Comments on: Conference this! Lead Pipers compare conference experiences

By: Cecilia

Cecilia — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 13:40:30 +0000

I’m about to graduate ( in less than two weeks! ) and have recently attended a few symposiums that I thought were quite good. In Philadelphia, as a student, you can volunteer and that can help off set some costs of conference fees. In particular I always learned something new at NFAIS. I also recently attended a Healthcare Informatics Symposium sponsored by CHOP in Philadelphia. Here in Boston I’ve started to get involved with MAHSLIN. As for future conferences I’d love to check out InfoCamp, Computers in Libraries, Science Bootcamp and a few others! And last but not least attending SLA last year helped me get my new position here! So you never know!

By: Sanjeet Mann

Sanjeet Mann — Mon, 24 May 2010 17:46:46 +0000

I want to echo the positive things Angie and Hilary have said about NASIG. It’s a small conference with a strong sense of community, bringing together vendors and librarians to discuss practical challenges as well as the “vision” of what is coming up over the horizon. The scholarship and first-timer mentoring programs can help library school students or new professionals get a panoramic sense of the complexities of print or online serials/e-resources management. If you’re thinking about attending in the future, looking over back issues of conference proceedings (published stand-alone and in the Serials Librarian) can help you get a feel for what it is like.

By: Derik Badman

Derik Badman — Sun, 09 May 2010 22:23:54 +0000

Hmm. I’ll give it some thought and see if I have anything substantial to say about that.

By: Hilary Davis

Hilary Davis — Sun, 09 May 2010 07:46:41 +0000

Derik – I’ve wondered the same thing. For librarians who make the leap to work for product vendors (for profit or non-profit), I’m curious about how this impacts their perception of themselves as librarians. Is this really just a gray area or is there a distinction that has an impact on future career choices? Great idea for a group post or article by/about one of those folks who has made that leap (maybe you, Derik?).

By: Alex Chappell

Alex Chappell — Mon, 03 May 2010 23:46:44 +0000

I just got back from LOEX and I’d have to say that if I could only attend one conference this would be it (with Internet Librarian being a close second). It is small, focused, friendly, short (day and a half), and relatively economical (meals are included in the registration fee). This is my third time and I always learn a lot and come back to work energized and inspired to reinvent my instruction. LOEX of the West is run by a different group on the same model and is equally good.

By: Derik Badman

Derik Badman — Mon, 03 May 2010 13:15:06 +0000

I didn’t make the “capital L” comment, but I’ve thought lately about the moniker “librarian”. I don’t work in a library anymore, nor do I do general librarian stuff anymore (reference, collection development, instruction, cataloging, etc.) Am I now not a librarian? Is it just a job title? Or there is it more to it than that…

Maybe that’s a subject for another group roundtable.

By: Jean Costello

Jean Costello — Mon, 03 May 2010 11:01:05 +0000

Hi everyone – you’ve pushed the boundaries once again with this new way of sharing conference info. As a patron, a few follow-on posts would help enrich my understanding:

- What it means to be a “capital L” librarian. This was such an intriguing comment and I’d love to hear more.

- Analysis of 1 or 2 of the key ideas coming out of the conferences. Were any of the ideas on the future of libraries particularly insightful or feasible? Did any seem likely to engage the public in a dialogue about libraries?

Thanks, Jean (The Radical Patron)

By: Hilary Davis

Hilary Davis — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 13:16:24 +0000

I neglected to mention another conference that I would LOVE to attend: Science Online, right here in Research Triangle Park, NC. My colleague, Josh Wilson, attended and was impressed by the experience. I'm definitely adding this one to my wishlist.

By: Hilary Davis

Hilary Davis — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 15:53:13 +0000

Angie – you mentioned scholarship opportunities for NASIG…that’s one conference that I’d love to attend one day as well. Charleston Conference has at least three scholarship/travel stipend awards that I’m aware of. The round for 2010 is likely coming up soon. Check out the 2009 scholarships (and winners) to get a sense of these opportunities: http://www.katina.info/conference/scholarships.php

By: Walt Lessun

Walt Lessun — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 15:52:35 +0000

All ALA conferences held in New Orleans, all the old Ohio Library Association conferences and all the AECT conferences (cheaper than Educause; often held simultaneously with Educause and I could always get a very inexpensive exhibit floor pass for Educause). These conferences were all beneficial for the same reason: I could get roaring drunk and so could everyone else.