12th ALIA National Library Technicians Conference
9-12 September 2003
Bridging services - embracing reality

Frequently asked questions...

Conference presentations
At the 12th ALIA National Library Technicians Conference, several forms of presentation are invited: Workshops, paper presentations or poster presentations. When submitting your abstract it is important to indicate the category of your presentation, in addition to other information, as requested in the call for papers brochure. The following description can be used as a guide. Please don't hesitate to contact Krys Henshaw at Organisers Australia [alia@orgaus.com.au] if you need further information.

Workshops are sessions that focus on a single activity. They include interactive components and provide an opportunity for practical 'hands on' experience. The workshop sessions for the Brisbane conference have been allocated 90 minutes, which allows time for presentation of material in detail. One or more presenters can lead the activities, which may utilise a variety of teaching methods, such as PowerPoint presentations, displays, practical exercises, discussion, etc. The delegates would expect to receive high quality handouts. The number of workshop attendees is usually limited in order to maintain a high level of quality. Examples of suitable (but by no means exhaustive) topics are:

• Stress Management
• Writing skills for newsletters and promotional material
• Answering key selection criteria
• Graphic design for library brochures
• Internet training
• Storytelling techniques

Papers usually concern a specific topic or issue and are presented by a single or a small number of authors (2-3). At the Brisbane conference we are calling for fresh and innovative presentations on all aspects of customer service relevant to the library and information industry, from wider issues affecting all libraries (eg customer service policies), to more specific topics of interest to smaller groups (such as document delivery). Suitable topics are only limited by the imagination! Paper presentations have been allocated 30 minutes (20 minutes presentation plus introduction, questions and wrap-up).

Poster sessions are a relatively new innovation at library technicians' conferences. They are ideally suited to first time presenters who would like the experience, but do not yet feel ready for a full-scale presentation. At the Brisbane conference, poster sessions will be conducted during the lunch break. The poster presenter will have prepared a professional and visually appealing display, along with an accompanying speech of 5-10 minutes. Several poster sessions will run concurrently to allow delegates the opportunity to view several short presentations during a single lunch break.