If you haven’t been on the Library 2.013 Worldwide Virtual Conference website in a while, now is the time to check it out. The conference program is posted, and there are 10 keynote addresses and 147 conference sessions scheduled over the course of two days, beginning tomorrow, October 18, 2013.

This participatory conference will be held entirely online in multiple languages and time zones. You do not need to register or join the Library 2.0 network to attend the sessions. All the sessions are free and open to the public.

This open online conference kicks off with a welcome address at 6:30 am Pacific Time (9:30 am Eastern Time) followed by the opening keynote at 7 am Pacific Time (10 am Eastern Time), with Dr. Sandra Hirsh, professor and director at the San Jose State University School of Library and Information Science.  

In her keynote presentation titled, “The Global Transformation of Libraries, LIS Education, and LIS Professionals,” Hirsh will summarize the global and technical trends impacting all sectors of the library and information field, highlight the role libraries can serve as the technological and educational hub for their communities, and define the new roles and skills that will be required of LIS professionals to help their organizations thrive in today’s global information market.

Beginning at 8 am Pacific Time (11 am Eastern Time), several sessions will be happening simultaneously, covering diverse topics such as big data, RDA, information literacy, and more! The sessions continue throughout the day and night, concluding Saturday evening with a closing party after Dr. Jocelyn Cranefield’s keynote, which is scheduled for 8 pm Pacific Time (11 pm Eastern Time). In her closing keynote, Cranefield, a senior lecturer in Information Systems at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, will discuss the role and value of knowledge brokers in today’s information-rich, tool-intensive world.

You can view the hour-by-hour schedule on the Library 2.013 conference website. Simply select your time zone and view the presentation titles and abstracts, and presenters’ biographies. The session links will go live when the conference begins. Anyone can access the live sessions – there is no pre-registration for the conference. As a reminder, all sessions will be held via Blackboard Collaborate. If you are unfamiliar with Blackboard Collaborate, a tutorial is available. Make sure your computer is ready now, so you don’t miss any sessions during this global conference!

For more information about the Library 2.013 Worldwide Virtual Conference, please visit: http://www.library20.com/2013

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