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Register today for the ALCTS 2018 Midwinter Symposium “Empowering Access and Ensuring Accessibility: Connecting People to Information and Collections”
On Friday, Feb. 9, the Association for Library Collections &
Technical Services (ALCTS) will hold the Midwinter Symposium “Empowering Access and Ensuring
Accessibility: Connecting People to Information and Collections”
during the 2018 ALA Midwinter Meeting in Denver. Aimed at those working in
collections and technical services, this full-day symposium will examine how
libraries and cultural institutions provide all populations with access to
materials.
Connecting people to information is a fundamental tenet of librarianship, and in the rapidly evolving information age, librarians strive to enhance access and increase accessibility for all patrons. These concepts are particularly significant to those working in collections and technical services, where responsibility for identifying, selecting, acquiring, organizing, managing, digitizing, and preserving recorded knowledge resides. This symposium will explore the current landscape as well as the future of collections and technical services work as it contributes to access and broad accessibility to stimulate knowledge creation, foster innovation, and empower libraries to have a transformative role in society.
The symposium will open with the keynote presentation “Libraries Improving Access: Policies, Programs, and Promotion” from Denver City Librarian Michelle Jeske. Following the keynote, speakers Heidi M. Schroeder, Dr. Heather Moulaison Sandy, Jennifer Dandle and Jordan Fields will give presentations on building accessible collections through interinstitutional collaboration; systems, standards, and strategies used to access library data; enhancing discoverability with accessible content; and partnering to create integrated local collections. In addition, the symposium will offer facilitated roundtable discussions and the closing presentation “Crossing State Lines: Enabling Sharing of Accessible Content” from Laura C. Wood.
“Empowering Access and Ensuring Accessibility: Connecting People to Information and Collections” will take place on Friday, Feb. 9 from 8:30 am until 4 pm. ALCTS or ALA membership is not required to attend the ALCTS Midwinter Symposium. In addition, attendees do not need additional registration for the ALA Midwinter Meeting. Online registration is available through the ALA 2018 Midwinter website.
For questions about the ALCTS Midwinter Symposium or other ALCTS Midwinter programming, please contact Megan Dougherty, ALCTS Program Officer, Continuing Education. View a comprehensive listing of ALCTS events at Midwinter and follow ALCTS on social media using #alctsmw18 for the latest details on ALCTS Midwinter programming.