CALL/ACBD 2014 Conference – Winnipeg, May 25 – 28

Registration is now open for the 2014 Canadian Association of Law Libraries Annual Conference. This year’s conference will take place in Winnipeg, Manitoba at the Fort Garry Hotel from May 25-28.

From the conference webpage:

Winnipeg host city of the 2014 conference

Welcome to the Canadian Association of Law Libraries/L’Association canadienne des bibliothèques de droit Conference 2014: The Confluence: Knowledge Meets Inspiration/Au confluent du savoir et de l’inspiration. 

CALL/ACBD currently has approximately 500 members representing a wide variety of law library interests. It provides a forum for the exchange of information and ideas among members, fosters cooperation among Canadian law libraries, and plays an active role in promoting access to legal information for all Canadians.

The conference is an exciting opportunity to explore and learn about emerging issues in law librarianship, to acquire tools for building both hard and soft skills, and to meet with vendors about their new products and improvement of existing ones.

The theme of the 2014 conference refers to the power and potential which arise when we expose our professional knowledge to inspiring speakers, instruction, and ideas.

The Conference Planning Committee looks forward to welcoming you in May and making your stay a rewarding one while providing you with the opportunity to enjoy Winnipeg.

The conference will feature these keynotes:

• Mitch Kowalski – “From Law Librarian to Integrated KM Professional – The Future’s So Bright You’ve Got to Wear Shades!”
• Justice Murray Sinclair – “Mandate, methods and results of the Truth & Reconciliation Commission”
• Greg Lambert – “Three foot radius of the law library”

I am excited about the range of sessions as well–from practical research topics to management discussions all the way to discussions about the profession and justice. It is going to be difficult to choose which to attend.

Also check out the pre-conference workshop on the Saturday morning with Tim Knight and Sarah Sutherland, A Conversation on the Semantic Web and Legal Information. This will get us started talking about and understanding some of the new technology advances that will have increasing importance over the coming years.

And you will be finished in time to join everyone for the Hermetic Code Tour of the Manitoba Legislative Building on the Saturday afternoon. If this is your first time in Winnipeg (or even if it’s not) this is a must-see.

That is only part of the educational fun being lined up. Please have look at the full website. Don’t forget to register! Early bird registration goes to April 11th. You don’t have to be a law librarian to attend–I hope legal researchers, KM professionals, lawyers, and others interested in the law and the legal industry will consider joining us.

See you in Winnipeg!