Friday 9 September 2011

Attending, presenting and organising seminars, conference and other events

I have attended, presented and orgaised many events since I qualified. The longest presentation that I had to give was at IUG in San Francsico where I did an hour about z39.50 and the millennium library system. I have to say that an hour was a long time for what is essentially a very dry topic, but I did well enough that the organisers would have me speak again.

Additionally I have spoken at conferences or seminars on average once a year since qualifying. I now try to make sure that i have a colourful presentation, and that most of the content is included in it, as this saves your audience from frantically taking notes while you are talking. I always plan to be about 20% short on time, as someone else always runs over, or there are lots of questions.

The largest event that I have been involved in organising is the Annual Joint Conference of the LAI and CiLIP Ireland. I was involved as the secretary for two years and learnt alot about the expertise of members and the selection of speakers, as well as the practical aspects such as timetabling, and seeking sponsorship. I admire anyone involved in organising this conference as it takes a substantial commitment in time and energy on the part of every one (all volunteers) to pull it off.

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