FLICC Meeting Announcement 98-6
1997 FLICC Symposium on the Information Professional
End-User Training & Support: A Role for Libraarians
As information professionals, we should have a role in ensuring that our
agencys work is based on quality information that is acquired efficiently.
But, todays technology gives users convenient, seemingly free access to
online sources, and makes the librarians value in the research chain
unclear.
Please join us for a discussion with electronic publications experts, end
users, and experienced trainers on the issues surrounding end-user
training and practical techniques for being the most effective
instructional librarians we can be.
Date
Thursday, November 13, 1997
Time
9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. (Registration begins at 8:30 a.m.)
Place
Mumford Room, 6th floor, Madison Building, Library of Congress, 101
Independence Avenue SE, Washington, DC
Metro
Capitol South (Orange and Blue Lines)
Sponsors
FEDLINK Network Operations
Registration
$75 (includes refreshments and handouts). Interpreting services
(American Sign Language) will be provided if requested five (5)
business days in advance of the event.
Information
Call FLICC (202) 707-4800; TTY (202) 707-4995.
Cancellations
Please notify FLICC if you are unable to attend to allow those on the
waiting list an opportunity to register.
For years, librarians have performed "bibliographic instruction," teaching
patrons how to use catalogs, indexes, CD-ROMs, and other library tools.
The theory has been that making patrons independent library users will
sustain them for a lifetime. But often, we have split our approach to
online resources. Sometimes--citing costs, effectiveness, and our
professionalism--we mediate al online access for end users; sometimes we
leave them alone with online publications as we do with books.
The 1997 FLICC Symposium on the Information Professional will look at the
following questions:
What does the future hold for electronic publications? Will the "free"
information available on the net displace commercial sources? Will readers
go for user friendliness over content? Will full text indexing and natural
language searching replace Boolean logic? Is machine filtering the answer
to everything?
Who is best suited for the training and support role? Should agencies turn
to librarians, computer staff, end users, or the database vendors? All the
above? What do these players think users really need and how is
each positioned to provide it?
Why should librarians take on this role? Might it keep libraries from
being marginalized? Help get more resources? Help our careers? Or does it
cast us as obstructionists who interpose ourselves between users and
information; drain library resources; and set us on a career path
different from the one we went to school for?
How can librarians become better trainers? What are the basic principles
for training adults on technical topics? How is training end users
directly different from training librarians to train end users? How should
a help desk operate? What constitutes good design for training
materials? How does one integrate remote training tools, web-based
tutorials, and CBTs into a training and support program?
Our speakers include:
Carol Tenopir, University of Tennessee Knoxville
John Auditore, National Institutes of Health
Jim Bradley, US Army Training and Doctrine Command
Janie Butler, Lexis-Nexis
Meg Williams, FLICC/FEDLINK
Cathy Kellum, Southeastern Libraries Network
Anne Caputo, Knight Ridder Information Services
Melissa Becher, American University
Cheryl Hunter, Defense Technical Information Center
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