Conference Connections

Wireless Connectivity and Cyber Connection

Free Wireless connectivity will again be available throughout the convention center in Washington, D.C.

If you don't want to take your laptop, don’t worry!  Cyber Connection, sponsored by Elsevier, will also be available:

Friday, 12 June........7:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M.
Saturday, 13 June........7:00 A.M. - 6:00 P.M.
Sunday, 14 June........7:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M.
Monday, 15 June........6:30 A.M. - 5:00 P.M.
Tuesday, 16 June........6:30 A.M. - 5:00 P.M.
Wednesday, 17 June........6:30 A.M. - 1:00 P.M.

Cyber Connection is located at the SLA Registration Center and near the INFO-EXPO entrance.

Post Office @ Conference

Don't drag extra weight with you in your travels! Ship it at the SLA Post Office, located in the Registration Center.

Hours:

Monday, 15 June: 12:00 P.M. - 4:30 P.M.

Tuesday, 16 June: 10:00 A.M. - 4:30 P.M.

Wednesday, 17 June: 8:00 A.M. - 1:00 P.M.

27 Things To Do Before a Conference

Chris Brogan recently wrote 27 Things to do Before a Conference.  There is still time to get them all done before the start of SLA 2009 Annual Conference & INFO-EXPO next month.  

Some of the ones to especially check out are:

• Check the online personal planner for sessions and descriptions.  Go ahead and make a schedule, don't wait to get the paper version onsite. 
• Start Conversations on Twitter, #sla2009 has 482 followers already!  Join the discussions!
• Check out the exhibitors that will be in the INFO-EXPO.  Our virtual exhibit hall has a listing of exhibitors.  Map out who you want to visit!  

There are many other tips that are useful for planning your conference experience.   We look forward to seeing you in Washington, D.C., in just a few short weeks!

Book Donations @ SLA 2009

Better World Books is accepting book donations at the SLA 2009 Annual Conference & INFO-EXPO!

Thirty percent of the net proceeds will go to the National Center for Family Literacy.

You can drop off your unwanted books in the INFO-EXPO at the Better World Books booth (Booth 1721), or in the SLA Registration Center.

Canceled or Relocated Sessions

SLA does as much as we can to limit the number of changes in room assignments from what is printed in the final conference program.  However, changes do occur!  Remember that the online conference planner will have the most up-to-date information on session locations, speakers, and cancellations.  

And, there are other ways to keep up with changes. In the case of room changes, we will post a sign outside the "old" room notifying attendees of the new location. In addition to notes on the SLA Blog and updates through Twitter (follow @sla2009), session cancellations and room changes can be reviewed daily at the SLA Information Booth. The Information Booth will be located in the SLA Registration Center.

SLA2009 Twitter Account Becomes a Re-Tweeter

What in the world is a "re-tweeter," you ask?

Well, you are not alone as I too had no idea until SLA Board member Daniel Lee posted a great explanation as well as a few Twitter tips and some "how-to" instructions on his blog Yankee in Canada:

Starting on Saturday May 2, 2009, the sla2009 Twitter account will become a re-tweeter.  What's a re-tweeter you ask?  It's simple.  When a follower of sla2009 posts a tweet with the hashtag #sla2009 in their tweet (probably best at the end of the tweet) that tweet will be posted to the sla2009 account.  The username of the person who sent the original tweet will appear at the start of the message followed by a ":"

Be sure to check out his whole post- it is very helpful! (Thank you, Daniel!)

SLA Tech Zones - Tickets Still Available

SLA is pleased to announce a continuation of this very popular series of sessions/workshops specifically designed by and for the information professional. Throughout conference week, SLA will offer a number of different learning opportunities that deal with creating websites, web databases, multimedia presentations, and much more. Seating will be limited for each session.  Sessions are sponsored by Dow Jones & Company.

This popular series sells out every year, so act fast to get your ticket while they are still available.  There will be a lot of hands-on learning for only US$ 35!  If you have already registered for conference, the easiest way to add the ticket to your registration is to call +1.301.694.5243.  

Below are descriptions of the courses offered:

• SLA Tech Zone: Podcasting--Make Noise the New-Fashioned Way 

Monday, 15 June, 7:00 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.
Ticketed Event #625

Wednesday, 17 June, 8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
Ticketed Event #910

Sure, podcasting has been on the scene for the past few years, but do you know what it takes to create a podcast? How would you like to extend your awareness beyond just adding a podcast to your iTunes? Look no further! We’ll look at the tools and technology used to record, host and feed a podcast in this action-packed (or at least informative) session. 

Speaker:  Thomas G. Dopko, Senior Content Developer and Technical Trainer, Dow Jones & Company

• SLA Tech Zone: Taxonomy and SharePoint--A Powerful Combination 

Monday, 15 June, 9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Ticketed Event #640

Monday, 15 June, 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Ticketed Event #660

Tuesday, 16 June, 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Ticketed Event #805

SharePoint helps your organization connect people to business critical information and expertise in order to increase productivity and reduce information overload. It achieves this by providing your employees with the ability to find relevant content in a wide range of repositories and formats. Understanding and using taxonomies within a SharePoint implementation to help users find content, is an essential part of ensuring a successful SharePoint deployment. Taxonomies can range from quite simple to very complex. In this session, we will cover the basics of evaluating what you can do to create a simple taxonomy that will yield the most benefits for your SharePoint implementations. You will have a chance to learn a range of Best Practices, from the basics of building a taxonomy to the hands-on skills of deploying that taxonomy within a SharePoint site.  

Speakers:  Dan Segal, Manager, Taxonomy Delivery, Client Solutions, Dow Jones & Company and Laura Antos, Web Manager, Dow Jones & Company 

• SLA Tech Zone: Microsoft PowerPoint -- Beyond the Bulleted List 

Monday, 15 June, 1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Ticketed Event #655

Tuesday, 16 June, 7:30 a.m - 9:00 a.m.
Ticketed Event #755

Tuesday, 16 June, 1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Ticketed Event #825

PowerPoint has become ubiquitous as a presenter tool.  Many presenters use it as a crutch and build text-laden presentations.  As a result, the audience suffers.  Attend this session to learn techniques that will help you avoid common design pitfalls. The session will include instruction and suggested approaches on how to create a well-balanced PowerPoint presentation that leverages appropriate graphics, animation, slide transitions, audio and, believe it or not, bulleted lists.  You will have the opportunity to practice applying these presentation tools during the course.

Speakers:  Leslie Shagon, eLearning Specialist, Dow Jones Learning Programs, Dow Jones & Company and Marvin Daniels, Global Training Specialist, Dow Jones Learning Programs, Dow Jones & Company