Colby Riggs

Reports from the American Library Association Midwinter Meeting: Seattle, Washington, January 18‐22, 2007

Purpose – To share information and insights from the American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter Meeting. Several contributors reported on different aspects of this meeting. Design methodology/approach –A report of the conference.Findings – Summary of discussion forums, work of ALAs Divisions, and conference lore.Practical Implications – A working meeting to plan for the annual conference in June 2007. This meeting attracts the current leadership of the different divisions in ALA who are holding discussion groups and committee meetings as there are no official programs at Midwinter.Originality/value – Conference reports on many current trends in scholarly communication issues to information professionals in academia, access, and intellectual property issues related to a range of library environments and the state of the art in technology.

New Gadgets on the Horizon

Purpose – Aims to review some new technology “gadgets”.Design/methodology/approach – A review with descriptions of new technologies which might impact library services.Findings – The proliferation of computer technology has ensured that gadgets play a significant role in our daily routines. They are used at work, home and during playtime. The gadgets range from mouse devices, keyboards, headsets, camera accessories and more.Originality/value – Provides descriptions of some gadgets of value to information seekers.

2006 LITA National Forum: Conference Report

Purpose – To report the highlights of the annual LITA National Forum.Design/methodology/approach – Provides a brief review of the conference.Findings – This summary of presentations and information shared at the 2006 LITA National Forum, with the focus being on new technologies and their applications in a variety of library environments. The emphasis this year reinforced the theme of web services as library services. The forum offered a wide variety of timely presentations that were on new and emerging technologies and the application to the library environment.Originality/value – This paper is a useful summary of a conference of interest to library and information management professionals.

The ANT*ILL: using Perl to automate the ILL lending process

Describes the ANT*ILL software system, developed at the University of California, Irvine′s Library, to search incoming OCLC interlibrary loan requests automatically against the local Innovative Interfaces Online Public Access Catalog (III OPAC). There are three steps involved with the ANT*ILL programs: downloading the “pending” file from OCLC via the Internet; searching those downloaded records on the UCI III OPAC to extract the call number and circulation status; and outputing the results. The ANT*ILL programs are written in the Perl programming language and run under the UNIX operating system. Discusses the system′s design, its implementation, and its performance. The ANT*ILL source code is available free of charge.

Digital Library Forum – Spring 2007

Purpose – To share highlights of the presentations made at the Digital Library Federation (DLF) Spring Forum which is a semi‐annual meeting for DLF members and guests to learn about what is happening and evolving in the digital spheres of libraries and their partnership organizations.Design/methodology/approach – Conference report.Findings – A wide range of things are taking place in academic, public and special libraries. Staff members are forming teams to explore how best to utilize technology to achieve results that form stronger alliances and build larger and more critical digital collections representing a huge range of artifacts and products. As a result, new library services are being established. This showcase demonstrates how all parts of library organizations are increasingly involved.Originality/value – The range of activity continues to expand from Forum to Forum and the accomplishments and lessons learned are wide and equally varied.

New Web Browser Applications

Summarises new and developing Web browser technologies. Describes three browsers, one with a “tabbed browsing” capability, another which includes a new productivity tool called a “search information manager”, and a voice operated browser which is still in development.

Coalition of Networked Information (CNI) Task Force Meeting

Provides a summary report of the Coalition of Networked Information (CNI) Task Force Meeting held in Alexandria, Virginia in April 2004. These twice‐yearly meeting explore new technologies, content, and applications and aim to further collaboration, to analyze technology policy issues, and to catalyze the development and deployment of new projects. Outlines the themes of the main sessions and briefings.

New Gadgets on the Horizon: Part 2

Purpose – Aims to review some new technology “gadgets” that might address functional and entertainment needs of library service providers and library users.Design/methodology/approach – A review with descriptions of new technologies which might impact library services.Findings – The proliferation of computer technology has ensured that gadgets play a significant role in our daily routines. They are used at work, home and during playtime. The gadgets range from mouse devices, keyboards, headsets, camera accessories and more. The range of materials, functionality and application multiplies on a nearly quarterly basis and one can see many different products. This list of new gadgets is just that, a demonstration of creative genius at work to make life and work simpler, and more fun.Originality/value – Provides descriptions of some gadgets of value to information seekers.

LITA National Forum: A Conference Report

Purpose – To report on the LITA National Forum held in St Louis, Missouri, in October 2004.Design/methodology/approach – Provides a concise review of the conference, whose theme was “10 years of connectivity”.Findings – The LITA National Forum is a three‐day educational event that includes preconferences, general sessions, and more than 30 concurrent sessions. The Forum involves new and leading edge technologies in the library and information technology field.Originality/value – This paper is a useful summary of a conference of interest to library and information management professionals.

EDUCAUSE: A Conference Summary

Purpose – To report on the 2004 EDUCAUSE Conference held in October in Denver, Colorado.Design/methodology/approach – Provides a review of some of the events of the conference.Findings – EDUCAUSE is a nonprofit association whose mission is to advance higher education by promoting the intelligent use of information technology. The programs were designed to help participants tackle current issues and prepare them for future challenges. The conference focused on the theme “IT From a Higher Vantage Point,” and the program included pre‐conference seminars; track sessions; poster sessions; small group meetings; and corporate exhibits, presentations, and workshops.Originality/value – A conference report of interest to information management professionals, especially those involved with higher education.