ALA+Conference,+Summer+2010

ALA Conference attended by Branly Fontaine. June 24 – 29, 2010
The ALA Annual Conference is held each summer and is the largest such convention in the world, attended by more than 25,000 librarians, library supporters, educators, writers, publishers, Friends of Libraries, trustees and special guests. The conference includes more than 2,300 meetings, discussion groups and programs on various topics affecting libraries and librarians. This summer it was held in Washington D.C. I also had the opportunity to build relationships with other librarians and vendors. Presentations I attended:

===Yours, Mine and Ours: Moving Students through the Information Literacy Ladder from High School through Community College to the College/University Level ===

Librarians in high schools and higher education recognize that collaboration is the best way to foster the understanding of information literacy in students as they move through our institutions. Beginning with Information Power and moving on to ACRL’s (Association of College and Research Libraries) Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education, this program discussed the issue of collaboration between the two groups as well as gave examples of high school/academic collaboration projects and their assessment. This presentation was very well done. I learned a great deal about university expectations of incoming freshmen.

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Beyond Library Guides: Using Libguides as a Platform for Student Research Projects
Presenters demonstrated how Libguides can be used to promote information literacy and facilitate student engagement by allowing students to collaborate, informally publish their own work, and critique the work of others. This workshop discussed practical techniques for utilizing Libguides as a platform for student research assignments and introduced free Wiki software such as Pbworks and Wikispaces.

PowerPointHandout - Best PracticesHandout - Workshop Project

E-Books: How Do You Know It Was Worth It?
Models of eBook collection analysis continue to evolve. This program discussed the different measures available to evaluate usage of eBooks as well as anticipated improvements desired to measure and evaluate the library's investment in eBooks. This presentation had some good points but there seems no real formula that works for all libraries.

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Competing with Search Engines: Rethinking Websites and Social Media Strategies
Today’s learners seek and share information in new ways, but often lack skills to evaluate its accuracy. Libraries can prove relevance in today’s market by making it fast and easy to find reliable information. Fabrice Florin introduced the NewsTrust.net community and its quest for excellence in journalism. Other panelists presented examples of libraries harnessing the power of the Web and social media to expand communication strategies and engage new audiences. The presenters felt that today’s information-seekers need a reason to think of The Library as their primary source for information. To remain relevant, libraries must meet new audiences on their terms, using digital media tools to brand libraries as the easiest, fastest, and most reliable source for up-to-the-minute information. Learn from digital media leaders and apply audience-focused communication strategies to catch and hold the attention of new generations of library users.

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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Branly Fontaine