Comments on: Open Thread Thursday: Conferences

By: librarianry

librarianry — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 11:16:05 +0000

I recently attended a conference that I had attended the previous year. I actually got quite a bit less out of the conference this year. I am not sure if this has to do with the presentations I chose, the presentations that were available or my own scale. I have realized (too late) that I’d probably definitely get so much more out of it if I would’ve worked harder to go around, introduce myself and ask others their on an individual/small group basis. This is easier said than done for me, but it’ll be my main goal next year. I do think that conferences can be a great place to see what people are talking and thinking about, and the possibilities are there to get some great contacts as well as offer your services to others.

By: Bonnie

Bonnie — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 22:59:56 +0000

Many thanks Andy and Mary Jane!

By: Courtney

Courtney — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 19:19:41 +0000

I actually just attended a small research conference, here, at my own university. We had wonderful speakers and just a few brave students who presented. But what I would say that what makes a good conference is exactly what you said in your last sentence, don’t be a dick. Be friendly, open to new ideas, and courteous and it will open up so many other doors and opportunities.

By: Mary Jane Petrowski

Mary Jane Petrowski — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 15:32:28 +0000

Hi Bonnie,
A colleague forwarded your post to my attention. Give me a call today or tomorrow–I have some suggestions for you (1-800-545-2433, x2523).

By: Andy

Andy — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 15:21:31 +0000

From my own experience, take advantage of the name tags to introduce yourself to people sitting around you. Ask them about the conference and the things they have seen. Don’t be staring down at your smartphone unless there is good cause or you need some downtime. Get together with the academic librarians that you know for drinks or meals. And there is a Facebook or Twitter meetup one of those nights, so see if you can get more details.

At my first conference, I met some people who turned into good friends by introducing myself to one person who I recognized from her blog. She introduced me to a whole group of other people and it’s just expanded from there.

I agree with what JP posted below: it’s the social aspects that really help define the conference experience. I love the hallway conversations, the bar talks, the dinner table banter. It helps move people from the online abstract to the living breathing beings that they are.

By: JP

JP — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 13:38:40 +0000

A conference is only as good as the parties that surround it. I don’t mean that on a shallow level, I mean it on the deep level of social engagement and human interaction that is at the heart of what libraries ARE.

Learning is great and all that, and intellectual interaction is important, yes, but if people aren’t interacting on a SOCIAL level, the conference may as well be a webinar. Or a blog post. Or an article in a boring ass library publication. I can do the intellectual stuff on my own time…

http://t.co/Q4UQ7eV

By: Helen

Helen — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 12:37:19 +0000

Last weekend I attended the CUE (Computer Using Educators) conference in Palm Springs, CA. It was my second year and it’s a great conference: presenters were organized; the sessions were all interesting; the wi-fi was free; the location was good; the program was clear (and online); presentations were available online after the conference; and some of the more popular sessions were offered more than once

By: Bonnie

Bonnie — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 12:30:17 +0000

Thank you for starting this thread. I am attending my first national conference next week (ACRL in Philadelphia). Since I’m paying for it out-of-pocket, I can only afford one overnight, which gives me two days at the conference. I will be looking for tips on how to make the most of that time. I have volunteered to be a room monitor for a Saturday session and registered to hear the closing keynote, but aside from that, I’m in need of a plan. I know a few academic librarians, but I work for a public library system, so I do not have a built-in network for socializing at the conference. What is the best way to go about integrating myself into the scene?