The 2011 IFLA Conference will be in Puerto Rico. The posters are a good way to show off everything IAMSLIC members are doing especially in Latin America and the Caribbean.

World Library and Information Congress: 77th IFLA General Conference and Council
“Libraries beyond libraries: Integration, Innovation and Information for all ”
13-18 August 2011, San Juan, Puerto Rico

An alternative approach for the presentation of projects/new work will be available for conference participants. An area on the conference premises has been designated for the presentation of information regarding projects or activities of interest to librarians. The theme may be presented by a printed poster or by photographs, graphics and texts attached on the given panel. All IFLA official languages – Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Russian and Spanish – are welcome. Presenters of a poster session will be expected to be present on Monday 15 and Tuesday 16 August 2011 in order to explain their poster and to hand out available leaflets and other information material. Further advice on poster sessions may be obtained from IFLA Headquarters.

Colleagues interested in presenting a poster session are invited to complete the application form and send it together with a brief description of not more than 200 words of the poster (we would appreciate receiving a summary in English with your proposal). The deadline is 11 February 2011, after the deadline applications will no longer be accepted. A jury comprised of 2 members of the Professional Committee of IFLA will review all submissions.

The application form can be found at: http://www.ifla.org/en/ifla77/call-for-poster-sessions

Please send the completed form and description to:

Lidia Putziger
Administrative Officer

IFLA Headquarters
PO Box 95312 TEL – +31 70 3140884
2509 CH The Hague FAX – +31 70 3834827
Netherlands email : lidia.putziger@ifla.or

Posted by Janet Webster, chair of IFLA’s Science & Technology Libraries Section

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The final day of the conference found us all up much earlier than any previous day. So early, the hotel didn’t get the complete breakfast buffet set out before we all dashed off to catch the bus for our tour of the INIDEP library and the final presentation by Dr. Martin Ehrlich on the 200 year history of marine biological research in Argentina. What a fascinating history it was.  So much of Argentina is international, even the scientific history is international. From indigenous populations, Spanish, French and German, the scientific knowledge has been developed by local people, scientists and even the Jesuits to better understand the rich biodiversity of Argentina and the Argentine Sea.

And thus we move on to the 2nd business meeting for 2010.  Blah blah blah. And they let us have a few minutes outside in the sun on the real beach with sand, not rocks, and waves. Yes, I stood in the surf for a few minutes, reacquainting myslef with the Atlantic. Not that I actually did much interaction with the ocean when I lived in Virginia Beach, but I spent time tanning on the beach. Yes, I did tan, it was the 80’s.

So, we all piled back on the bus for a nice drive out to Estancia Santa Isabel for our ‘banquet’. Ok, we were treated to a lovely, traditional Asado.  But first, the show. A few appetizers, some drinks and the gauchos ride up the green. Wow. How cool. Pictures and videos to come. We all cheered during the races of skill and speed. Then the game. Each rider was given a little stick. They were to ride toward this tny ring suspended overhead and put the stick through the ring.  You’ll have to see the pictures, but the ring wasn’t more than 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter, quite small.  There were a number of misses, but a couple of the gauchos were successful. Then Silverio Ortiz was given a try at the ring and he was successful in spearing the oittle thing. The final bit of fun was the land sled made from some type of hide pulled behind the horses.  A quick demonstration and all were invited to ride. Yes, there are pictures and videos of the various souls brave enough to try this new excitement. No, not me. The poor horse would not have moved a hoof.

After the entertainment, we were taken to the party room where we were delighted with traditional foods including blood sausage and chorizo (I think), a variety of salads (green, coleslaw, & potato). Tinto (red) and blanco (white) wines were offered as well as sodas (gaseosas) and water. We did get to observe the cooking technqigue which involved skewering huge chunks of meat and planting the sticks in the gournd around a fire. The sausages were grilled a bit closer to the fire, but not directly over the fire.  Each different meat was brought around by servers and we selected our own favorite tasty morsel to gnaw on. When the Grupo Latino Americano got rambunctious, the music got turned up and the dancing commenced. For those who have attended a conference, you all know what the dancing is all about. Great variety of music by the DJ and a wonderful time was had by all. Finally, we were all herded back to the bus to head back to our hotels and ready ourselves for further travels or our trip home.  Some folks are heading over to Mendoza for horse back riding and wine tours, some are heading up to Iguazu Falls with a promise of a full moon tour of the falls, some are heading south to Puerto Madryn with hopes of seeing whales and other Patagonian adventures.

I wish you all safe travels and good times. Be well for the next year and see you in Zanzibar.  By the way, my 14 year old son will be traveling with me, so if you have a child of similar age, and feel so inclined, perhaps we can set them up as buddies during the conference.

Alamsiki, kuona mwaka ujao

Lenora
StreamNet Regional Librarian
Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission
http://www.fishlib.org

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And on the 3rd day, we really got to engage our brains with some truly heavy presentations. But first, a word from our sponsors…

EbscoHost (the Yankee cousin of Ebsco) began the show with some information about the NISC products acquired in the past couple of years as well as general information about the company, including their green headquarters complete with solar panels in Ipswich, Massachusetts. And don’t forget, they provide GreenFile for free.

Mathias Seaman then expanded on his comments from yesterday with a bit more on the quantity of scientific publications. And some retraction that the world is not going to hell in a handbasket because our scientists are functionally illiterate.

And onward with a wonderful collaboration between north/east and south/west hemispheres with a comparison of ABCD library management software from CDS/ISIS  and Koha Integrated Library Software. Both have useful features and limitations. Both will have some cost involved even though both cost nothing for the software. Open source is free in the sense of development, not free in the sense of budget.

Rushing down to the Guin Auction to put in a few more bids before finding out that the auction was extended until 230 pm when we all return from lunch.

Then we got to learn about designing web services for mobile devices and how these services are really targeting the young people who are living the connected life. No longer are users satisfied with chat reference from their laptops. Too many have mobile devices including Sony PSP, Nintendo DSi, smart phones of the Iphone & Android varieties and whatever else they are going to put on the market next. These users want to be able to touch their screen and do whatever: renew books, check shelves, ask a question, etc. and they want the answer RIGHT NOW.  Ok, so I’m a text reference addict already. I love being able to send a question to the local library (ANSWERS to 66746 gets you to Oregon’s service) and receive my answer within 10-15 minutes.  I was in a meeting and was asked to verify the name of the dam on Lake Wenatchee… so I sent the question via my phone.  Anyway, texting is fun, just try to use real words and not TextSpeak so we don’t forget our language skills and become even more illiterate than we already are.

The Claroline system has debuted at CICIMAR-IPN and is working to connect educators with students and student with information resources.

Marie Pascale Baligand presented research on a new model of open access publishing being used by Copernicus publications which allows for peer-review and open discussion with the entire scientific community before final publication.

Just before lunch, we were given a guided tour of the new & improved website by Steve Watkins, the chair of the Web & Communications Committee.  There are many new features and functionalities, including the availability of sub-domains for the regional groups and unlimited email lists which can be set up for committees, regional groups or other special groups that need a quick, easy way to communicate.

Ah, the group photo, which was delayed from Tuesday due to the leisurely service. We took the photo before lunch, so were not as bothered by the leisurely service, except folks really wanted to get back to check on their Guin Auction items beofre bidding closed at 230 pm, sharp. Delicious lunch of empanadas and pizza with a brownie with ice cream topping for dessert. Yes, the brownie had nuts (Nuts!) but the gelato was delicioso with strawberry syrup over the top.

And then we all ran back to protect our coveted items in the Guin Auction. Some folks were not above cheating to get what they truly wanted this year.  And we raised about US$800 for the Guin Fund between the winning bids and all the donations that came in. THANK YOU all for your generous donations and THANK YOU to Jen Walton for once again helping with the auction this year.   So my afternoon was spent organizing winnings and collecting payment while the rest of the group got to hear presentations on how libraries can help with data management and archiving data sets (followed by the requisite health break 1/2 hour after lunch), a history of database aggregators, and the visibility of the Aquatic Commons and how this valuable service is helping distribute information and research both nationally and internationally.  A strong point was made of repatriating information when research from a country is discovered by other researchers within that country through the Aquatic Commons.

And NOW… you are all invited to open the door to Zanzibar, Tanzania. October 16-20, 2011, we will convene the 37th Annual IAMSLIC Conference and the 5th Afriamslic meeting in Zanzibar. Be prepared for a historic experience as we learn about this cultural heritage site. Beyond The Doors

And so concludes Day 3. The Executive Board met for the evening and we went wandering for dinner after with the ending result being a tasty ravioli with cheese sauce.  Lovely little restaurant a bit north of the hotel was the meal provider.  As we walked back, we watched the heavy surf rolling in to smash against the rocks. Yes, we were oohing and aahing like we were watching fireworks. Spectacular show.

Off to bed…

Lenora
StreamNet Regional Librarian
Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission
http://www.fishlib.org

PS Sorry for any errors, spelling or grammatical. Spelling is because my cute little traveling computer’s screen is not wide enough and so I can’t see everything I types. Grammatical errors may be me taking literary license to be cute, amusing, maddening, or annoying.

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Day 2 begins a bit earlier with announcements …the most difficult part of my day.  As a good Girl Scout (Girl Guide), I know most of the verses to the Announcements Song.  Next time we see each other, I’ll be happy to teach this wonderful commentary song to others.

Anyway, sponsors were up first with Mathias Seaman (Inter-Research, thank you again for your generous support of this conference) leading the pack with commentary on the quality of scientific/research paper submissions. He also remarked on the difficulty of getting papers peer-reviewed as more and more researchers are dropping out as reviewers.

Gerry Sawchuk presented from ProQuest (again, we thank Proquest for their generous support of the conference) with the various improvements to the search interface and other news of importance from ProQuest.

So, quite pertinent to Mathias Seaman’s (Inter-Research) remarks our first presentation was on information literacy education at San Jose State University.

And then a health break so we could walk around and begin bidding in earnest on the Guin Auction or check email on the computers provided by the hotel and INIDEP for conference attendees.  The auction and the computers were in the same room, but we couldn’t require bidding before computer use.

Then a really useful discussion/comparison of the various citation managemetn systems. Endnote, Zotero, Mendeley, RefWorks…many universities dictate what their faculty and students use by purchasing institutional licenses and some allow the institutions allow the users to choose for themselves.  All have features that make them useful; all have a few drawbacks that limit the software. Choosing one may not be easy unless you are under budgetary constraints, in which case, you may want to check out Zotero or Mendeley as both are open source.

Another comparison paper evaluating the various survey tools available for creting user surveys for our libraries.  You always get what you pay for.  A suggestion was made that we create a listing of survey questions that are well-written and have achieved good statistical results.

Lunch was again at La Trattoria with a choice of beef or lasagna. Hmmm, Argetnine beef or Italian pasta…Let’s go local.  Although reports are that the lasagna was very tasty.  I did like the beef though.  Once again, the service was quite leisurely ensuring that we upset Marcia Croy-VanWely’s carefully articulated schedule. I missed the dessert, which was described as an apple torte sprinkled with cinnamon and was quite delicious according to Ruth Gustafson.  I had to hurry back to the conference to try to finish the slides for the Green Flash round.  And then, I missed the “Importance of Collaboration in Crafting New Roles for Libraries”.

Following our afternoon health break, only 1/2 hour after lunch, we got to experience the Green Flash again. Yes, they were mostly recorded to video and will be posted on YouTube. I will post a link as soon as they are loaded after I get home.

And now, for something completely different.  Well, not really, but at least were got to pretend to be outside in the beautiful spring weather as we rode around on a tour bus to experience the Ciudad of Mar del Plata.  Yes, we even got to get off the buss at the harbor to spend some time visiting with the Lobos Marinos on the docks.l We got to see a show when one of the town dogs took a liking to the sea wolf and got chased away by another sea wolf.   Back on the bus for more touring to end a Akun-kahua for a wine tasting.  We were surprised by empanadas as well as a description of wine-making in Argentina. After returning to the hotel, we broke into small groups to find our dinners.

Off to bed for another early morning…

Lenora
StreamNet Regional Librarian
Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission
http://www.fishlib.org

PS All the pictures will be on Flickr.com and videos will be on YouTube.  Keyword for Flickr is IAMSLIC2010.

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As was noted at the 1st General IAMSLIC Business Meeting on Monday, October 18, 2010, a Second Council of Singers is currently  being formed.  This strategic planning group will provide recommendations for IAMSLIC’s future.  The following are the charges reviewed by the IAMSLIC Executive Board on October 20, 2010.

CHARGE ONE:  Investigate improving the Annual Conference and investigate enabling more participants to attend

CHARGE TWO: Explore expanding IAMSLIC membership

CHARGE THREE: Investigate methods to improve communication across IAMSLIC and the regional groups

CHARGE FOUR: Explore ways to improve the structure of the Executive Board and Committees to broaden participation by members throughout all regional groups

The Second Council of Singers membership shall  consist of 10-12 people with representatives from all regional groups and at least one representative from the First Council of Singers.  Two Past Presidents shall be on this Council and 1-2 members shall be new IAMSLIC members.  Those interested in serving should contact their regional representative or express interest to any Executive Board member. The chair of the Web & Communications committee, Steve Watkins, is already appointed and a participant  from the Membership committee is being solicited.

Ruth Gustafson, IAMSLIC President 2010

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I spend an early morning out walking on the rocks daring the Atlantic to wash me out to sea.  Obviously, I survived the outing with some great pictures and video of the thundering ocean.

As I returned to the hotel to prepare for the day, folks began donating items to the Guin Auction. The generosity of members just astonishes me every year. The items donated are varied and beautiful. We’ve got original art photography from Marcel Branneman, scarves from Mexico, handmade jewelry, souvenirs from Croatia, just lots of stuff.  So, with help from Jennifer Walton, we got the Guin Auction set up and ready for bidding. And the bidders have come. The enthusiasm for this fundraiser is amazing. Again, the generous membership comes through to support their colleagues.

The actual papers began with a talk by Dr Rut Akselman on the beauty of marine diatoms and how studying these creatures inspired embroidered art.  Dr Akselman lives and breathes diatoms as her professional career drives some of what she does in her leisure time. While not everyone has the luxury of a job they love so much, a few are lucky enough to actually be what they are.  And the intertwining of science and art helps the study of both areas.

Janet Webster and Barb Butler shared some new views on core marine science journals in the light of significant budget cuts both from loss of revenue and from journal price increases from publishers. As our budgets shrink, we are forced to make difficult choices in what journals we continue to subscribe and what journals are falling by the wayside. There were a couple of recommendations: 1. work with neighboring institutions to ensure regional access to journal titles, and 2. have IAMSLIC coordinate and negotiate journal prices for member libraries, a consortium of sorts. Following this presentation, Guillermina Cosulich presented on how South American libraries are accessing journals from commercial publixshers.  Then we were thinking of new ways to serve our favorite, most demanding patrons with new products and services to keep them happy and ensure their access to quality research with Lucrecia Felquer and Romina Medina. Finally, Sonja Kormann presented on a new web portal to the Fur Seal archives at the National Marine Mammal Laboratory.

Lunch was at La Trattoria with a difficult choice between fish and chicken, although most of you may know that I don’t eat fish, I catalog books about fish. But dessert was the best with chocolate mousse over a chocolate crust.

So, after a nice leisurely lunch, we all hurried right back to the first business meeting for the 2010 conference (or not as the case may be, you know who you are). In the middle of the business meeting, we had another health break. Fascinating way to do business. LOL. Some coffee, a few cookies, we were all in the mood for business as we concluded the business meeting and broke for dinner.

One of the shops in town, Portofem, specializes in clothes for women of traditional size. They even gave us coupons which means the shirt I found was actually free. Lovely way to shop. Thanx to Ana Cosulich for transportation (and every other detail she helped with) and Guillermina & Gabriela for arranging the donation of the coupons. I’m just sorry that I didn’t find anything else that I could wear. I loved the sweaters, but can’t wear them.

A nice leisurely dinner at Manolo’s down the way from the hotel with Sonja Kromann and off to bed to get enough sleep for the 2nd day of presentations, including the Green Flash Rounds. I have to speak in public.

Lenora
StreamNet Regional Librarian
Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission
http://www.fishlib.org

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This year there were a record number of applicants to the 2010 IAMSLIC Guin travel grant.  Unfortunately, some recipients were unable to attend the conference but we are pleased to announce three recipients of this award for 2010.

Lil Bidart (from CICESE, Ensenada, Mexico) will be presenting a paper at the conference and is a first-time attendee at the IAMSLIC conference

Clara Ramirez (from UNAM, Mazatlan, Mexico) will be presenting a paper and a poster and is the Latin America Regional Representative to IAMSLIC

Aida Sogaray (from DINARA, Montevideo, Uruguay) will be presenting a poster and is a first-time attendee at the IAMSLIC conference.

A reminder that your generous participation in the Guin auction each year (either as a donor of auction items or as a successful bidder) helps provide the funds for this travel grant each year. 

IAMSLIC 2010 grant task group members: Ruth Gustafson (convener); Amy Butros; Guillermina Cosulich; and Marcia Croy VanWely.

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The IAMSLIC 2010 grant task group is pleased to announce the 2010 recipient of the Inter-Research sponsorship for an attendee at an IAMSLIC conference, Bojan Macan from the Rudjer Boskovic Institute in Zagreb, Croatia.  Bojan is a first-time attendee at the IAMSLIC conference.  Congratulations to Bojan!

IAMSLIC  thanks Inter-Research for their generosity in providing this new sponsorship to assist members to attend the IAMSLIC conference.

IAMSLIC 2010 grant task group members: Ruth Gustafson (convener); Amy Butros; Guillermina Cosulich; and Marcia Croy VanWely.

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Most of you will remember that I went to Las Cataratas del Iguazu before heading to the conference site in Mar del Plata.  I highly recommend that you visit Puerto Iguazu and tour the Cataratas. The jungle is beautiful and the falls are breathtaking. Do the Gran Aventura and go on a boat under the falls with a truck ride through the jungle for a full experience.

After a ‘leisurely’ bus ride to Mar del Plata from Buenos Aires, we were welcomed by a most patient driver who rounded up the slower ones in the group and delivered us to Hotel Las Rocas.  I have to say that Guillermina & Gabriela have gone above and beyond to make this conference one of the most hospitable ever. They arrangeed for fabulous donations and treats.  Every detail is covered. They have even helped with travel plans to get conference goers to places other than the conference.

The spring-time weather was quite refreshing for some with a fine, misty rain, bit of wind and temperatures on the lower side.  Transportation was provided to our Welcome Reception, held at El Museo del Mar, not that far from the hotel.   A wonderful location with an exceptional (to say the least) collection of shells, corals, echinoderms, and other sea creatures. There was a smallish aquarium with rays and sharks for entertainment. A few folks spent time admiring the shells and aquaria, but most of our time was focused on catching up on the past year or so.

El Museo del Mar was founded to house the shell collection of a local businessman. The museum has developed into a much richer community resource with a theater and special programs to highlight the importance of the oceans to the earth’s ecology. Definitely worth a visit when traveling to Mar del Plata.

Wine was flowing freely, although there were options for soda or water. No songs broke out, folks were too busy catching up on the latest news from libraries around the world. From the gist of the conversations all but a few libraries have been hit hard by the world wide economic downturn with budget cuts, lay-offs, and even closures. Hopefully, some of the presentations will give us all ideas to spend our budgets wisely and keep libraries open.

After a brief welcome by Guillermina and Gabriela, with a thank you to the help they have had from the Ministry of Tourism, we were treated to a surprise entertainment: a beautiful, young couple danced a few tangos for us. Amazing foot work, grace, talent… Augusto and Augustine give the impression of having been partners for decades when they are not old enough for more than one decade, if they began as children.

As the feasting resumed with hot hors d’oeuvres including skewers and empanadas and bacon-wrapped cherries (yum). Yet more wine and conversations flowed. Desserts were small sandwich cookies with coffee. Such coffee in Argentina. They like their coffee STRONG. Good thick black coffee though many thin down the flavor with an equal amount of milk. Finally, the bus came to return the well-fed and watered group to the hotel to rest up for the beginning of the presentations in the morning.

Lenora
StreamNet Regional Librarian
Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission

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