Wednesday, April 23
1:15 PM - 2:15 PM

Session 7

Virtual Worlds: A Key to Our Future?
(1:15—3:30)

Sponsors: Marketing and Communications Committee, Public Libraries Division, Information Technology Roundtable, and University and College Division.

Online virtual worlds like Second Life are providing individuals and companies with new ways to communicate, interact, provide services, market products and turn a profit. Virtual classrooms are being employed to serve students, and busi- nesses are holding office meetings within Second Life. Libraries are getting into the act by opening virtual reference desks. Is this the beginning of a whole new way to serve our citizens, or a dead end in the constantly changing sphere of information technology? Michael O'Hasson, web development officer with the Oklahoma Department of Libraries, will take us on a tour of Second Life, cover how the service is being used to impact the real world, and speculate about the future of virtual worlds.

Speaker: Michael O'Hasson, Web Development Officer, OK Dept of Libraries.

Of interest to all.

Oklahoma Author Panel Session 2

Sponsor: Public Libraries Division

Come and hear some of Oklahoma's finest authors Davis Joyce, Sharon Ervin, Paula Alfred and Connie Cronley as they discuss their books and answer your questions. Book signings will follow program at the OLA bookstore. Oklahoma Author Panel Session 1 on Tuesday at 2:30 pm features different authors.

Speakers: Davis D. Joyce has spent most of his career teaching at the University of Tulsa, East Central University, and Rogers State University. He has also taught in England Hungary. In 1997, he received the McCasland Award for Excellence in Teaching Oklahoma History from the Oklahoma Heritage Associ- ation. He has authored, co- authored, or edited nine books, including: Howard Zinn: A Radical American Vision, An Oklahoma I had Never Seen Before, and Alternative Oklahoma. A former newspaper reporter, Sharon Ervin has a degree in journalism from OU. She is a member of Sisters in Crime, Romance Writers of America and Romance Writers Ink, the Oklahoma Writers Federation, and McAlester’s McSherry Writers. She writes mysteries with a little romance. She has seven published books, including Murder Aboard the Choctaw Gambler, The Ribbon Murders, Weekend Wife, Chik-Lit for Foxy Hens, Counterfeit Cowboy, Bodacious, and Jusu and Mother Earth. Paula Alfred, a veteran defense attorney with the Tulsa County Public Defender’s Office, currently handles appeals after doing a lengthy stint in the trial division. She has taught and written teaching materials for both state and national legal seminars. She is the co-author of Foxy Statehood Hens and Murder Most Fowl and Chik-Lit for Foxy Hens with Jackie King, Peggy Fielding, and Sharon Ervin. . Connie Cronley, Tulsa writer, has worked in newspaper, television, advertising, and public relations. She is the author of two books of essays, Light and Variable, Sometimes a Wheel Falls Off and the co-author with Edward Perkins of Mr. Ambassador: Warrior for Peace. For 15 years she was general manager of Tulsa Ballet Theatre. As a publicist, writer and public relations consultant, her clients have included the Kirov Ballet, Kirov.

Of interest to all.

We're Better Together: Cooperative Library Projects in Oklahoma

Sponsor: Interlibrary Cooperative Committee

You’ve heard the old saying "two heads are better than one?" Come hear how colleagues are taking that advice to heart as panelists from academic, public, and special libraries describe the ins and outs of specific cooperative projects.

Speakers: Cokie Anderson, Assistant Professor, Electronic Publishing Librarian, Oklahoma State University, Lynn McIntosh, Executive Director, Chickasaw Regional Library System, Marty Thompson, Professor/Director, Bird Health Sciences Library, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.

Of interest to academic, public and school librarians.

Resisting Challenges: Helpful Statistics to Present to Decision Makers

Sponsor: Intellectual Freedom Committee

Public opinion statistics concerning removal of controversial books from public libraries will be presented in a framework of how this information can be useful as part of a response strategy for organized challenges.

Speaker: Susan Burke, University of Oklahoma.

Of interest to public librarians and managers.

Weed Whacking in the School Library: Deselection for School Librarians

Sponsors: Technical Services Roundtable and Public Library Division

Weeding your school library is like eating an elephant.  Learn some tips for tackling this potentially overwhelming task. This is a program for school librarians on the never-ending deselection/weeding process. This is an outgrowth of our highly attended program last year: "Weed whacking: demystifying deselection". Though the audience is school library media specialists, this program is open to all.

Speaker: Elaine Regier, Oklahoma State Department of Education.

Recruiting Minorities in the Library Profession

Sponsor: Career Recruitment and Retention Committee

Don’t miss this session which will feature LIS faculty discussing diversity in recruitment and retention for the library profession. Learn about strategies for recruiting minorities into different library settings, and more broadly look at diversity issues affecting the future of our field.

Speakers: Dr. Lotsee Patterson, Professor of Library and Information Studies, University of Oklahoma, Kristal Sergent, University of Oklahoma, Keith Jemison, Rudisill Regional Library Manager, Tulsa City County Library.

Of interest to public and academic librarians, managers and support staff.

FOLIO Business Meeting

Sponsor: FOLIO

This is the annual Board and Membership meeting of FOLIO.

Speaker: Clare Delaney, FOLIO President

Of interest to FOLIO board of directors and members.