Friday, October 17, 2008, 1–2:30 p.m.
What is social cataloging and where is it going?
Tim Spalding, founder and developer, LibraryThing.com
Three years ago, LibraryThing married personal cataloging and social networking, creating an explosion of book lovers listing what they've read and finding others with similar tastes, and sparking interest among librarians and other information professions. LibraryThing founder Tim Spalding reviews his idea, what's become of it in his hands and others', and suggests where it's all going for book lovers and libraries.
Saturday, October 18, 2008, 9–10:30 a.m.
Hi-Fi-Sci-Fi-Library: Technology, Convergence, Content,Community, Ubiquity and Library Futures
Michael Porter, Community Product Manager, WebJunction
The "hi-fi sci-fi library” video is here!
So you think it’s an interesting time to be a librarian now? Just wait! Through an examination of past trends, current tech, emerging tech, academic futurism and a dash of pop culture, we’ll take a realistic peek at where library technology is headed. We’ll then take this information and start planning what we can do now to ensure that libraries not only continue to offer our vital service, but that our role and positive contributions to society increase - perhaps quite dramatically.
Sunday, October 19, 2008 10:30 a.m.–noon
Obligation of Leadership
R. David Lankes, director of the Information Institute of Syracuse University
This presentation seeks the core principles of librarianship that can be used in creating new technologies. It argues that the eventual price of adopting new trends and functions from others can ultimately dilute the effectiveness of the library mission and the core skills of the librarian. Lankes makes the argument that by chasing Google, Amazon, Facebook and the like, libraries are relegating themselves to a permanent technological second place. Shouldn't libraries be in the business of creating the next big thing, not waiting for it?