PALA Conference 2007

This is very good conference. I had opportunity to attend lots of interesting workshops.
First I’d like to list the interesting topics as follows:
• Beyond Browsing: Online Tools You Can Use
Explore the latest online tools that enable us to better manage information via internet, including CiteULike, LibraryThing, Bloglines, del.icio.us, Clipmarks and Tiny URL, etc.
• Low-Cost Techniques for Creating an Interactive Web Site
To bring customers to their Web sites and keep them returning, many libraries are adding interactive features. With limited budgets and technical support, blogs, wikis, RSS feeds and other devices may seem out of reach, yet new online tools make such features easy. In this session, you will learn ways to make your library Web site interactive for less-in both time and money.
• Launching a Redesign of Your Library’s Web Site? What Do Users Want?
Launching a redesign of your library’s Web site? This program discusses how the staff at one academic library used focus groups and Web usability testing to discover user’s perceptions of its Web site before beginning the redesign process. In addition, the session will cover some tips and techniques to design a web site that is more accessible to all users based on universal design concepts.
• Futuring Methods for Libraries (Part I & II)
Join speakers from the institution for the Future at Anne Arundel Community College in Maryland for a lively discussion on future thinking relative to library issues. Learn to imagine the possible, assess the probable, avoid the preventable and decide on the preferable. The program promotes future thinking, foresight and the ability to advise, consult and train, while facilitating creativity and planning. Engage in exercises for thinking about the future and learn sources of information about futuring methods. Part II moves from theoretical to the practical as apply futuring tools to real-life library scenarios.
• Who and What Comes After the Millennials?
• Information Literacy Trends within the Virtual World of Second Life
The popular internet-based virtual world Second Life is currently populated by more than four million individuals worldwide, many of whom are over the age of 45. This presentation will explore the emerging social and cultural network that facilitates the “learning ecology” of Second Life and will uncover information literacy trends within the virtual realm.
• Understanding the Problem before You Solve it: Effective Resource-Based Assignments
Thoughtful resource-based assignments are effective tools for developing students’ information skills. Although a well-crafted learning experience is a thing of beauty, there is more science than art in their design. In this session, participants will examine resource-based assignments in their higher education and pedagogical context, as well as their role in developing students’ information literacy.
• The Impact of the Internet on Politics
There have been many predictions about the impact of the Internet on politics. Is the internet the lever for direct democracy? Or is it a wedge for political polarization? Either conclusion may prove too simple. To understand how technology might reshape politics, consider what has been learned from the initial decade of online campaigning, and how various fears and hopes have fared.
• The Next Internet: Telecommunications Reform and Network Policy
Jeff Kuhns is senior director of Information Technology Services at Pennsylvania State University, and a spokesman for the EDUCAUSE and Internet2 organizations. He administers the telecommunications and Internet needs of Penn State and will speak on the importance of keeping the Internet open to all – the issues of “net neutrality” and the reform of telecommunications policy. Higher education uses the internet to provide vital distance learning, medical services and telemedicine, and a wide variety of social and information services to the general populace, as well as communications and information resources for student and faculty researchers. Universities are constantly developing new internet-based applications and services that are intended to be shared with the American public. Kuhns argues that the future of American education, innovation and competitiveness depends upon the availability of an open Internet. The owner of the broadband networks must not be allowed to close down the Internet or give preferential treatment to their own services.
• Beyond the Library Wall: Strategies for Building Library Outreach Programs on Your Campus
In academic libraries, outreach programs are an important way of reaching constituencies who might not take full advantage of library services. This session will offer examples of such programs, including Libraries’ Open House, programs for adult learners, orientation for international students, reference services in the campus student union building (the HUB), and the library sessions for high school and community groups.
• DMCA, TEACH and Copyright in Higher Education
The program will offer an overview of the current state of copyright in higher education, including information concerning the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and the TEACH Act.
• The “Wild, Wild Web”
The Internet is the “Wild Wild Web” and you need to know how to navigate the various problems patrons and fellow employees may encounter. Learn the difference between spam and harassment, who those Nigerians really are, what phishing is and how to deal with MySpace, Facebook and other online social networking Web site issues, plus much more!
• Blogging, Wikis, RSS and More in the Classroom
Academic libraries, serving communities engaged in information creation and exchange, can benefit by using and promoting Web 2.0 tools. Wikis, blogs, RSS and data sharing provide new means of information delivery, distribution and manipulation. Blogging is a versatile tool that can be used in lieu of PowerPoint or other media as a presentation tool and for teaching. However, the classroom blog will require a certain amount of market savvy to convince students and faculty of the medium’s merit. Learn how librarians can educate faculty and students to the possibilities for enhanced education and research. To view a sample classroom blog, go to http://edlaw-scranton.blogspot.com/