Contact: Tory Ondrla, CMP

Meeting and Special Events Planner

312-280-2515

tondrla@ala.org

For Immediate Release

October 10, 2006

ACRL opens registration for 13th
National Conference in Baltimore

Offers 85 scholarships worth more than $45,000

Keynote speakers include Michael Eric Dyson,
John Waters and Nina Totenberg

CHICAGO - The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) announces the opening of registration for the 13th ACRL National Conference, "Sailing into the Future ~ Charting Our Destiny," to be held in Baltimore, Maryland, March 29 - April 1, 2007. Registration and hotel reservations are available now online at www.acrl.org/baltimore.

The ACRL 13th National Conference is dedicated to the interests of academic and research librarians and enables participants to explore the issues, challenges and opportunities in their field. The conference offers networking activities with colleagues from all professional levels and types of institutions from across the country, and around the world.  More than 200 exhibitors will be on hand to showcase the latest in library products and services. Participants can choose from more than 250 peer-reviewed programs that will sharpen their professional edge by:

• Developing new understandings of the roles of social networking software in academic library settings and Web 2.0 tools including tagging, mashups, gaming, federated searching and more
• Understanding more about collaboration on institutional repositories
• Forming new approaches to diversity recruitment and organizational change
• Examining important trends and issues in scholarly communication
• Considering the role of advocacy for libraries in campus-level decision making

A celebrated lineup of keynote speakers will be challenging and entertaining. Michael Eric Dyson, one of the nation's most renowned public intellectuals, will discuss the impact that generational disputes and differences have on higher education. Filmmaker John Waters will share influences on his creative work, which often pushes the boundaries of conventional propriety and censorship, as well as the culture of his hometown, Baltimore. Nina Totenberg, National Public Radio's award-winning legal affairs correspondent, will examine connections between higher education and current issues and events in national public policy.

"The ACRL 13th National Conference is a must-attend event for every academic and research librarian with thought-provoking programs on important library issues and great opportunities to meet with colleagues," said Mary Reichel, ACRL National Conference Chair.

New enhancements to the conference this year include:

• Enhanced Virtual Conference Community to include live Webcasts, blogs, polls, conference snapshots and hot topic discussions (the community is complimentary to all ACRL 13th National Conference registrants)
• Cyber Zed Shed demonstrations that showcase new tech-tools and their library applications
• Searchable conference program online; search programs by track, theme or format at http://www.eshow2000.com/acrl/2007/conference_program.cfm

ACRL also is offering 85 scholarships worth more than $45,000 to support participation in the conference for librarians, students and support staff. There are five scholarship categories and all applications must be received by December 1, 2006. See the scholarships link on the conference Web site for more details.

"The scholarships committee is looking forward to providing awardees with a positive interaction with ACRL that will strengthen membership and encourage diversity," said Patricia Kreitz, co-chair of the ACRL National Conference Scholarships Committee.

Register by February 7, 2007 and save more than 20% on conference registration. Group discounts also are available for institutions that register 10 or more employees. For more details, please visit the ACRL 13th National Conference Web site at www.acrl.org/baltimore or e-mail the ACRL staff at acrl@ala.org.

ACRL is a division of the American Library Association (ALA), representing more than 13,000 academic and research librarians and interested individuals. ACRL is the only individual membership organization in North America that develops programs, products and services to meet the unique needs of academic and research librarians. Its initiatives enable the higher education community to understand the role that academic libraries play in the teaching, learning and research environments.