I haven’t even taken a look at the listings yet for the ALA Annual Conference and my schedule is already pretty full. Most of what has claimed my time so far have been meetings and events for my work on the Video Round Table and for the ACRL Media Discussion Group.

Thursday, July 9

• Arrive in Chicago around 7pm.

Friday, July 10

• 8:00 – 5:00 Uncommonly Sustainable: The New Information Commons at Loyola University Chicago
• 5:30 – 6:30 LITA Happy Hour
• 7:30 Video Round Table Dinner

Saturday, July 11

• 11:00 – 1:00 Staffing the VRT Booth (#3034) at the ALA Membership Pavilion. Come Visit!
• 1:30 – 3:00 10 Years of Notable Videos
• 10:00pm Some ALA Something or Other

Sunday, July 12

• 1:30 – 3:30 ACRL Media Discussion Group (aka, the Tom and Amanda show)
  • Brother Can You Spare a DVD
• 6:30 – 9:30 VRT Gala

Monday, July 13

• 8:00 – 11:00 VRT Executive Meeting
• 1:30 – 3:30 Notable Videos For Adults Committee.

I guess I’ll check the schedule and fill in the gaps when I get there or just follow the cool people around.

The ACRL Media Discussion Group is pleased to announce its session for the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago:

Brother Can You Spare a DVD: Media Collections and Budget Cuts.

Join us to brainstorm ways to cope with the changing economy.
Sunday, July 12, 2009, 1:30pm-3:30pm
Location Sheraton Chicago, Ohio Room
301 E. North Water St.

Amanda Hornby, of the University of Washington Libraries, and I have been co-chairs of this group for the past year but our appointment is just about over. We are looking for volunteers for the next co-chairs of the group. If you are interested, you can contact me or Amanda and we will give you more details. You need to be a member of ALA and ACRL and need to commit to attending both ALA Annual and Mid-Winter.

The ACRL Media Discussion Group that took place on January 25th was quite a success. We had 30 attendees nestled in a room for 25 (even though we asked for a room for 40). Our presenters, Rachel Gordon, representing Re:frame, and Tracy Montri of the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library did an excellent job of getting the discussion going. Rachel’s talk and Tracy’s presentation are available at the ACRL Media Discussion Group wiki. Mine is available there as well, but I will also include it here.

My co-chair, Amanda Hornby of the University of Washington, and I have arranged a couple events for the American Library Association Midwinter Conference in Denver:

Denver Open Media Tour Co-sponsored by ACRL Media Resources Discussion Group and ACRL EBSS Communication Studies Committee

Saturday, January 24, 2009, 4:00pm – 5:00pm
700 Kalamath Street

Denver Open Media is a cutting-edge non-profit media organization based in Denver, CO that works with local and national community groups to produce and distribute digital audiovisual media. Librarians are invited to tour Denver Open Media and to take part in an informal, interactive presentation on Denver Open Media’s digital media tools and facilities. More information about Denver Open Media’s mission, educational services, and media programs can be found at: http://www.denveropenmedia.org

Please email Amanda Hornby at hornbya@u.washington.edu ASAP if you are interested (space is limited).
Please indicate in your RSVP if you are interested in sharing a cab or shuttle on the ride over to Denver Open Media.
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Welcome to the Post-DVD World: New Forms of Media Production and Access

Sunday, January 25, 2009, 10:30am-12:00noon
Brown Palace Hotel, Tabor Suite
321 17th St

Join the ACRL Media Resources Discussion Group for a discussion about new forms of media production and access, including topics like: the digitization of archival media, online media production and distribution, streaming and downloadable media resources, web 2.0 tools like YouTube and Hulu, open source media production, and more. Featuring speakers Rachel Gordon, independent filmmaker and Re:frame representative, and Tracy Montri, Toledo-Lucas County Public Library Audiovisual Department Manager, this discussion is one mediaphiles should not miss!