Our Role as Info Revolutionaries

I'm giving a presentation at the annual conference of the Special Libraries Association, on "The Next Information Revolution and Our Role as Revolutionaries."

I'm having a great time developing this workshop -- it's two hours long, so I'm thinking of things that I'd like to see people brainstorm about during the talk. Right now, my issues include:

• Due to abuse and spam, email has ceased to be used as a communication medium. How will you communication with your users? How will you get them on board?
• Your new CTO is enamored of podcasting and wikis. What are the four initiatives you will start that incorporate podcasting and wikis?
• Your company has just bought a Web 2.0 company full of Millennials. In writing a flier to promote the library to these new employees, what are the four bullet points you will use?
• Western Union is in the business of keeping families connected around the world. What business are special librarians in?
• You are asked to develop an RFP to outsource the library.  What would you NOT outsource? What’s the financial justification for that?

I'm really looking forward to this session!

<And insert gripe here that SLA is using "going green" as an excuse for not providing print copies of any presentations to conference attendees. Instead, they're making them available on a web site where people can print them out ahead of time and bring them to the conference. Unless  SLA members are printing stuff off on something other than, you know, paper, this seems like an excuse for being cheap rather than a true effort at going green. And yes, other associations I'm giving talks for are pulling the same stunt.>

Comments

[walt crawford]

I have to admit that, when TxLA did that--that is, preferring that you post handouts online, either on your own website or theirs--my assumption was that most people will NOT print them out, but will glance at them, decide they don't need them, and go on.

I certainly don't believe the number of printed copies will equal the number TxLA would need to have made.

In this case, paper-oriented though I may be, I think SLA's doing the right thing.

[Lassana Magassa]

I agree, not printing copies was the right thing. However, an alternate option should be provided. At a recent meeting I suggested that agendas be displayed using a projector. Although I thought it was a great idea, it seems to have been ignored.

[Michelle]

How about a completely paper-free method, such as the ability to download the conference program to a Blackberry calendar?