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iDEAL Summit


iDEAL Summit 2011 – Monday, November 14, 2011, 12-5 pm, Elliott University Center, Auditorium
Rethinking the Local: Re-imagining Libraries in a Flattening World

The Information Age has seen a tremendous surge in not only the amount but also the kind of information that is now almost instantaneously accessible through the Internet and the Web, and this has promise not only for the “democratization” of information (that is to say, its “free flow”) but a realization of at least a rudimentary form of universal communication to which the main barriers are economic (access to the Internet, computers, and the electricity that powers them); legal and political (proprietary rights and national security concerns); and educational (basic literacy, technological literacy, and information literacy). At the same time, what used to be called international librarianship—the bridging of linguistic, cultural, and political differences across national borders―has all but disappeared from LIS curricula as communications media has become more ubiquitous worldwide. The assumption would seem to be that international diversity will be erased by a media-made monoculture, although world events contradict that outcome every day.

Program

11 am-noon  Set-up for poster session
12-1 pm         Poster session with refreshments
1-2:15 pm     Panel (Session will be live streamed, go to: http://lis.uncg.edu/live/)

  • Dr. Peter Johan Lor, Author; Extraordinary Professor, University of Pretoria; former Director, National Library of South Africa
  • Dr. Ismail Abdullahi, Associate Professor, School of Library and Information Sciences, North Carolina Central University; ALA Councilor-at-Large
  • Ms. Amanda Click, Formerly librarian at American University, Cairo, and ELIME-21 Fellow at UNC, Chapel Hill, UNCG Alumni

2:15-2:30     Break
2:30- 3:30    Breakout dialogue sessions
3:30-3:45     Break
3:45-5:00     Summary session and wrap-up focused on action items for future research, work, and discussion.

Program Materials

In keeping with the stated focus of iDEALS, this conference will explore the following questions:

  1. Why do we need to re-think and re-imagine the local library in a world that is increasingly international?
  2. How can the LIS profession help ensure better communication as well as enhance understanding between and among cultures at the same time that it increases the free flow of information?
  3. What barriers to free flow and mutual understanding need to be addressed, and how?

Parking

The Walker Avenue Parking Deck is the closest parking structure to the Elliott University Center.  For parking map and information, go to:  http://parking.uncg.edu/visitor_guests.html

Call for poster presentation proposals

The organizing committee of the Third iDEAL (Information, Diversity Engagement, Access, and Libraries) Summit invites you to share a poster about your work on international issues pertinent to libraries or information studies. Research on interactions between information and diverse local or global communities is also welcome. Please provide the names of authors, a title and 100-word description of the topic that you will explore. The Summit will take place noon-5 pm on Monday, November 14 in the UNCG Elliot University Center. Final decisions will be made on November 1, and presenters will be notified via the email address provided on this form.

Volunteer

Please share this invitation with others who may be interested in attending. If you wish to assist with or contribute to iDEALS, contact Nora Bird at njbird@uncg.edu or call (336) 334-3477. Your voice and knowledge matter to LIS.

Past Summits

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