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