8:00 AM

Irshad Manji is the celebrated author of the #1 bestseller, The Trouble with Islam Today. The book has been published in 26 countries including Pakistan, India, Turkey and Lebanon and has been the subject of much informed debate.

Irshad's newspaper columns are distributed worldwide by the New York Times Syndicate. This spring, she finds herself behind the camera creating an interactive extension of her other bestseller, Faith Without Fear. It is to be aired on PBS shortly after Super Conference in April.

For Super Conference 2008, she will be talking about how we can grow from diversity's challenges. Irshad will through examples from her own life and that of renowned historical figures show why the key to appreciating diversity is through recognizing that there are no simple answers – and therefore no silly questions.

Several OLA members who have heard her speak have encouraged Super Conference planners to bring her to our event and we are delighted to do so. Irshad wowed audiences at the American Library Association's annual conference last June in Washington with her witty, astute observations. A session not to be missed!

9:05 AM

What technologies and trends should you be watching? Whats the next big thing as we move into 2008? Join the experts as they discuss technologies to be aware of now and beyond. They will touch on planning, people and participation. Always one of Super Conference's most anticipated sessions.

9:05 AM

An important component of a trustees duties involves advocacy of the library to government and the community. Too often, advocacy is a hit and miss situation. Find out how to develop and maintain a strong advocacy program for all of the trustees on your board.

9:05 AM

Are you making the most of your Teen Advisory Board? Find out how the Barrie Public Library created a unique project for their teens through the making of radio and television commercials to promote the library! Here is a unique way to use your Teen Advisory Board to reach its utmost potential. It is a singular forum for volunteerism and an opportunity for teens to promote the library to other teens in the community. Members of Barrie Public Library's Teen Advisory Board will discuss their experience and provide insight into this creative project. The commercials will be played to dramatize their accomplishment.

9:05 AM

Promote literacy by incorporating video conferencing into classrooms and libraries! Using this new technology, teachers have been able to enhance students engagement with literature, (specifically the White Pine program in the Forest of Reading) in their schools. Learn how you can help students improve their research skills as they prepare for conferences. A fun and exciting new way for students to practice their presentation and communication skills.

9:05 AM

Academic libraries are casting off their stodgy images in an effort to wow Next Generation students, engage campus administrators and attract potential new hires. Learn how one college and one university library are making learning happen through cool spaces, new technologies and programs with pizzazz. Find out what's worked and what hasn't. Come ready to swap ideas and leave with a winner.

9:05 AM

9:05 AM

Students are constantly bombarded by information from around the world, some valid, some questionable. Global Voices, an initiative of Free the Children, is a wonderful way to teach and involve your students in media literacy and critical thinking about global issues that affect their daily lives. Along with the Be the Change project, Global Voices offers a curriculum and a process for informing and motivating our students

9:05 AM

Où est-ce qu'un écrivain déniche ses idées? Que fait-il après la sixième version d'un manuscrit? Comment navigue-t-il dans la jungle de l'édition?  Avec humour et anecdotes, Andrée Poulin décrit les hauts et les bas du métier d'auteure. En deuxième partie de son atelier, elle présente son approche pour stimuler le plaisir de lire et d'écrire chez les enfants. Offrant de l'information théorique et pratique, l'auteure explique comment elle anime ses livres et décrit sa méthode pour amener les élèves à créer une histoire.                                                                                                                                          
Where does an author find ideas? What does he do after the 6th version of a manuscript? How does he find his way in the jungle of the world of book editing and publishing? With a touch of humour and numerous anecdotes, Andrée Poulin describes the highs and lows of authorship. The second half of the session will concentrate on ideas to nourish the joy of reading and writing in children. Offering theoretical and practical information, Andrée Poulin describes literary activities surrounding her books and a method to help children create their own story.

EN FRANÇAIS / IN FRENCH

Ressources :
Idées animation (.doc)

9:05 AM

Learn how any library can start a Friends of the Library group. Receive the tools needed to plan and promote an organizing meeting, study sample governing documents and hear ideas for planning the first event.

Resources:
Session Presentation (.ppt)
Handouts

9:05 AM

York University and the University of Windsor are providing students and faculty with access to information literacy instruction and reference services at their point of need. Learn about the planning, implementation and results of focus groups with university students from different disciplines. The focus groups provide invaluable feedback about students' research habits; perceptions of their own information literacy competencies; and their insights as to how instruction can be enhanced. Innovative instructional video clips; supporting materials; various library initiatives with departments on campus; and other novel methods used to promote and to provide access to library services and resources to faculty and students both inside and outside the library will also be examined.

Resources:
Session Presentation (.ppt)
- Handouts
Graduate Focus Groups - Questions (.doc)
Graduate Student Survey (.pdf)
Library Instruction - Student Evaluation (.doc)
Pre-Test Information Literacy Questionnaire (.doc)

9:05 AM

Learn how to make the library less intimidating for new immigrants, those with low literacy levels, the homeless and other disadvantaged groups.

9:05 AM

Time to rev up those crystal balls! Students are changing, library systems are changing, the world is changing. This volatile environment is challenging academic librarians to evolve their practice in unexpected ways. The best way to prepare for change is to think about it in advance, to anticipate some of the changes or at least to anticipate the kinds of things that may change. This presentation is just such an exercise. Join one of your fellow front-line librarians in an exploration of some of the ways our jobs might be changing over the next decade, both at the macro level and in our daily routines.

9:05 AM

You know work is a bore if staff rely on visions of the upcoming weekend to help them make it through Monday. Not so at Hamilton Public Library! Here a little imagination and a variety of social offerings have mixed to bring work and fun under the same roof with amazing results. Come learn about the trials and tribulations of engaging a large staff group socially and what success can look like in terms of improved morale and outlook. Take away a tool kit of boredom busters for your own staff group and find out details about Hamilton Public Library's challenge to your library! Are your staff up for friendly competition?

9:05 AM

Picture books are powerful yet often overlooked teaching tools for intermediate and senior students. Explore the multiple and cross-disciplinary uses of picture books in the intermediate/senior classroom. Picture books make superb writing assignments for our intermediate and senior students. A sample process-based Language Arts unit for creating a good picture book will be explored in detail. Practical ideas and strategies for using picture books in the intermediate and senior classrooms will be provided, along with a list of exemplary picture books and their uses. Leave with a multiplicity of ideas that you can take back to your school and implement immediately, including one complete unit with links to curriculum learning expectations, all rubrics and supporting resources for creating picture books. Dispel the commonly held belief that picture books are for little kids!

Resources:
Session Presentation (.ppt)
Analyzing & Creating Picture Books (.ppt)
Selected Picture Books ~ Earth Theme (.doc)
Selected Picture Books ~ Growing Old Theme (.doc)
Selected Picture Books ~ Positive Values Theme (.doc)
Selected Picture Books ~ The Theme of Change (.doc)
Student Assignment ~ Historical Picture Books (.doc)

9:05 AM

RDA is the new content standard for Resource Description and Access which will be published in 2009. It is emerging from a major restructuring and re-evaluation of current cataloguing rules. RDA supersedes AACR2. It is a new tool, more flexible and extensible than AACR2, more logical and thus easier to use, applicable beyond traditional cataloguing, and designed for use in an on-line, networked environment. Learn about the scope of RDA, hear a progress report and begin to explore the impact of RDA.

Resources:
Session Presentation [English | français] Ingrid Parent (.ppt)
Session Presentation Marcia Salmon (.pdf)
Session Presentation Patricia Longo (.ppt)

9:05 AM

Explore strategies for designing and implementing questionnaires, including issues related to layout, paper vs. Web design, question selection, and preparation for data analysis. Learn how to enhance response rates and hear practical tips for data management. Examine and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of sample questionnaires.

Resources:
Information or Inquiries: contact Dr. Lisa Given

9:05 AM

Reference is so much more than providing information, answers and search strategies. Its a unique (if brief!) two-person communication encounter and relationship-building experience. How can we establish a reference relationship with a stranger that is both professional, respectful AND personalized? Rita Vine looks at the research on reference and communication and shares her techniques for more meaningful encounters.

Resources:
Session Presentation (.pps)
Handout (.pdf)

9:05 AM

Our students are using it, but do they understand what its about? We have concerns, but do we really understand how it works? In the drastically shifting world of information, we need to understand how Wikipedia works and where its place is as a resource. Most of all, we need to teach our students and fellow teachers about it: when and how to use it, how to evaluate its contents, and when not to use it. Discover practical tools for Teaching Wikipedia.

Resources:
Session Presentation (.ppt)

9:05 AM

These creativity-based programming ideas have been successful at Toronto Public Library's North York Central Library. A list of valuable resources will be shared. Share your successful programming ideas in small group discussions during the session.

Resources:
Session Presentation (.ppt)
Resource List (.doc)

9:05 AM

10:40 AM

Reporting of new medical treatments in the lay press often exaggerates facts to create sensationalism. Gain insights into how the world's biggest pharmaceutical companies are turning us all into patients, how mass media have failed to report medical discoveries in a neutral, objective way and how librarians can find accurate assessments for our clients who demand access to new and expensive therapies.
 
Alan Cassels is a drug policy researcher at the University of Victoria with an interest in how clinical research and experience on pharmaceuticals gets translated for policy-makers, prescribers and consumers.  He led a team of researchers to carry out the first ever study of Canadian newspaper coverage of new prescription drugs (published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal in April  2003).  Alan Cassels has lectured in journalism schools in Canada, the US and Australia on the essentials of pharmaceutical reporting and was the founder of Media Doctor Canada (www.mediadoctor.ca), a Web-based service dedicated to improving the quality of Canadian medical reporting.
 
A frequent commentator in the media on consumer drug issues and author of numerous articles in magazines, newspapers and the CBC Radio program IDEAS, Alan is also co-author, with Ray Moynihan, of  Selling Sickness: How the World’s Biggest Pharmaceutical Companies are Turning Us All into Patients (Greystone Books, 2005).  His new book, The ABC’s of Disease Mongering: An Epidemic in 26 Letters  (Emdash Book Publishing), was launched in January, 2008 and has been likened to “Dr. Seuss taking on an over-medicated and over-diagnosed culture.”

10:40 AM

Réussissez-vous toujours à découvrir rapidement ce que vous cherchez sur Internet ? Peut-on rester anonyme sur Internet ? Savez-vous reconnaître la qualité d'un site? Cet atelier examinera ces questions afin d'éclaircir certains des mythes attribués à Internet.

Do you always easily find what you are looking for on Internet? Can we remain anonymous when searching Internet? Do you know how to recognize a quality Web site? This workshop will examine these questions in order to shed light on certain myths regarding Internet.

EN FRANÇAIS / IN FRENCH

Ressources :
Session Presentation (.pdf)
Bibliograhpie (.pdf)

10:40 AM

Why do many students make a less than stellar effort on research tasks and assignments? As we move from the Information Age to the Knowledge Age how can we take advantage of real world technologies and processes to enrich the research experience for students? Join us as we explore these questions from the perspective of project design and student engagement.

Resources:
Session Presentation (.ppt)
Handout - Designing Assignments that Work (.doc)

10:40 AM

Create and encourage open partnering opportunities in formal and informal programs. The partnerships forged by library technicians and teacher-librarians empower the school library to create a dynamic learning environment. While acknowledging the traditional roles each partner fills, it is the individual strengths and unique talents each possesses which enhances and enriches students experiences in the library-information centre.

Resources:
WPD files: banned books | Biography | coming of age, growing up | fantasy and scifi | graphic novels | horror, gothic | Pathfinder Foods grade 9 | romance, relationship

10:40 AM

Librarians continue to explore the latest technologies from wikis to blogs to learning objects. Nevertheless, technology itself is not enough to ensure that learning will take place. How do we structure e-learning opportunities so that information literacy is truly encouraged and developed? What are the key design principles that make for quality learning in an on-line tutorial? The Canadian Association of Research Libraries aims to capture our success stories and case studies from the classroom at an e-learning portal. Learn about this site where best practices and new roles for librarians in the evolution of e-learning are being developed.

Resources:
Session Presentation (.ppt)

10:40 AM

Building the capacity for learning in any library is critical, especially with the new Web 2.0 technologies available. Explore 15 Minutes a Day, the 43 Things Method, and other tools that will increase your staff's technology skills, as well as, improve staff motivation, morale and capacity to change. Come and hear ideas for adaptable, flexible and cost-effective learning you can use in your environment.

10:40 AM

The Synergies project will develop infrastructure to move print social sciences and humanities scholarly publications, such as books, journals, conference proceedings etc. on-line; and develop tools to enhance the visibility and longevity of these new digital publications. This CFI-funded project is a partnership of a distributed network of stakeholders including 21 universities, publishers, editors, scholars and funding agencies. Find out about this ambitious project, the underlying principles, tools and standards and the importance for Canadian universities.

10:40 AM

Learn how to maximize student engagement in the library program. Excite student involvement by introducing props and student participation to help a story come alive. Walk away from this magical session with a make-and-take activity and some wonderful ideas for making the library a rewarding experience for students with developmental disabilities.

Resources:
Session Presentation (.ppt)

10:40 AM

Here are practical ways to integrate teen programming, Web 2.0 and attractive physical spaces into engaging concepts for your teens in your public library environments. Meet teens at the crossroads to encourage them to become life-long library patrons! Explore relevant social technologies and exciting programming ideas. See how cool physical spaces will draw teens into active library participation. Share in the experiments, successes and challenges.

Resources:
Session Presentation (.pdf)

10:40 AM

Representations of librarians in popular culture tend to focus on the stereotypical ideal of Marian the Librarian conservative, somewhat prudish and restrained with almost a hint of sexuality. In opposition to this are depictions of hyper-sexualized females who adopt the persona of the librarian. Explore the portrayal of librarians in 20th century popular and fringe culture that distort the stereotypes and present an alternate image of what it means to be a librarian.

10:40 AM

Marketing your library is crucial, but for small and medium libraries with limited funds and over-burdened staff, the task can seem overwhelming, if not impossible. We're here to show that it can be done! Interesting strategies will be shared – some quite easy and inexpensive!

Resources:
Session Presentation Karen Thistle and Douglas Davey (.ppt)

10:40 AM

Share your experiences and learn from ours! Library Technical Services at the University of Western Ontario has been experimenting with many ways of providing accelerated user access to information resources via our catalogue, while maximizing processing efficiencies and "bang for the buck" in deploying Technical Services resources. Our initiatives include utilizing Z39.50, electronic resource management software, a variety of technologies, vendor-supplied information and student help to assist us in making our assets visible and available to our patrons.

10:40 AM

In 2007, the North Bay Public Library launched its SIM Project, a virtual tour of the library for students unable to take a physical tour of the library. Find out what inspired this project, what planning is required, and where it will be taken in the future.

10:40 AM

Making an annual major event part of the librarys year is an excellent way to gain financial support from the community, attract goodwill, and increase visibility of the library.

10:40 AM

Students and librarians are increasingly confronted with the Culture of Distraction in the academic library environment. The challenge of competing for students' interest and attention places a heavy burden on librarians who find themselves in a position of having to "keep up" with the latest and greatest Information and communication technologies, to read, write and contribute comments to blogs, to be constantly available via e-mail, chat and instant message programs, to create dynamic library podcasts, to create and maintain on-line presences in social networking software such as Facebook, MySpace and Second Life. This situation is arguably eroding librarians' ability to concentrate their professional energy on those less glamorous tasks and fundamental responsibilities that are essential to promoting student learning and collection building. We will evaluate the current Culture of Distraction with a critical eye and propose meaningful and valuable strategies for reaching students and promoting true communication and learning while staying sane.

10:40 AM

The speakers will offer the perspective of a County Library Board with close ties to County Council and will share tips from both the Board member and the CEO.
 
This session will be of interest to Trustees and CEOs who want their board meetings to function efficiently and effectively within a municipal environment.

10:40 AM

Help keep your school community safe from bullying and violence. Learn more about a wide variety of resources, both print and virtual, that are available through the Ministry of Education's Safe@School Web site, launched in the Fall of 2007. Investigate the role that your library can play in raising awareness and sustaining a safe learning environment for our students.

10:40 AM

Learn about the benefits of using American Sign Language (ASL) with hearing children.Discover how introducing simple signs for everyday words can assist babies, preschoolers and school-age children in their communication and learning skills. View a video of a signing baby and learn the ASL signs for a few songs. You do not need to have any prior knowledge of Sign Language in order to easily and successfully incorporate it in to your program.

Resources:
Session Presentation (.ppt)
Signing Resources (.pdf)
Song Lyrics - Part 1 (.pdf)
Song Lyrics - Part 2 (.pdf)
Song Lyrics - Part 3 (.pdf)

10:40 AM

Learn about the University of Toronto Mississauga Library's experience with an innovative new way of improving library management's ability to monitor customer feedback continuously, garner insight, take action, and monitor the results of your actions.

Resources:
Session Presentation (.pdf)

10:40 AM

Discover creative and practical ideas for existing Friends groups. Learn from Friends groups that have increased their membership and volunteer base and have raised additional funds for their libraries.

Resources:
Session Presentation Lois Magahay (.ppt)
Handouts

10:40 AM

Get practical tips and details on surveying your community by telephone using an outside agency. Team membership and objectives will be outlined. Learn what worked well at Burlington and what would be done differently. Key findings, a sample of the RFP and process followed will be shared. Learn how the library achieved a representative sample of non-users, one of the more difficult aspects of conducting surveys. Learn from the Burlington Public Library experience.

Resources:
Session Presentation (.ppt)
Handouts:
Telephone Survey (.doc)
Proposal Authorization Form – market research services (.pdf)
BPL Report Full Report for Library Staff (.ppt)

10:40 AM

For those of you that have made some great mentoring (and less formal networking) connections during this Conference, this is your chance to come back together to discuss the whole experience. Get tips and techniques on nurturing your new connections after Super Conference. Take the next step in making a mentoring relationship a reality. Share specific strategies for moving forward and develop guidelines for making your mentoring and collegial relationships a success. Whether you want to mentor others or want to be mentored yourself, let us talk.

10:40 AM

In recent years, several libraries have moved towards a centralized collection development model. Hamilton Public Library adopted this in 2001, London Public Library in 2006. What were the benefits? Hear how these institutions went about implementing and managing this fundamental change with honest appraisal of the challenges that were faced.

12:15 PM

Introduction by Ingrid Parent, Library and Archives Canada.

As the international library world prepares to come to Quebec City this summer for IFLA 2008, we are privileged to have a unique guest from a unique world,  a person of accomplishment whose experiences and adventures around the world suggest a closing luncheon that is bold and unlike any we have experienced in a very long time.

Co-hosted by OLA 2007 President Esther Rosenfeld and OLA 2008 President Sam Coghlan.


OFFICIAL INTRODUCTION of
SHELAGH PATERSON
the new Executive Director of the Ontario Library Association.