The Conference Planning Committee for CALL 2012 is fully immersed in the final details – making sure that the little things are under control, so that the big event looks effortless and professional. It’s nice to take a step back every now and again, and look at the big picture. And what a picture it is!
We have dazzling venues, from the Royal York (our conference hotel), to the Ontario Legislature at Queen’s Park (the home of the opening reception), to the Liberty Grand (where we’ll be kicking off our 50th anniversary year). You’ll be learning more about the social program and tours in coming posts. Today I want to brag about the program.
A creative and well-connected Program Committee has been able to assemble an inspiring learning event. SLAW contributors dot the program, including Ted Tjaden, Shaunna Mireau, Karen Sawatzky and Annette Demers. The topics are wide-ranging – no matter the type of workplace or stage of your career, there is something for you here.
Want to add to your practical skills? Check out sessions like Doing Due Diligence, and Tim Knight will be bringing us news on the further development and potential of RDA.
Interested in expanding your portfolio? Stephen Lastres, Ted Tjaden and Karen Sawatzky can introduce you the possibilities of Knowledge Management, while Shaunna Mireau and Rebecca Strange will challenge you to Innovate! In our opening plenary, Rick Powers will talk about how librarians contribute to an organization’s reputation management.
Need a crystal ball to help you envision the future? We’ve got Nigel Holloway presenting a plenary on Future Trends in Legal Information and Law Libraries, and a concurrent session on the history and future plans for CanLII, with Colin Lachance.
Want to explore your inner techie? Come learn about mobile with Sarah Glassmeyer, usable website design with Stephanie Poce, and (relatively) painless ILS implementations with Sarah Sutherland.
Managers, and soon-to-be managers can explore statistics, collection management and the development of the next generation of law librarians. Joe Janes’ plenary on professional growth will challenge not only managers looking to nurture the next generation, but will call upon that younger cohort to really think about their goals, and strategies for achieving those ambitions.
Of course, I can’t talk about the program without mentioning Eileen Lewis’s session, Tales from the Flat Track. Yes, she for real skates in a roller derby – not only have I seen her skate, I’ve seen the bruises that result. This session promises to be a lively one!
This only begins to scratch the surface of the program – I encourage you to go check out the entire lineup. I guarantee that there will be something there to educate, inspire or challenge you to look for the Towering Opportunities in your career and in your library.
Early bird registration closes March 15, 2012.
A huge thanks to David Whelan (another Slaw contributor) for his leadership of the program committee.