects of library and information work.

A Guide to Excellent Creative Business Libraries and Business Centers

I had the opportunity to view the work produced by the American Library Association's (ALA) Emerging Leaders at the 2008 ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim. While I was impressed overall with the quality of work produced by these rising stars, I was drawn to the research that one group presented as a poster session. This project related to identifying best practices of innovative business libraries and business centers. Since I believed that these findings would be of interest to a broader audience, I invited the group to submit an article on their project for this occasional column.--Editor Leslie Burger, 2006-07 American Library Association (ALA) president, initiated the Emerging Leaders program. This program provides an opportunity for new librarians to serve the profession in a leadership capacity. Emerging Leaders participate in problem-solving workgroups, network with peers, and gain an inside look at the organizational structure of ALA. Beginning in December 2007, our workgroup from the 2008 Emerging Leaders program took on a project sponsored by the Business Reference and Services Section (BRASS) of RUSA. The goal of the project was to create a guide to excellent creative business libraries and business centers to provide examples of innovative and best To better understand the current practices of business libraries and business centers, we conducted a Web-based survey to identify innovation and best practice. The findings from the survey are discussed in this article. Note that we have used the term library to designate both business libraries and business centers. LITERATURE REVIEW Given that none of the authors are business librarians and lacked in-depth knowledge about business librarianship, we began with a broad literature review. Our review of the literature on business librarianship expanded to include current practices, innovative practices, marketing, and collaboration. We found a paucity of literature on current practices and nothing concrete on best Abels and Magi reported on current practices and trends in twenty top business school libraries. (1) While their research focused on academic libraries, their findings apply to other types of business libraries as well. They found that, despite the organizational structure of these academic business libraries, the needs of patrons drive the delivery of services and resources. Listening to patrons' needs and implementing changes to meet those needs are important for continued success. However, budgetary restrictions or constraints may play an important role in the delivery of services and resources. Abels and Magi identified the following trends: * Library websites offer access to a variety of services and resources * Library websites provide access to a variety of commercial online databases * E-mail reference service is increasing in popularity and use * User education sessions focus on topics instead of specific resources * Interactive online tutorials may become more prevalent but will remain as supplements (rather than replacements) to classroom instruction * Reference desk hours will most likely remain stable in the short term, but will likely decrease over the next five years * Materials budgets will reflect more spending on serials than on monographs Abels and Magi also found that a demand exists for in-person reference service. But they acknowledged that the emergence of new technology will require business school libraries to adjust their practices. (2) A follow-up or duplication of this study would be interesting, since Abels and Magi published their findings in 2001. The goal for this project was to create a best practices guide applicable to various types of business libraries and centers (academic, public, and corporate). More specifically, the task was to identify innovative The question therein lies, what is innovation and how is it defined? …

American Library Association Conference 2007

PurposeThe purpose of the paper is too provide a flavour of the content of the American Library Association Annual Conference held in Washington DC in June 2007.Design/methodology/approachAn outline description of the issues, content, networking, speakers and participants of this conference.FindingsThis major conference covered many topical issues and themes, latest trends and research and leading edge technology applicable to librarians and information professionals internationally. It facilitated many networking opportunities.Originality/valueA conference report of value to librarians and information professionals as the variety of themes apply to the various aspects of library and information work.

ALA 2007: A Tale of Collaboration: The Art of the Picture Book

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide an outline of the 26th Annual Poster sessions held at the American Library Association Annual Conference held in Washington DC in June 2007, with focus on the poster session for “The Art of the Picture Book” conference.Design/methodology/approachA description of the background, processes and planning of this poster session.FindingsDesign, targeting and resources for “The Art of the Picture Book” conference are reported, together with evaluation techniques and results.Originality/valueThis report is of value to those (particularly information and library professionals) involved in conference planning and poster session planning.

Quick and Easy Reference Evaluation

Imagine a reference survey instrument that is very simple to administer, requires only a pencil to fill out, and gathers data specifically on whether users get the help they need and are satisfied with reference service, and whether in the process they learn about how to find and evaluate information. If you are interested, read on. This third article in the new Management column is written by Jonathan Miller about the reference survey he and his colleagues developed at the University of Pittsburgh. I first met and heard Miller at the 2006 American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference when he presented his research at the Reference Research Forum. I found it a fascinating and practical approach to obtaining user input; a survey that combined some of the strengths of the Wisconsin Ohio Reference Evaluation Project (WOREP) survey while overcoming some of the shortcomings of that standard workhorse instrument. I was especially interested because this new survey was developed to build upon the survey data libraries gathered from LibQUAL+. LibQUAL+ does not specifically measure reference quality; this survey provides a way of gathering useful evaluation of reference service. A future column will be about a mid-life librarian who changed careers from a special librarian to an academic librarian, including a discussion of the ups and downs of such a change and the energizing effect of the change. This is of timely interest to administrators and managers because within the next few years a large number of librarians will retire, opening up many higher level positions. Mid-career librarians will be in the prime position to apply for these jobs, if they are willing to make some career changes. For future columns I am looking for articles on new approaches to managing reference service, such as outreach services in non-library locations, or the use of expert systems, or using instant messaging (IM) as a way of communicating with high school or college students. If you have experiences with any of these or other practical ideas for providing reference service, please e-mail me.--Editor This research grew from my concern as a public services librarian-manager to find a quick and easy way to evaluate reference service. Most, perhaps all, libraries measure how much reference assistance we provide. Usually we simply count the number of transactions sometimes classifying these transactions by complexity directional, ready reference, and so on) or in terms of medium (in-person, phone, and online). Sometimes we even collect information on how long it takes to complete the transaction. As a profession we have developed a variety of definitions of what constitutes a reference transaction to help with the collection of data. (1) RUSA has developed reference behaviors guidelines that I have found to be very useful during training and development of reference providers (my preferred, if awkward, term for all those employees--librarians, staff, interns, and student employees--who may provide reference service). (2) It is more difficult to measure the quality of the reference service we provide, particularly if we want to avoid overburdening our reference providers and our The LibQUAL survey of library service quality asks about employees who have the knowledge to answer user questions, employees who deal with users in a caring fashion, and employees who understand the needs of their users. (3) All of these statements could be related to reference providers, but LibQUAL does not single out individual library services, such as reference. Instead, quite rightly, it asks for users' perceptions of library service quality as provided by the whole library. These perceptions could be formed on the basis of interactions with any library personnel with whom the user interacts. REFERENCE EVALUATION LITERATURE The literature on reference evaluation is huge, and this column is not the place to review it. …

ALA Annual Conference, Washington DC: LITA Top Tech Trends Update

PurposeTo report the highlights of the annual Library and Information Technology Association (LITA) Top Technology Trends program at 2007 American Library Association Annual Conference in Washington, DC.Design/methodology/approachProvides a brief review of the conference program on technology issues in libraries.FindingsThis summary of LITA section Top Technology Trends program with presentations and information. The presentations focus is on new technologies and their applications in a variety of library environments. The program offered a wide variety of timely presentations that were on new and emerging technologies and the application to the library environment.Originality/valueProvides descriptions of opinions on technological trends in library and information services from industry professionals.

ALA Annual Conference, Washington DC: LITA/IRSIG Program “The Ultimate Debate: Do Libraries Innovate?”

PurposeTo report the highlights of the 2007 American Library Association Annual Conference in Washington, DC.Design/methodology/approachProvides a brief review of the conference program on technology issues in libraries.FindingsThis summary of library program with presentations and information. The presentations focus is on new technologies and their applications in a variety of library environments. The program offered a wide variety of timely presentations that were on new and emerging technologies and the application to the library environment.Originality/valueProvides descriptions of programs and presentation of interest to library and information professionals.

American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference Report

PurposeTo highlight content of interest to this journal’s readership that promotes current thinking and activities in Information Technology.Design/methodology/approachSelective conference report of the annual meeting of the American Library Association and pre‐conference.FindingsThe largest conference of librarians, the variety of programs, activities, exhibit halls, creates one of the best professional development opportunities for librarians. Attracting librarians from all sectors and work environments from around the globe, this conference is hard to describe in a brief way except to say it is an experience. The article documents relevant programs about information technology was the goal of this contribution.Originaligy/valueContains information of particular interest to readers who did not attend these sessions. Introducers them to presenters and important hot topics. Provides an alternative to not being present while gaining some information and coverage.

American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference Report

PurposeTo highlight content of interest to this journal’s readership that promotes current thinking and activities in information technology.Design/methodology/approachA selective conference report of the annual meeting of the American Library Association and a pre‐conference.FindingsThe largest conference of librarians, the variety of programs, activities, exhibit halls, creates one of the best professional development opportunities for librarians. Attracting librarians from all sectors and work environments from around the globe, this conference is hard to describe in a brief way except to say it is an experience. Documenting relevant programs about information technology was the goal of this contribution.Practical implicationsAn alternative to not being present while gaining some information and coverage.Originality/valueContains information of particular interest to readers who did not attend these sessions. Introducers them to presenters and important hot topics.