Network Bulletin No. 02-05

Date: February 1, 2002

Subject: National Conference of Librarians
Serving Blind and Physically Handicapped Individuals, 2002

Index Term: Agenda and Registration form

Planning for the 2002 National Conference of Librarians
Serving Blind and Physically Handicapped Individuals has
been completed.  This year we have involved the Digital
Long-Term Planning Group in our prearrangement efforts.

The conference will convene in Richmond, Virginia, at 1:00
p.m. on Sunday, April 28, at the Omni Richmond Hotel.  It
will conclude at 12:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 2.  Based on
survey responses generated from Network Bulletin 01-01 and
input from the regional conferences in 2001, two one-day
preconference workshops,  "Children's Services" and "The Art
of Audio Book Production," will be held simultaneously from
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 27.

To help us finalize arrangements, please complete the
attached form and return it by fax or register online at
<http://www.loc.gov/nls/conf2002/registration.html> by March
4.  Do not use the U.S. mail.

Room rates are $99 single occupancy, $109 double occupancy,
$119 triple occupancy, and $129 quad occupancy, plus state
and local taxes (currently 12.5 percent) in effect at the
time of check-in.  Please make your reservations directly
with the hotel as soon as possible and no later than March
31.

Reservations may best be made by telephone.  The hotel's
telephone number is(804) 344-7000.  When you register,
please let the hotel know you are attending the National
Conference of Librarians Serving Blind and Physically
Handicapped Individuals.  The hotel will continue to accept
reservations on a space-available basis after March 31, but
it will not guarantee conference rates.

Agenda

The Sunday afternoon opening session will feature
presentations on developments at NLS followed by regional
conference meetings.  The Herman H.B. Meyer Memorial
Literary Club and Declamatory Society reception will be held
at 6:00 p.m. that evening.

Monday, April 29, will begin with the conference's keynote
address and a presidential address.  The remainder of the
day will focus on the audio digital planning effort.  Topics
will include "Digital Talking Book (DTB) Standards,"
"Building an Audio Digital Collection," "Talking Book Player
Design," and "Distribution Systems."  The day will conclude
with a presentation by Elisebeth Tank, director, the Danish
National Library for the Blind.

The evening event is a reception at the Virginia House, a
lovely venue administered by the Virginia Historical
Society.

Tuesday morning, April 30, events will include a
presentation on challenges in shaping the digital generation
of service and presentations by Digital Long-Term Planning
Group members and NLS staff on the following topics:
"Demographics," "Ten Speculative Scenarios," "Speech-Browser
Pilot Test," "Digital Signatures," "Commercial Audio Books,"
and "Non-Appliance E-Books."  After lunch there will be
presentations on web site outreach and Web-Braille, and then
the buses will depart for a tour of the Virginia regional
library and later a reception at the Virginia Museum of Fine
Arts.

The National Automation Conference will be held on
Wednesday, May 1.  It will include updates on various
circulation systems used in the network, user-group
meetings, discussions of automation potpourri, and updates
on NLS automation initiatives.

The conference will conclude on Thursday, May 2, with a
breakfast colloquy on Native Americans from 7:30 - 9:00
followed by concurrent breakout sessions on topics initially
discussed on Tuesday.  The initial sessions will be run from
9:00 - 9:30 and be repeated at 9:30 and 10:00.  They will be
followed by a presentation on "Outreach Campaign" and
"CMLS/Reader-Circulation/Statistics."

An optional tour to the Lewis-Ginter Botanical Garden on
Thursday is available.  Transportation and box lunches will
be provided.  Buses will return to the hotel at 3:30 p.m.

A detailed agenda will be distributed in March.  Please make
your plans now to attend.  Your participation will help make
our 2002 conference a success.

For further information contact:
Stephen Prine
Head, Network Services Section
Telephone:  (202) 707-9245
Fax:  (202) 707-0712
E-mail:  [log in to unmask]

[This bulletin contained attachments that were mailed to the
library on February 1, 2002.]