WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
ANYONE WHO CARES ABOUT LIBRARIES!

Super Conference is for anyone who works in libraries, who cares about libraries, who values libraries. It is for those in school, college, university, public libraries, in private sector and public institutions and in government itself. It is for those in many specializations and for those who would find new specializations. It is for the curious and the open minded.

Librarians and libraries are in the mainstream. In the past few years, we have taken more and more initiatives that tell the world we are here and we are making everyone's life better. We are the definition of the public good.

To keep up with the ever increasing pace of change, we must be knowledgable, flexible and innovative. We come together at Super Conference to share what we have done, what we are doing and what we would like to do.

Super Conference is a place where we can all help each other understand and support the transformation we are in and what it means to our individual communities.

YOU SHARE EXPERTISE AND EXPERIENCE WITH EXPERTS AND LEADING THINKERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD.

This remarkable Super Conference program reflects a myriad of promises and possibilities as always.

The conference brings you the best and the brightest, the visionary and the experienced in a thoughtful, stimulating and fun program filled with significant observation and exciting innovation.

Hundreds of your colleagues have explored the literature, have prowled the Internet, gone to other conferences and talked with you to come up with this 2008 experience. From that observation, they have asked the movers and shakers from across North America and indeed the world to come share their accomplishments and ideas with you.

Super Conference is one of Canada's richest accomplishments.

THE 2008 LIBRARY TRADESHOW AND EXPOSITION DEFINES THE MEANING OF VALUE-ADDED.

Canada's largest and most sophisticated library tradeshow is an education program in itself and an opportunity to talk with vendors about what does not work as well as about new developments.

New and lively
So far, there are over twenty new companies taking part, an interesting and exciting refresh of the exhibit floor. Program includes author autographing and presentations, a new product demonstration area and slightly longer hours are also in the mix. Librarians will see Margaret Atwood's Long Pen for the first time.

For a glimpse of the 2008 Exhibit program and a preview index to the exhibitors coming this year, click on the EXPO links to the left.

OLA'S DEEPENING SHADE OF GREEN.

Over recent years, the OLA has been slowly greening Super Conference as a natural course of events. And so have our conference partners.

Did you know?
  • Handouts have been discouraged for years now. All handouts and supporting materials will be available electronically prior to, during and after Super Conference.
  • The Daily News will be replaced with notice boards and daily blogs.
  • The delegate bag is made of environmentally responsible materials and is reusable.
  • The final conference program will be reduced by 20%.
  • Evaluation forms will be replaced with compact evaluation booklet.
  • Drinking water is dispensed from large dispensers; no plastic bottles.
  • All excess food goes to the Second Harvest food bank.
  • CCR, the official supplier of audiovisual equipment, and Stronco, the official Show company, have bought carbon-emission off-set passes for their trucks that come to the Super Conference.
  • Only one-third of lights available are used during exhibit setup and teardown.
  • 100% of materials left on the EXPO floor are recycled.
  • The Convention Centre has reduced its total energy consumption by 40% in the last two years.
  • The Convention Centre has more than 12 recycling stations in the North building.
  • Hotel guests in all hotels can choose not to change sheets and towels during stay.
  • The OLA office on site does not have a photocopier forcing more frugal use of paper.
  • Signage is developed to be reused at future programs and conferences.
  • OLA is working with zero footprint on arranging offsets and other steps to reduce the carbon footprint of the conference program.

YOU CONTROL THE RESULTS.
YOUR OWN STELLAR IDEA FEST.

AT SUPER CONFERENCE BUILD YOUR OWN CURRICULUM. IT IS ALL IN YOUR HANDS.

There is a mix of the practical and the philosophical, of the new and the old, of the speculative and the proven.

Technology is always significant at Super Conference as it must be. 2008 takes us deeper into Web 2.0 and social software. The next generation catalogue is here changing patron access and expectations in fundamental ways.

There are a number of sessions describing unique program and service ideas that almost any library can use in the pursuit of better experiences for users - an urgent and continuing need that Super Conference pursues.

Your individual needs and the place you currently occupy both in your professional career and in your personal life will dictate the package of sessions that serve you best. The choice seems large but person-by-person it is not. May you find what you need.

...AND CONTROL IT ALL IN THE ELECTRONIC PLANNER! IT'S EASY.

My Super Conference
When you click on My Super Conference in the navigation to the left, you are taken to your most powerful tool for ensuring that you have a great experience this winter.

You can pick more than one possibility in each time slot and return to edit the list at your leisure. All of your choices are stored in a cookie to allow you to return to your personal schedule at any time.

Changes in the program?
Each time you run your schedule, it will be automatically updated if a session changes or is withdrawn by a speaker.

The common events such as all-conference plenary events and receptions will automatically appear in your schedule.

You can print out the results at any time.

My Super Conference is your key to plan your personal experience at Super Conference 2008.


AN ACTIVE EXPERIENCE

THE SOCIAL WEB COMES TO SUPER CONFERENCE.

Are you still wondering how the social interaction in such places as FaceBook, MySpace and YouTube can be used in your library? Join our social Web. Here is how Super Conference is using the great application being tested at Oakville Public Library. Try it. Just sign up and contribute. You could win prizes, too.

Ask your questions. Contribute your answers to other people's questions. If you have read something really great for people attending a session, add it whether you are attending or not. Let us enrich what we are sharing and discussing at this Super Conference.

And let us do it in new and surprising ways!

BLOG THE CONFERENCE.

THE CONFERENCE BLOG
Last year's conference blog was lively and fun to read. Delegates each day threw short and long comments into the space.

Why not add yourself to the mix and share your reaction to the ideas and concepts presented by speakers and colleagues in sessions and at social events.

What are you observing that matters? What do you think about the perceptions of your colleagues? It is another great way to share.

THE DIVISION BLOGS
Several divisions run their own blogs focusing on their point of view. Dialogue can enrich and extend the presentations especially when you have a clear departure point. At times comments are appearing as the session is happening!

TIPS FOR BLOGGERS
If you are considering blogging Super Conference, take a look at Thursday plenary speaker Ethan Zuckerman's Tips for Conference Bloggers (written with Bruno Giussani). You will find it at: www.lunchoverip.com/ conferencebloggers.html
Copyright © 2008 Ontario Library Association. All rights reserved.
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