TLA 2009 Conference Programming Committee

Oct 23, 2007 Meeting

DPL North Branch, 1:30 - 3:30pm

(first meeting)

Introductions

Conference Theme

• Creating Communities of Ideals and Innovations
• theme graphic inspiration:
  • retro big-letter postcards (posted to the wiki)
  • won't be including the year in the graphic, so that themed merchandise will be timeless/reusable
• existing ideas:
  • bringing museum/archivist communities into the conference
  • a day of programming will feature speakers from those communities
  • share common themes: marketing, budget, etc.
  • "bring your IT person to this day of the conference"
  • "bring your vendor"
• goals and aspirations for this conference? what do you want that you haven't seen?
  • marketing and outreach, including graphics (input from people that aren't necessarily librarians)
  • open source software
  • cheap technology for your library
  • how to implement Library 2.0 in your library
  • is your OPAC passe?
  • how to keep up when things are changing so fast
  • how to write a manual/workflow/policies? basic class of how to start your library and how to automate it, etc.
  • know about gangs (populations you serve, your community)
  • outsourced public libraries
  • redefinition of literacy (see most recent American Libraries issue, October 2007)
  • help for school librarians (basic course)
  • promote TLA conference to new school librarians who don't know about it--reach out to school administrators to get them to send their librarians-- "No School Library Left Behind"
  • making the union of new and established librarians a happy marriage
• ideas -- big picture
  • promoting skills and needs
  • need to look at program tracks
  • limit themes to particular days for those who can only attend one day

Program Committee Responsibilities

• (handouts from Pat with TLA)
• responsible for the content of the conference
• a vision for the future and best practices for the present
• 18 months to put the program together
  • meet monthly
• each person will plan one or two programs
• will serve as a liaison to one or two units of the association
  • give them ideas, technical assistance, etc.
  • give thought to the groups you'd like to work with (list being handed out)
  • liaison relationship isn't a time-consuming one
  • good to meet with the group at TLA 2008 conference
• when does this group want to meet at hte 2008 conference?
• subcommittee (list handed out)
  • next meeting, we'll discuss which ones you'd want to work on

tips and thoughts for this committee?

• question: if you have another position that will take your time at assembly or conference? how can you work around that?
  • as a team, we work together--there are times when you'll get pulled away, but your colleagues will jump in and help you
  • it might be good to act as liaison to groups that are already pulling you away--does double-duty
  • we'll plan meetings at late night or early morning to avoid conflicts
• in May 2007, the chair of TASA, CRT, ART started talking about programming speakers, flesh out what the youth program looked like for the 2008 conference
  • staggering programming for best access
  • great relationships established through this
  • worked out schedule on butcher paper
  • first time that the programming committee had representatives there
  • set up a blog and had communications between meetings
  • want to be sure session choices are planned cooperatively
  • want a content-rich, collaborative conference
• fourth or fifth time with this conference planning
  • we represent others in our specific fields: feel them out and see what types of things they would like to see in TLA conference
  • talk to those people and ask what they would like to see
  • place emphasis on content, not authors

TLA conference wiki

• http://tlacpc.library.unt.edu/index.php5/2009_TLA_Conference_Planning_Committee
• begin to throw out ideas and get assignments: create a spot on the wiki for each person
• everyone will know where you are, what you're dealing with
• we can help bridge people together so that money goes further than it normally would (share speakers, a panel, etc.)
• keep track of it on the wiki
• gives other committee participants a chance to view and respond to ideas on wiki
• TLA office will be able to keep tabs on where we're headed
• first initial for your name and last name, capitalized (username)
  • pwd should have come through email, 3 or 4 days ago -- not in the Wimba instructions
  • if don't have this pwd through email, contact Dreanna for help--she's re-emailing this out to everyone

keep current to spark new ideas and hot topics

• watch PBS, morning shows, news, outside of our normal professional literature to new areas/fields
• get a sense for the bigger picture
• can get good ideas for speakers outside the field, etc.
• ideas about future meetings
  • Tuesdays okay/not ok? maybe 2pm Tuesdays
  • on the wiki, will have a vote for which Tuesdays of the month, and morning vs. 2pm

Conference Themes Statement

• will post to wiki for comments

Volunteers for Minutes

• Diane Wahl took minutes today
• can rotate minutes btwn people physically present
• or have one volunteer for a reduction in other assignments
• critical to track brainstorming ideas so they aren't lost or not acted upon
• how to turn minutes into a spreadsheet or otherwise trackable document
  • will post minutes to wiki so that they are centrally located and easy to edit/find
• Mary Ann will be taking minutes

General Session Speakers

• what do we ideally want in General Session? I and II, then closing luncheon
  • take five minutes to think and chat about speaker ideas
• discussion of various ideas...
  • Lilly, Annie and I discussed:
    • not an author or journalist
    • not another "why I love libraries/librarians"
    • fit with the theme of the innovation/ideas in the conference
    • want a thinker, visionary
    • want to learn something
    • someone outside of libraries with a unique viewpoint on library services or someone inside libraries with practical advice/ideas
    • literacy studies, gaming in libraries, education, media studies, digital content, citation machine
  • other group ideas discussed (see minutes)
• we'll continue to brainstorm general session speakers
  • need to think about: who are the hot speakers going to other conferences that we don't necessarily go to, but would like a relationship with?
  • Educause, Gaming in Libraries, Internet Librarian, etc.
  • tie into theme of creating communities, ideas and innovation
  • keep in mind that the general session needs broad appeal, so that many people will attend