August 14, 2006

Alternatives to the MLA conferences

Posted in Career Development, Professional Development at 8:57 am by Alexia

There is no denying that attending an MLA conference is a wonderful experience but, for a variety of reason, I have not always been able to attend that particular conference.  A couple of years ago the library recieved an Advance Program for Internet Librarian.  Intrigued, I reviewed the materials and found that, as a techie medlibber, this conference had much to offer me.  I spoke with my director and she agreed that I should go.  I have not looked back since.

This conference offers a wonderful alternative to MLA.  The focus is technology, so this conference is not suitable for every medical or hospital librarian, but if you are in charge of any aspect of technology (including electronic resources) in your library I would highly recommend attending.  Speakers come from all aspects of librarianship: public, school, academic, and special (including medical).  The nice thing about this conference is that, for the most part, the technology is dicussed in general terms and is applicable to all types of libraries and librarians.

This year’s offerings look just as exciting as past years.  Oh, and Monterey is a wonderful place for a conference.  The hotel / conference center is quite near Monterey Bay.  Each morning, before the conference, I would grab a latte and head to the Fisherman’s Wharf their to drink my coffee while listening the barking of the sea lions.

If you have any questions about this conference please feel free to ask them in a comment, or you can visit the conference wiki.

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