Contact: Melissa Prentice
Programs and Marketing Specialist, LITA
(312) 280-4268
mprentice@ala.org
For Immediate Release,
April 29, 2008
Registration opens May 1 for 2008 LITA National Forum
Online registration is available beginning May 1 for the 2008 LITA National Forum, "Technology & Community: Building the Techno Community Library," to be held October 16-19 at the Hilton Netherland Plaza Hotel,
Keynote sessions anchor the event, which will include speakers Michael Porter, community product manager, WebJunction, and R. David Lankes, director of the Information Institute of Syracuse University. On Saturday, Michael Porter will present his session Hi-Fi-Sci-Fi-Library: Technology, Convergence, Content, Community, Ubiquity and Library Futures. Porter will examine past trends, current tech, emerging tech, academic futurism and pop culture. Using this information, Porter will consider what we can do now to ensure that libraries not only continue to offer a vital service, but that librarians’ roles and contributions to society increase. R. David Lankes will close the Forum on Sunday with his talk Obligation of Leadership. Lankes seeks the core principles of librarianship that can be used in creating new technologies. He makes the argument that libraries are relegating themselves to a permanent technological second place and that they should be in the business of creating the next big thing, not waiting for it.
More than 30 concurrent sessions will provide a wealth of practical information on a wide range of topics and Sunday-morning poster sessions round out the Forum. Two preconference workshops will also be offered. Starting Thursday afternoon and concluding Friday morning, Andrew Nagy of
Corporate sponsors of the LITA Forum help to bring programming and networking opportunities to attendees. We gratefully acknowledge the support of Innovative Interfaces, OCLC, Ex Libris, Swets Information Services, Serials Solutions, WebFeat, and Oasis. An opening reception will be held Friday night to showcase our sponsors and provide great networking and camaraderie for attendees. Other networking opportunities include lunch, breakfasts and refreshment breaks, as well as Saturday evening no-host dinner groups organized by LITA leaders plus Open Gaming Night.
Registration is limited to 500. For more information, visit http://www.lita.org/forum08.
LITA is a division of the American Library Association.