LITA Highlights at 2016 ALA Midwinter Meeting

2016 ALA Midwinter Meeting

Complete Schedule of meetings and events with room assignments now available

Use the Conference Scheduler to browse and search events, plan and prioritize your time, and build your personal conference calendar.
Search on "lita" to discover all the LITA meetings and related events.  Log in to create your own schedule, click on the stars, then export the schedule.  Please note there are several LITA events that will not show in the primary link above including the pre-conference as well as the Top Tech Trends session.  Please access their details below.

Makerspaces: inspiration and action
A special LITA off site pre-conference

Friday, January 8, 2016 from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM
Pick-up and drop-off will be from the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center
 
Visit two outstanding makerspaces: Artisan's Asylum and Parts & Crafts.
Artisan's is one of the country's premier makerspaces, with 40,000 square feet of 3d printing, woodwork, metalwork, machining, artists' workshops, and more. Parts & Crafts is a neighborhood gem: a makerspace for kids that runs camp, afterschool, and homeschooling programs; it's also host to the Somerville Tool Library. We'll tour their spaces, learn the nuts and bolts of maker programming for kids and adults, and maybe even build some lightsabers. Lunch and transportation are included (pick-up and drop-off will be at the Boston Convention Center).
 

Top Technology Trends Discussion Session

Sunday, January 10, 2016, 10:30 am - 11:30 am
Boston Convention & Exhibition Center - 253 A

LITA's premier program on changes and advances in technology. Top Technology Trends features our ongoing roundtable discussion about trends and advances in library technology by a panel of LITA technology experts and thought leaders. The panelists will describe changes and advances in technology that they see having an impact on the library world, and suggest what libraries might do to take advantage of these trends.  This conference panelists and their suggested trends include:

  • Moderator: Lisa Bunker, Pima County Public Library, Social Media Librarian
  • Jason Griffey, Fellow, Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University
    • Blockchain technologies
    • What happens when objects in the world are given an IP and AI, robotic apocalypse and its aftermath
  • Jim Hahn, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Orientation Services and Environments Librarian, Associate Professor        
    • Machine Learning.          
    • Location Based Services (LBS)
  • Jamie Hollier, Anneal, Inc (Co-CEO) and Commerce Kitchen (Co-Owner)
    • Interoperability
    • Autonomous Agents, AI, and Robotics
  • Alex Lent, Millis Public Library, Library Director
    • Open source technology
    • Coding education
  • Thomas Padilla, Digital Scholarship Librarian, Michigan State University
    • Text mining and visualization of Digital Collections
    • Data Curation
  • Ken Varnum, University of Michigan, Senior Program Manager for Discovery, Delivery, and Learning Analytics 
    • Headless Content Management
    • Learning Analytics & Privacy
More information about the program is available at the Top Tech Trends site.

Interest Groups Discussion Sessions

Find days, times, and locations of LITA Interest Groups discussions using this scheduler link.
Check out this page for fuller descriptions for some of the discussion sessions.

LITA Open House

Sunday, January 10, 2016, 4:30 pm - 5:30 pm
Seaport Hotel, Room Harborview 2

LITA Open House is an opportunity for current and prospective members to talk with Library and Information Technology Association (LITA) leaders, committee chairs, and interest group participants. The goal of Open House is to share information, encourage involvement in LITA activities, and help attendees build professional connections.

LITA Happy Hour

Sunday, January 10, 2016, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Location: MIJA Cantina & Tequila Bar 
Quincy Market - 1 Faneuil Hall Marketplace - Boston, MA - 857.284.7382

Please join the LITA Membership Development Committee and members from around the country for networking, good cheer, and great fun! Expect lively conversation and excellent drinks. Cash Bar.  Map the location.

LITA Town Meeting

Monday, January 11, 2016, 8:30 am - 10:00 am
Boston Convention & Exhibition Center - 104 BC

Join your fellow LITA members for breakfast and a discussion led by President-elect Aimee Fifarek, about LITA's strategic path. We will focus on how LITA's goals--collaboration and networking; education and sharing of expertise; advocacy; and infrastructure--help our organization serve you and the broader library community. This Town Meeting will help us turn those goals into plans that will guide LITA going forward.