InsideOCULA

The OLA Super Conference 2008 was two months ago and already we are planning for 2009!

To continue with the tradition of great Super Conferences we need your help. Please consider submitting a proposal for a session or a topic that you’d like explored at next year’s conference.

**Call for Proposals Submission Deadline - April 30th, 2008**

2009 SUPER CONFERENCE
January 28-January 31, 2009
Metro Toronto Convention Centre

What topics is OCULA looking for?
We are looking for presentations that reflect the challenging and exciting times in college and university libraries. This is a great opportunity to present your ideas, research or experience to your peers.

How do I submit a proposal?
You can submit a proposal for a session you would like to PRESENT; however, you can also submit a proposal for a topic that you would like to see covered but that you don’t want to present. To submit your idea: http://www.accessola.com/ola/bins/form_page.asp?cid=5-2050

To ensure that your submission does not get lost in the online universe, please also email the title of your submission to: caroline.stewart@guelphhumber.ca

What if I have other questions?
Feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns caroline.stewart@guelphhumber.ca or khoffma8@uwo.ca

We look forward to seeing all your great session ideas!

Collegially,

Caroline Stewart
caroline.stewart@guelphhumber.ca

Kristin Hoffmann
khoffma8@uwo.ca

OCULA Super Conference 2009 Coordinators

Registration is now open for the 3rd annual Canadian Learning Commons Conference, to be held in Fredericton N.B. June 8-10, 2008. Please visit our web site at http://www.lib.unb.ca/CLCC3/

Our pre-conference workshop will be given by Steve Hiller, Director of Assessment and Planning, at the University of Washington Libraries in Seattle, Washington. This half-day workshop will review practical approaches to assessment that can be applied successfully in different library settings and organizational structures. Examples will be drawn from different types of libraries and show how libraries can effectively demonstrate and document the value they add to their communities. Participation is limited to 50, and will be reserved for conference delegates until May 01.

Our keynote speaker will be Richard Sweeney, University Librarian at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, who will discuss what research says about Millennials and their communication, consumer, and learning preferences, as well as their behaviours and attitudes. Following this discussion, Richard will conduct a live focus group with 12 to 14 local Millennials to prove or disprove the research. The audience will also have the opportunity to ask the Millennials questions.

Conference sessions will offer a blend of panel discussions, formal presentations and idea swaps on significant aspects of Learning Commons enterprises, with an emphasis on maintaining the momentum and success of the Learning Commons approach.

We look forward to seeing you here, in June!

Joanne B. Smyth (jsmyth@unb.ca)
Reference and Distance Education Librarian
UNB Fredericton Libraries

To register:
http://www.thepartnership.ca/partnership/
bins/calendar_page.asp?cid=85-2067

Meet and mingle with your colleagues and hear a talk from Dr. Kevin Stolarick.

Kevin Stolarick, PhD, is the Associate Director and Research Associate at The Martin Prosperity Institute at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. He combines a depth of knowledge with an appreciation of the importance of finding and sharing the knowledge or “pearls of wisdom” gained from his comprehensive understanding of the Creative Class and the Creative Economy. Kevin provided quantitative research and analytical support to Richard Florida during the development of his books The Rise of the Creative Class and The Flight of the Creative Class. He continues in collaboration with Richard and other researchers. Kevin will speak to us about the creative class; what we mean when we say “prosperity”, what the goals are and how we can achieve them.

When:
Thursday, April 24, 2008

Where:
Faculty Club, University of Toronto
41 Willcocks Street
Toronto, M5S 1C7

Time:
5:30

Cost:
$40 per person (GST inclu.)

Menu - when registering please submit the meal choice preference form to indicate your choice of:

• Breast of chicken with caramelized apples, sundried cranberries, toasted almonds and calvados sauce
• Grilled Vegetarian Lasagna with tomato basil sauce

OCULA council has been making some efforts around mentoring library school students and an age old question has arisen - students we’ve spoken to recently seem to be under the impression that they need a subject area or second master’s degree to work in an academic library.  We’re throwing together a survey, so please be on the look out for it, here on the blog, and on our mailing list.  Until the survey comes out, comments here would be welcome.  We’re specifically interested in library hiring policies (formal and informal) but opinions on the subject are welcome too.

PS:  For the record, I work at the library at Mohawk College in Hamilton. We don’t look for a second Master’s degrees formally or informally.  I’d say, if anything, we’re really interested in technology skills.  Regardless of the position we’re filling, people who can bring “techie” skills to the table are extra welcome.

**Please note we are experiencing intermittent issues with the OCULA listserv. If the message you sent to the listserv has not appeared, please contact membership@accessola.com**

Freshman hit with 147 academic charges for online study network at Ryerson University

Study groups may be a virtual trademark of the Ivory Tower – but a virtual study group has been slammed as cheating by Ryerson University. First-year student Chris Avenir is fighting charges of academic misconduct for helping run an online chemistry study group via Facebook last term, where 146 classmates swapped tips on homework questions that counted for 10 per cent of their mark. The computer engineering student has been charged with one count of academic misconduct for helping run the group – called Dungeons/Mastering Chemistry Solutions after the popular Ryerson basement study room engineering students dub The Dungeon – and another 146 counts, one for each classmate who used the site.

from the Toronto Star, March 6, 2008

Laura Banfield started a contract position as Education Liaison Librarian at McMaster’s Health Sciences Library, primarily working with the School of Nursing. Laura has a BSc in Kinesiology from Waterloo and a Masters of Library and Information Science from Western. She has just finished a one year contract at Brock University library, working with Applied Health Sciences and most recently with Physical and Earth Sciences. As part of her masters degree, she spent a co-op term at Health Sciences Library at the University of Saskatchewan in addition to working as a research assistant to Dr. Roma Harris for a couple of Rural Health Information projects. Laura is a member of the Library and Information Services task force for MERLOT (http://www.merlot.org), which is developing a review and categorization schema for online learning resources, and is the resource centre coordinator for Librarians Without Borders (http://www.lwb-online.org).