The CNN story is timely and it's not just about what you can do with kids in Seattle! Story highlights:
As you prepare for the Annual Conference in Seattle, check out Schmap, an interactive web site with maps, photos, and other information. There is a Schmap specifically for Seattle.
BTW Schmap periodically looks at photos in Flickr to locate photos that will help it illustrate what an area looks like. If you take photos in Seattle, load them into Flickr (and tag them), you may find that you'll get a message from Schmap asking if they can use your photo. There is no payment, just proper attribute and a few moments of fame.
The PubCon Conference Blog has tips for telling your boss on attending a conference and the tips will work for any conference. They start with "Post Conference Deal Sealers." Yup...the time to begin selling the need to attend next year's conference begins as soon as you return from this year's conference. Yet even though SLA occurred in June, it is not to late to do "The Follow Up Presentation."
Some of the ideas require that you picked up the right info at the conference, so check the pile in the corner to see if all the stuff you hauled back is still there! {That's a joke. None of us have materials piled up in our offices.}
And finally...you move onto to "Selling the Next Conference." The blog gives these tips:
Yes, start now so we'll be sure to see you in Seattle.
I don't think it's just me. I look at the program schedule and I see one class that really grabs my interest, and then another one that looks just as interesting right below. Both offered at the same time of course. So what do you do? Of course there's a good argument for choosing one class and staying in it from start to finish. It's a good argument, but I've never followed. Inevitably I hopscotch between classes, finding a seat at the back or near the aisle (these seems to be the most popular I might add!), staying in one for a while, then skulking off to the next room, when there seems to be a lull. I do always feel a bit like I've missed out anyway, for all my frantic scurrying up and down the hallways to sit in on other classes that I don't want to miss. I’m so used to multi-tasking in my everyday life, but there is something to be said for just focusing on one class, the whole time. Hmmm, interesting concept!
Over and over again during the conference, you will be encouraged to visit the INFO EXPO hall. I have to admit that I myself have ignored this advice at previous conferences. I don't do much purchasing in my job, and I was always more interested in going to sessions than listening to sales pitches.
But today, walking around the exhibits while sipping a glass of wine courtesy of Thomson Scientific & Dialog, a friend of mine commented that the exhibit hall at SLA is much more relaxed than the exhibits at ALA. Now, maybe this will change tomorrow, but at least today, you could easily make your way through the hall, vendors didn't harass you if you weren't interested in something, and they were happy to talk to you whether you looked like a potential customer or not. I was reminded of Eli Edwards' advice on the exhibits for newcomers, which Jill Hurst-Wahl reposted on this blog.
SLA always provides no-conflict time for visiting the exhibits, so I'd encourage you to take advantage of it. Get some free stuff, meet some new people (many of the vendors are librarians themselves), enter the drawings, and thank the sponsors of the sessions you're attending.
Tag: sla2007
It's been a busy day at SLA Info Central. Several first-time attendees stopped by to get their bearings (and their purple first-timer ribbons)...so much to do, so little time. I hope we can all tap into that conference energy.
Don't forget to check your tote bag for the pocket-sized conference planner that has a mini version of the program. It's a great quick reference for locations and a good place to mark your daily schedule.
Speaking of schedules, the division open house and reception details are posted at the Information Booth, as well as in your program. Also, check the plasma screen daily for session and course cancellations and room changes.
A tram will be running each day between the 14th street convention center entrance and the registration area in Lobby D. It's off-duty between 11 and 1 for battery recharging (trams need lunch, too). I have to admit that riding in that little car is quite fun.
Until the INFO-EXPO opens at 11am on Sunday, an SLA marketplace will be set up in the registration area. Pick up a hat, a t-shirt, or a copy of Al Gore's book.
I got to meet a few of the many bloggers yesterday and today. Hi to Jill Hurst-Wahl, Kathleen Rainwater, and Von Totanes! If you want to blog for SLA, and you haven't registered yet, get in touch with John Adams in the Blogging/Press Office (Room 604 in the Convention Center). If you're already registered and you need a blogger ribbon, stop by that office or by the Information Booth. And, don't forget about the blogger get-together on Tuesday at 1:30pm at the Rialto Cafe. Leave a comment on the post with the details to RSVP. Thanks for Jill for organizing!
That's all for now. Stop by the Info Booth to say hello!
The Convention Center rep told me that Wifi is available in the public areas of the CCC - for $8.95 a day
Free wifi is available all along the 16th Street Mall, two blocks away.
For a list of other locations , check the conference wiki:
http://lib.colostate.edu/publicwiki/index.php?title=Special_Libraries_Association:Denver_FAQ#WiFi
I was asked to share some of my pre-conference thoughts from my perspective as a first-timer. I think the key to me having a positive and fulfilling experience at SLA is to manage my expectations. In no particular order, I have compiled a list of what I expect from my conference experience. I’m looking forward to comparing it with my debriefing wrap up!
See you soon!
