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New Frontiers
37th Annual Conference of the CPLQ,
May 17-19, 2006, Laval, Quebec, Canada
For
several years, Information Professionals have been called upon to
proactively position and redefine- themselves to evolve with, and
accommodate, the many new frontiers facing our profession. Not surprisingly,
these new frontiers are no longer restricted to the fast-pace of
the information technology industry alone.
The
architectural frontier: In Québec, as elsewhere,
the physical environment in which we work is experiencing profound
changes. Information Professionals must examine their services and
their clientele within an architectural framework, and ask themselves:
how do our buildings accommodate and accompany our clientele, our
collections, cultural events, staff and new service initiatives?
How do the new architectural requirements of our libraries differ
from those of the past? How does the architecture of our library
buildings define us now, and what should our « architectural
identity » bring us in the future? How do we incorporate the
virtual learning space into a physical presence?
The
virtual frontier: From books to web-based virtual learning
centres: how are Information Professionals adapting to the high-speed
transition from one information support to another? How can they
address the needs of their clients and at the same time understand
the new information exchange of the virtual world? How can they
develop new services in an ever-changing cyber-space? Up to what
point should the physical library environment adapt itself to acommodate
the “virtual” needs of its users? How can Information
Professionals ensure that their virtual resources are copyright
protected?
The
community frontier: Library and information services are
opening their doors to members of their communities who have new
needs and new service requirements. How can Information Professionals
assess the changes in their client profile and adapt proactively
to an increasingly diverse client-base? What new professional competencies
and training are required? Communities of practice are not defined
along geographical lines, but through the enriching exchanges among
its members: how do Information Professionals market to a geographically
dispersed clientele? How do they integrate new communication forums
such as « blogs » into their services?
The
political frontier: The political echelon depends heavily
upon public-private-partnerships (P.P.P.): is a similar model possible
to look for financing our libraries? La Grande Bibliothèque
in Montreal carries a special status among other libraries in the
public library network. Who offers what? Who is working for who?
And who is our new competition? What, in our present model of operating,
makes these partnerships successful? Who are our new partners, and
under what terms should we negotiate with them?
These
new frontiers – either individually or as a whole - demand
thoughtful reflection from the community of Information Professionals.
The Organising Committee of the CPLQ invites you to contribute your
reflections on these new issues at the 2006 annual congress.
Your
proposals for presentations and workshops will be accepted until
December 9, 2005.
The
CPLQ annual congress aims to attract Information Professionals from
a large community of practitionners interested in discussing, challenging
and defining the new frontiers which face us now and in the future.
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