Wednesday, February 2, 2005

Session: LECTURE/TOUR of the EXHIBIT
2:30 pm - 4:30 pm
NIHIL OBSTAT: AN EXHIBITION OF BANNED, CENSORED & CHALLENGED BOOKS IN THE WEST 1491-2000
PEARCE CAREFOOTE, Exhibit Curator.

LOCATION
Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, University of Toronto.

The winter exhibition at the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, "Nihil Obstat: An Exhibition of Banned, Censored & Challenged Books in the West - 1491-2000" will provide participants with an interesting introduction to the library's collection of some 700,000 books.  Situated on a two-level exhibition area, the eighty works on display fall into six basic categories: religion, science, philosophy, politics, literature, and works either by Canadians, or challenged by the Canadian government.  The program will be conducted by the curator of the exhibition, Pearce Carefoote, mediaeval manuscript and early books librarian at the Fisher.

FEE
No cost but e-mail OLA to let us know you are coming.

Session: LAB-BASED WORKSHOP
9:00 am - 5:00 pm
BEYOND GOOGLE: SEARCHING FASTER AND SMARTER ON THE WEB
RITA VINE, Principal, WorkingFaster.com.

You know about the "invisible" web. You've heard about the limitations of even the "best" search engines. You understand how advertisers influence results in popular search tools. Google is now a public company. How do you put that knowledge into practice to help you save time and search the web more efficiently? How can you find value in the rubble of useless links and crass promotions?

COURSE DESCRIPTION
This full-day, fast-paced, hands-on course is designed for experienced web searchers who want to expand their web search horizons and go beyond search engines to other high quality sources of information. Learn about a wide variety of resources and top starting points, and discover the best ways to search them effectively. Great web searchers do not believe everything they read about web searching. Learn who to trust when it comes to finding out more about search engines and search tools.

KEY TOPICS YOU'LL EXPLORE
´ Why popular search engines are making searching harder not smarter
´ A simple 3-step method for finding good information fast
´ When you don't know where to start -- top starters for resource discovery
´ Finding facts: Fact-finding tools and search portals
´ Time-saving tips and tricks - with no special software required!
´ Staying on track during your web search - a practical, easy-to-implement approach

Rita Vine is co-founder of Workingfaster.com and Canada's best-known Internet search trainer. She helps professionals break through the clutter of the Internet and access information that matters. Rita has been a professional librarian for over 20 years.

FEES
Member: $239.00 + GST
Non-Member: $284.00 + GST

Priority will be given to delegates who work outside the Greater Toronto Area.

Session: WORKING INSTITUTE
9:00 am - 5:00 pm
CONNECTING SCHOOL LIBRARY PROGRAMS TO STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
DAVID LOERTSCHER, SLIS, San José University.

BUILDING A FRAMEWORK FOR CHANGE
Dr. David V. Loertscher leads this full-day seminar and workshop the day before Super Conference 2005. Dr. Loertscher urges us to consider school library programs as part of the main course in a balanced meal for students, not just the butter on the bread. He will facilitate the transfer of collective ideas into a concrete action plan for moving forward with Evidence-based Practice. What program elements are worth measuring over and above traditional organizational measures such as circulation, size of collection and number of staff? How do we measure the impact of school library programs on student learning? How do we then tell our story?

WHO SHOULD ATTEND
This working session is for school Library consultants, co-ordinators and teacher-librarians in leadership positions.

THE BENEFITS
´ Understanding the elements of evidence-based practice in school libraries
´ Practical strategies for measuring, documenting and sharing successful school library programs
´ Development of an action plan

David Loertscher is professor at San Jose State University, School of Library and Information Science. He has been a school library media specialist in Nevada and Idaho at both the elementary and secondary school levels. and is President of Hi Willow Research & Publishing. His best-selling books include Reinventing your School's Library in the Age of Technology: A Guide for Principals and Superintendents and Increasing Academic Achievement through the Library Media Center.

FEES
Full Institute (Nov. 18-19 and Feb. 2)
Member: $189. + GST; non-member: $249. + GST

Feb. 2 Workshop Only
Member: $139. + GST; non-member: $189. + GST

Space is limited. Register early.

Session: HANDS-ON COMPUTER SESSION
9:00 am - 12 noon or 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm
THE 'REDESIGNED' VIRTUAL REFERENCE LIBRARY

LOCATION
Toronto Reference Library Le@rning Centre Classroom A, 789 Yonge Street

A new Web site for the Virtual Reference Library (VRL) was launched in Fall 2004. The content of the database and the design of the site have been improved to include:

• a new user interface
• enhanced search and browse functionality
• more Canadian content
• information resources of interest to different communities in Ontario
• Ontario curriculum-related homework resources
• ability to sort or limit search results regionally
• ability to include more than internet sites in the resources.

This three-hour Toronto Public Library workshop is a hands-on session for library staff who use or may want to use the VRL in their daily work or with their clients.

Learn how to move through the VRL, making the best use of its many features.

FEES
Pre-registration is required.
Member $25. + GST
Non-Member $30. + GST