Submitted by James Shedlock, Co-Chair, Local Assistance Committee
Galter Health Sciences Library, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL
What better place for the 2008 Medical Library Association annual meeting than Chicago! Chicago has something for everyone: shopping, museums, gourmet restaurants and a great variety of ethnic food, big city ambience, baseball, friendly neighborhoods, distinctive American architecture, the beauty of Lake Michigan. It's all there for you to see and enjoy when you visit the Windy City, that Toddlin' Town, May 16-21, 2008.
We know location is an important factor for many members and occasional attendees of the MLA conferences. But at the heart of the meeting is the opportunity to learn and update our skills. Key speakers for MLA 2008 include Andrew Zolli, a futurist and technology leader, who will deliver the John P. McGovern lecture on Sunday morning, May 18. Zolli's specialty is delivering provocative and challenging ideas about how technology connects with and affects people. He is the "curator" of the Pop! Tech conference, which specializes in bringing thought leaders together to forecast the social impact of technology and what means for our future.
Tom Basler, director of the health sciences library at the Medical University of South Carolina, is the 2008 Janet Doe Lecturer. Tom is a careful thinker and innovator of technology applications in libraries. An associate of Janet Doe when he worked at the New York Academy of Medicine, he has established a distinguished career in health sciences librarianship. Tom's words of wisdom, combined with his "straight to-the-point" speaking style, will be an important learning opportunity.
The 2008 National Program Committee is planning a special morning session on Wednesday, May 21, about Web 2.0 applications for librarians. The session panelists will explore and debate the uses and impacts of social networking in health sciences libraries. It's another not-to-be-missed learning opportunity.
Not to be overlooked, there will be a slew of specialized papers and posters. And on top of these formal activities, there will be plenty of informal opportunities to learn from each other. Coming to the annual meeting is about networking: meeting people, from colleagues to vendor representatives, and sharing ideas. What better place to do networking than in Chicago? Take a stroll along the Chicago River. View Lake Michigan at the end of the block. See the Wrigley Building and the Tribune Tower across the street from the Hyatt Regency Hotel. Visit MLA headquarters. You have a magnificent opportunity to learn in a magnificent setting. As a life-long learner, come to Chicago in 2008!
For more details about the 2008 MLA annual meeting, visit the official website and the MLA '08 blog.