DIY Librarian

I kept hearing people talking about ontologies, and was embarrassed that I, as a professional librarian, didn’t really know what they were. That all changed when I attended a program by Brandy King at SLA 2007. Not only does Brandy know ontologies inside and out (she developed one for a database at the Center on Media and Child Health) but she is really good at explaining the concept. In fact, she has a new book out. And now I can proudly explain that an ontology is a set of concepts and the relationship between those concepts, and can make for great search results (for example, in the CMCH database).

I’m really excited that Brandy will be teaching a continuing education course (Ontologies: What should librarians know?) at SLA 2008 in Seattle, and that my own Social Science Division is sponsoring it. There is still space in the class, so if you’re thinking about attending SLA 2008, sign up for the course. It will be on Sunday morning, before the main conference kicks off.

This is a revision of an earlier announcement - note that there is now a prize for the best poster! (You maybe wondering, what is a poster session?)

The Social Science Division and the Museum, Arts, & Humanities Division invite proposals for a poster session to be held during the DSOC & MAHD Joint Open House at SLA 2008 in Seattle, Washington. DSOC and MAHD will award a one-year SLA membership to the first author of the best poster.

In keeping with the SLA 2008 conference theme, “Breaking Rules, Building Bridges,” the theme for the poster session is “Building Bridges with Collaboration Tools.” Proposals should focus on the use of collaboration tools (blogs, wikis, etc.) in libraries or information work. Posters may include examples of collaboration tools in use, innovative ideas for future uses, comparisons of available tools, or any other idea relevant to the theme.

The poster session will be a relaxed and informal time to share ideas with your colleagues. We welcome proposals from any SLA member, new or experienced, and especially from students. In the event we receive more qualified submissions than we can accommodate, members of the two sponsoring divisions and student members will be given priority.

Proposals should be submitted by March 1, 2008 via e-mail to murray@pop.psu.edu or mail to Tara Murray, Population Research Institute, Penn State, 601 Oswald Tower, University Park, PA 16802. Please include a title and description of about 250 words, and your name, institution, e-mail address, and address. Proposals will be reviewed by a committee for relevance to the theme and quality. We will notify applicants of our decision by April 1, 2008.

The Open House and Poster Session will be held on Sunday, June 15 from 8:00-10:00 p.m.

Wondering what a poster session is? I like this definite from the University at Buffalo Libraries:

Poster sessions are frequently used as a means to convey information in a brief format (typically 4′ x 8′) in classrooms, conferences and symposia, and workshops. Designing effective poster presentations is an art unto itself.

Here’s an opportunity for SLA members to share ideas with colleagues at the Social Science/Museums, Arts and Humanities Open House at SLA 2008:

Call for Posters: Building Bridges with Collaboration Tools

The Social Science Division and the Museum, Arts, & Humanities Division invite proposals for a poster session to be held during the DSOC & MAHD Joint Open House at SLA 2008 in Seattle, Washington. The Open House and Poster Session will be held on Sunday, June 15 from 8:00-10:00 p.m.

In keeping with the SLA 2008 conference theme, “Breaking Rules, Building Bridges,” the theme for the poster session is Building Bridges with Collaboration Tools. Proposals should focus on the use of collaboration tools (blogs, wikis, etc.) in libraries or information work. Posters may include examples of collaboration tools in use, innovative ideas for future uses, comparisons of available tools, or any other idea relevant to the theme.

The poster session will be a relaxed and informal time to share ideas with your colleagues. We welcome proposals from any SLA member, new or experienced, and especially from students. In the event we receive more qualified submissions than we can accommodate, members of the two sponsoring divisions and student members will be given priority.

Proposals should be submitted by March 1, 2008 via e-mail to murray@pop.psu.edu or mail to Tara Murray, Population Research Institute, Penn State, 601 Oswald Tower, University Park, PA 16802. Please include a title and description of about 250 words, and your name, institution, e-mail address, and address. Proposals will be reviewed by a committee for relevance to the theme and quality. We will notify applicants of our decision by April 1, 2008.

Tomorrow I’m headed to Denver for SLA 2007. I’ll be blogging here and at the SLA Blog.

Some things on my schedule:

• Walking Miles in the Mile High City (free pedometers from the Social Science Division and Thomson Scientific & Dialog!)
• The Personal Trainer (library services as an employee benefit)
• Meet the Non-Profit Sector
• NAFTA at 13: Unruly Teen or Happily Ever Afta (includes a presentation by Jen Darragh, who used to work with me)
• Visualizing Statistics: Making Use and Sense of Graphs, Charts and Diagrams (I’m moderating)
• Bloggers Get-together
• Planning meetings for SLA 2008
• High-altitude running and good beer!

My conference experience has certainly changed since I got involved in division leadership. I don’t have time to attend as many sessions, but I find I am very focused on the ones I can get to. I may not have time to get to any of the contributed papers sessions this year, but if you do, I would strongly encourage you to go. They are usually sparsely attended, but some of the best conference sessions I’ve ever been to have been contributed papers.