Sending this on behalf of Mary Axford:

LITA Internet Resources and Services Interest Group (IRSIG) is proud to
announce our upcoming program for the 2011 ALA Annual Convention:

The Ultimate Debate: “Library Web Scale Discovery Services: Paradigm Shift
or More of the Same?” (Open)

 Monday, June 27, 2011 - 1:30pm - 3:30pm
 Location:
 Convention Center
 Rm 278-282
 Presenters:


 Users have asked repeatedly for a more Google-like interface. More and more
library assessments find that users say, “Don’t make it complex I want a
simple search. I want it fast.” Libraries have not answered the call, due to
technological limitations, publisher business models, librarian
philosophies, and other factors. Are web-scale discovery services the answer
to the needs of both users and librarians, or do they, like earlier
technologies, promise more than they can deliver?

Speakers:

  Roy Tennant, our moderator, is Senior Program Officer for OCLC Research.
 His books include "Technology in Libraries: Essays in Honor of Anne
Grodzins Lipow" (2008), "Managing the Digital Library" (2004), "XML in
Libraries" (2002), "Practical HTML: A Self-Paced Tutorial" (1996), and
"Crossing the Internet Threshold: An Instructional Handbook" (1993). Roy
wrote a monthly column on digital
libraries for Library Journal for a decade and has written numerous
articles in other professional journals.  In 2003, he received the
American Library Association's LITA/Library Hi Tech Award for Excellence
in Communication for Continuing Education.

  Marshall Breeding serves as the Director for Innovative Technologies and
Research for the Vanderbilt University Libraries in Nashville, TN and is the
Executive Director the Vanderbilt Television News Archive, a large-scale
archive of digital video content. Marshall is a speaker, writer, and
consultant. He is the creator and editor of Library Technology Guides (
www.librarytechnology.org) and the lib-web-cats online directory of
libraries on the Web. His monthly column “Systems Librarian” appears in
Computers in Libraries; he is a Contributing Editor for Smart Libraries
Newsletter published by the American Library Association, and has authored
the annual "Automation Marketplace" feature published by Library Journal
since 2002. He has authored nine issues of ALA’s Library Technology Reports,
and has written many other articles and book chapters. Marshall has edited
or authored six books.

Jason Griffey is an Associate Professor and  Head of Library Information
Technology at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. His latest book,
Mobile Technology and Libraries, is now available as a part of Neal
Schuman's "Tech Set." Jason's previous book, Library Blogging, with Karen A
Coombs, is available through Amazon. He can be stalked obsessively at
www.jasongriffey.net and Pattern Recognition, his personal blog. He is the
author of the American Libraries Perpetual Beta blog (
http://bit.ly/perpetualbeta), and is also a columnist for the ALA Techsource
blog (www.ts.ala.org/blogs/jason-griffey)<http://www.ts.ala.org/blogs/jason-griffey%29>
.

Anne Prestamo, Associate Dean for Libraries for Collection and Technology
Services and the Claud D. Kniffin Professor of Library Service and Education
at Oklahoma State University. A significant portion of her responsibilities
focus on evaluation and implementation of electronic resources, and analysis
and negotiation of licensing agreements. She has earned the respect of many
library vendors as she works diligently to implement advanced technological
features offered in their products. In 2009, Dr. Prestamo was elected to the
Board of Trustees of Amigos Library Services, and currently serves as Chair.
 She is completing a term as Chair of OCLC's Americas Regional Council, and
member of the OCLC Global Council Executive Committee.  She is a member of
the Summon Advisory Board and Oklahoma State University served as one of the
two original development partners for Summon.

We hope to see you at the 2011 Ultimate Debate!


-- 
Mary A. Axford
Georgia Tech Library
[log in to unmask]
404-894-1392
"Information is the currency of democracy"
     - Thomas Jefferson