RUSA offers preconference focusing on resource sharing at Annual Conference

Contact: Eileen Hardy


RUSA Marketing Specialist


(312) 280-4398


ehardy@ala.org

For Immediate Release,


February 26, 2008

RUSA offers preconference focusing on resource sharing at Annual Conference

CHICAGO--The Sharing and Transforming Access to Resources Section (STARS) of the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) is offering a full-day preconference focusing on resource sharing, “Throw Off Your Policies and Expose Your Resources: Rethinking Resource Sharing,” 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, June 27, during the American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference in Anaheim (Calif.).




The preconference will provide information to help library administrators, front-line librarians and resource sharing staff that set policies discover new and innovative ways to provide resources and service to people. “Resource sharing is changing in exciting ways, and participants will develop creative ideas for rethinking local, regional, national and international approaches to information resource sharing,” said Anne Beaubien, chair of the preconference committee. “The Rethinking Resource Sharing Initiative seeks to simplify library resource sharing and provide people with options about how to get information when they need it, in the format they choose.”




The preconference speakers are Stephen Abram, vice president, Innovation, SirsiDynix, chief strategist, SirsiDynix Institute; John Bodfish, fulfillment protocols product manager, OCLC; Jim Meyers, head of Circulation, Orange County Public Library; and Gina Persichini, networking consultant, Idaho State Library.




The sponsors of this event are Emerald Group Publishing Limited, OCLC, RapidILL, Relais International and SirsiDynix.




Advanced registration rates are $185 for ALA members, $135 for RUSA members, $99 for ALA retired and student members and $250 for non-ALA members. Onsite registration rates are $210 for ALA members, $160 for RUSA members, $125 for student and retired members and $270 for non-ALA members.




Tickets for the preconference can be purchased in advance when registering for ALA Annual Conference. To add the preconference on to an existing registration, call ALA member and customer service at 1 (800) 545-2433, press option #5 and add event #RU4 to your existing registration. For more preconference information please visit (
http://www.ala.org/ala/rusa/rusaevents/rusaannual/preconferencesa/precon.cfm).




RUSA (
www.ala.org/rusa), the leading association for reference and user services professionals, is a division of the ALA.