ALA: 2008 June 17
CHICAGO - The American Library Association (ALA) is collecting materials presented at this year’s Annual Conference in Anaheim, Calif., and making them easier to find online.
You will be able to access all materials provided by presenters from the conference, which runs from June 25 to July 2, via the new Conference Materials Wiki at http://presentations.ala.org/. All collateral conference material will be linked from this wiki, which already includes links to last year's materials and similar content from ALA's units.
“We’re really excited at the response we’ve gotten from presenters and program planners,” said ALA Executive Director Keith Michael Fiels. “The new wiki means that the attendees, as well as the many ALA members who can’t attend, will now have the ability to access materials on hundreds of exciting and stimulating conference programs.”
Program presenters are invited to post their materials (slides, handouts, bibliographies, etc.) to the Wiki prior to conference. This will ensure attendees immediate access, as well as a valuable opportunity to share their knowledge and insights.
Presenters are also encouraged to include a note to "view or download more information at http://presentations.ala.org/." Those who wish to retain their materials on another site are encouraged to publish links to that content on the Conference Materials Wiki, which is pre-loaded with program titles (taken from the final AC 2008 program book listings).
Speakers at conference will benefit from the site by gaining a venue for uploading handouts or publishing links to materials that reside on other sites. Uploading material also requires fewer printouts and helps the environment.
Attendees will benefit from having instant access to material, while those who cannot attend the conference can be assured of having a place to find conference material, not only this year, but also in the future. Users will also be able to find content from future ALA conferences at this one convenient web address.
