Kat Allen, conference director for Internet Librarian International, gives us a preview of what to expect from this year’s conference…
I love working on Internet Librarian International (ILI). The conference has massively dedicated fans, who go out of their way to tell us that for them, it’s a truly enjoyable event, busy and energetic, with a really welcoming and supportive ‘community’ of delegates. The conference is growing rapidly, with a 65% increase in attendance in just two years, so that definitely adds to the buzz for us as the organisers! But it’s the interaction between delegates and speakers which always provides the real highlight for me. With its emphasis on case studies, the conference gives delegates a chance to hear from real practitioners about their ideas and experiences. As conference co-chair Donna Saxby puts it, “the spirit of sharing is pervasive, no one person is expert in everything, but all want to spread ideas and learn.”
Each year, there is a lot of debate among the conference committee about the opening keynote speakers. It’s important that we find keynoters who ‘get’ information professionals, who understand the importance and diversity of info pros roles, and the wide variety of organisations within which we operate. We also strive to find keynoters who are inspirational, suggesting contexts and practices which have relevance to a wide variety of organisations and information settings.
I’m excited to hear this year’s opening keynote Peter Morville, who is perhaps best known for his role in the creation of information architecture, alongside his advocacy of the critical roles that search and findability play in defining the user experience. In his keynote ‘Inspiration Architecture: The Future of Libraries’ Peter will argue that to understand the future of the library, we must look to the tools and contexts – both physical and digital – where learning takes place. He will argue that the disruptive innovations of open access and online courses are changing the architecture of education, with the result that the “embedded librarian” and the “single search box” aren’t just nice ideas: they’re mission-critical.
I’m also really looking forward to our second keynote speaker – Joe Tree, founder of BAFTA-winning Blipfoto, the photo sharing website, which was chosen by the British Library as number two on its list of ‘100 Websites’. Joe will be considering the themes of community creation, image curation, lifelogging, social history and research, and will share the inside story of how he set up Blipfoto, including the important decisions that were made early on to create a set of principles to underpin the community. This led to the development of a strong and positive culture which now only requires a small level of intervention. As Joe Tree puts it, “Blipfoto is open, it’s well indexed, and those who contribute must self-curate…. As our community grows, the more angles we get on the same things and the stronger the whole becomes. I’m sitting on top of something very important here – it’s very exciting and a huge privilege.”
This year’s conference theme is ‘smart solutions to real challenges’. As conference co-chair Marydee Ojala puts it, “it’s no surprise that information professionals face a host of challenges. Our rapidly evolving environments are fuelled by changes in technology, scarce economic resources, abundance of web-based information, and heightened user expectations. It’s important for internet librarians to anticipate tomorrow’s challenges, not simply respond to today’s.”
ILI’s emphasis on case studies comes into its own here, as conference speakers both describe their current solutions and look to the future. This year’s conference is split into six tracks:
- Transformative Technologies, including a session from technology analyst and trend spotter Joe Murphy.
- Connecting with Community and Customers. This track will explore new ways to engage with users and features contributions from the Simon Chaplin at Wellcome Trust, Aase Andreasen from Politiken in Denmark, and Kirsi Tuominen from Finland’s VTT.
- New Resources and New Services – the latest in research, privacy and e-resources.
- Marketing and impact. This track looks at how to promote services and collections, and explores new routes to information literacy.
- Search, Discovery and Data – this track focuses on how users are searching, and what are they looking for.
- The New Professional; Skills and Roles – this track concentrates on careers and how to develop them and features SLA President Deb Hunt.
For me, a real high spot of ILI is the conversations and connections that take place during the conference, and which are continued long afterwards. More and more social and networking events and awards are being organised around the conference (see http://www.internet-librarian.com/2013/socialevents.php and http://www.internet-librarian.com/2013/awards.php) and so there are plenty of occasions for delegates to get to know one another over lunch, a drink or a coffee. And the sponsor showcase, which gets bigger each year, provides an opportunity to chat with publishers and vendors of library solutions and services in a friendly, open atmosphere.
We’re thrilled that once again SLA Europe will be presenting a panel session followed by networking drinks for Internet Librarian International delegates and SLA Europe members (Monday 14 October from 18.30 – 20.30 at the Hilton London Olympia). The evening is kindly sponsored by Springer. The session will focus on “bridging the gap” by hearing from those who have made the transition from corporate information provision into roles in the public sector and with vendors, and will be chaired by Deb Hunt.
I look forward to seeing you there!
Discounts for SLA members
SLA has negotiated a 20% discount for SLA members registering with the discount code SLA20.
Further Information:
Internet Librarian International 2013
The Innovation and Technology Conference for Information Professionals
15 & 16 October 2013, Workshops on 14 October 2013
The conference includes hands-on workshops, three parallel conference tracks, keynotes, plenary sessions, panel discussions, 40 case studies and over 70 expert speakers, networking with information professionals from over 30 countries, and the event’s Sponsor Showcase of global information products and service providers.
SLA members are entitled to claim a 20% discount on fees for the main conference. Discounts are also available for multiple delegates from the same organisation.
View the full programme and register at www.internet-librarian.com