All Sessions

An unconference is a participant-guided experience that harnesses the unstructured conversations people usually have between conference sessions into the conference itself. Unlike most conferences where talking heads and group leaders decide what is important, unconferences are organized by the crowd. Unconferences are about sharing the knowledge and passion we have for our profession and taking what we learn into the world to make a difference. Everyone has something to share. Everyone has something to learn. We can all change the world.

Changes in the economic and information landscape of higher education and technology demand that academic libraries develop new solutions to meet changing user expectations, and prepare our organizations for future directions. All academic library Associate University Librarians, Associate Deans, Assistant Directors, or equivalent ranked senior personnel who are interested in discussing organizational change are welcome to attend.

The Internet Resources and Services IG will discuss exciting current technology trends. At this meeting, the group will review past programs and plan future activities. We will prepare, for one of LITA’s big events, the seventh annual Ultimate Debate titled “Cloud Computing: Liberation or Big Brother.” Join us and become a member of LITA’s Internet Resources and Services IG. Help plan for the ultimate excitement -- the Ultimate Debate.

Dallas Public Library is rethinking everything as it transitions out of the Great Recession of 2008. Mobile technology allows staff to deliver service at point of contact; an innovation incubator provides opportunities for assistance to those wanting to start a micro-business; and a renewed commitment to library services in a digital age has staff focused on the customer’s experience.

Empowering Voices, Transforming Communities: join these conversations and leave Midwinter with new tools to become a better advocate. Libraries rely on partners within the community to advocate on their behalf more than ever before. But how can libraries stay relevant to these stakeholders in an environment of ever-changing priorities? Join visionary professor David Lankes, author of “Atlas of New Librarianship” ( (http://www.newlibrarianship.org), in two afternoons of innovative and interactive conversations about harnessing the evolving role of libraries, and strengthening the librarian’s voice to help shape community perception.

Facilitators from the graphic recording company, Sunni Brown (http://sunnibrown.com/), will help create visual images of the plenary conversations that conclude each afternoon. The Saturday, January 21, 2012, session focuses on “Understanding Your Communities.” The Sunday, January 22, 2012, session focuses on “Transforming Librarianship.” Both run from 1:00-3:00 p.m.

Sessions are open to all Midwinter Meeting attendees; please add them to your Scheduler to indicate that you plan to attend. Attendees will also receive a coupon for 5% off the price of David Lankes’ galvanizing “Atlas of New Librarianship” (ACRL/MIT Press, 2011) at the ALA Conference Store.

The conversation continues on Sunday afternoon (http://alamw12.scheduler.ala.org/node/1073).

Increasingly users are searching for library materials through “Next Generation Catalogs” or “Discovery Systems” which provide options to limit keyword retrieval sets by subject terms. How do our current subjects function in this context? Can standards be developed for this? What should they be?

The LITA Next Generation Catalog Interest Group invites representatives from major next generation catalog system vendors, including Ex Libris, eXtensible Catalog Organization, OCLC, and Serials Solutions. Each representative will demonstrate distinctive features of their system and will join in a panel discussion on topics, such as challenges of developing next generation catalog systems, embracing non-MARC metadata, and taking advantage of linked data.

Participants are encouraged to ask any question related to next generation catalog systems. A brief business meeting of the Next Generation Catalog Interest Group will be following.

Learn about recent developments with ACRL’s Value of Academic Libraries Initiative, a multiyear project designed to aid academic librarians in demonstrating library value. The ACRL publication The Value of Academic Libraries: A Comprehensive Research Review and Report, released in fall 2010, recommended that the association create a professional development program to build the profession’s capacity to document, demonstrate, and communicate library value in alignment with the mission and goals of their colleges and universities. In late fall 2011, ACRL joined with three partners – the Association for Institutional Research, Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, and the Council of Independent Colleges – to convene two national summits to determine the professional competencies that librarians need. In this forum, learn the advice given by those attending the summits: college and university chief academic officers, senior institutional researchers, representatives from accreditation commissions and higher education organizations, and academic librarians.

Empowering Voices, Transforming Communities: join these conversations and leave Midwinter with new tools to become a better advocate. Libraries rely on partners within the community to advocate on their behalf more than ever before. But how can libraries stay relevant to these stakeholders in an environment of ever-changing priorities? Join visionary professor David Lankes, author of “Atlas of New Librarianship” ( (http://www.newlibrarianship.org), in two afternoons of innovative and interactive conversations about harnessing the evolving role of libraries, and strengthening the librarian’s voice to help shape community perception.

Facilitators from the graphic recording company, Sunni Brown (http://sunnibrown.com/), will help create visual images of the plenary conversations that conclude each afternoon. The Saturday, January 21, 2012, session focuses on “Understanding Your Communities.” The Sunday, January 22, 2012, session focuses on “Transforming Librarianship.” Both run from 1:00-3:00 p.m.

Sessions are open to all Midwinter Meeting attendees; please add them to your Scheduler to indicate that you plan to attend. Attendees will also receive a coupon for 5% off the price of David Lankes’ galvanizing “Atlas of New Librarianship” (ACRL/MIT Press, 2011) at the ALA Conference Store.

The conversation begins on Saturday afternoon (http://alamw12.scheduler.ala.org/node/1072).

Discussions focus on management issues pertaining to library systems and consortia. Previous topics included advocacy, funding, member services, and innovative projects.

Join fellow conference goers for the first ever ALA Midwinter Conference Camp. The goal of this Camp is to get people together to talk about anything library or conference related with a focus on reflecting on what inspired you at the 2012 Midwinter conference. Come prepared to share your experience and/or lead an informal discussion on a topic of your choice. Everyone is welcome!