Alice in InfoLand

What did I learn at the Computers in Libraries / Internet@Schools East conference on March 22-24?
I’ve been mulling the notes I took and the impressions floating in my head, the CIL-tagged posts in the biblioblogosphere, comments sent to me by other ISE attendees, and the assorted handouts and publications provided at and after the events.

I go to professional conferences for three reasons:

1. Information: What are the new concepts/resources/techniques I need to know about?
2. Application: How can I use these new ideas and strategies in my own programs & services?
3. Discussion: Who will I get a chance to talk with, for both personal and professional connections?

According to Information Today, Inc., the conference sponsor, this is ‘the most comprehensive North American conference and exhibition on all aspects of library & information delivery technology.’
I tried to attend programs in both the CIL and ISE tracks (Actually, ISE wasn’t even considered a track, just a "co-located" sub-conference under the CIL umbrella).
So what did I discover?

Computers in Libraries attendees:
* 2500+, mostly from academic/college or special/corporate libraries; lots of laptops and handhelds used for note-taking, blogging, etc.
* library clientele preselected by user choice (enrollment, profession, etc.)
* funding for new technologies and resources not a big issue
* looking for new digital resources and applications to use, to expand services to clients
* obstacles to implementation of new technologies: reluctant staff, lack of client interest
* enthralled by the ‘millenials’: ooh, a new species requiring new/different handling.
* geek-factor: use of social-networking software: variable
* see social networking sites like myspace, etc. as possible venues for connecting with clients.
* acknowledgement of K-12 issues and concerns: none
* awareness, interest in ISE programs/topics: little or none
* interaction with ISE attendees: little to none

Internet @ Schools attendees:
* less than 100 total; mostly paper-based note-taking, almost no blogging
* library clientele preselected by geographic proximity (students, teachers)
* funding for basic library programs & services a major issue; just keeping the job is a big concern !
* looking for ways to maintain and enrich current programs & services, to validate library/librarian as part of educational infrastructure
* obstacles to implementation of new technologies: administrative attitudes, lack of support staff, lack of time, lack of funding, lack of training opportunities
* about those ‘millenials’: we’ve been watching these kids evolve for years now. We’ve been adapting to their needs all along.
* geek-factor: use of social-networking software: minimal
* do not see social networking sites as where we need to be; our role is as adult/authority, not friend
* acknowledgement of broader library/educational/practical concerns: lots
* awareness, interest in CIL programs/topics: some
* interaction with CIL attendees: moderate

While I appreciated the opportunity to see/hear CIL’s array of pundits present their visions of what is and what should be, I was disheartened by how many of the CIL presenters totally ignored any impact that K-12 school libraries and librarians might have on the larger issues of lifetime learning and library use. I heard lots of talk about integration and collaboration, but I didn’t see a whole lot of it among the different audiences here.

Some valuable "takeaways" (info/ideas I could USE, rather than just descriptions of what other folks have done):
* We need to be available where our users are; school libraries can no longer be defined by our physical collections and boundaries. Online connections can be used to HELP our clientele at point of need. (email, etc. after school hours)
* We need to find ways to make it EASIER for our clientele to use our resources. (Federated searching? why are we asking our users to search multiple databases, one at a time?)
* Library websites need to offer both access to resources AND instructions (intervention?) on how to best use those resources.
* Blogs can be used for book discussion groups. Wikis can be used for group projects, to collect resource links and develop co-constructed knowledge. Wikis can also be used as internal info-sharing formats, eliminating some of the email overload.
* Look at new ways to use technology to promote the library programs & services, both overtly and through guerrilla marketing techniques.
* Today’s kids are visual learners. For some wonderful examples of ways to combine technology and imagination, see Johanna Riddle’s article on Visual Literacy applications.

Some onsite issues that really irked me:

1. Conference organizers need to pay more attention to room set-up. Podiums should be next to the screens, not at the opposite end of the dais. I want to be able to look at the speaker and the visuals without having to scan across other, irrelevant objects in between the two.
2. Presenters at this kind of conference should know — and be able to define — any terminology they use. Presenters who don’t know what ICT or Web 2.0 means immediately lose their credibility.
   
3. Infotoday’s own conference blog had NO coverage of any of the ISE programs. If the program’s sponsor doesn’t even notice the K-12 presence, what does that say to those attendees?
   

Bottom line: would I go to this conference again? Probably not, based on the ROI.
Our state conferences usually cost less to attend, have better exhibits and offer many more programs that address the full range of our professional needs and responsibilities.
My suggestion to Infotoday: sponsor presentations by your big thinkers at the already-established conferences for school librarians, rather than expect us to attend yours.

tags: ISE2006 CIL2006