The role of libraries in the digital age is the theme of the Library 2.014 Worldwide Virtual Conference, the fourth annual event in a series of free virtual conferences co-founded by the San José State University (SJSU) School of Information. The conference, which will be conducted entirely online on Oct. 8 and Oct. 9, 2014, has an impressive international list of keynote and distinguished speakers ready to inspire information professionals attending the free event.

Nine keynote presentations are scheduled for the Library 2.014 conference, which will run from 7 a.m. – 9 p.m. PDT on Wednesday and Thursday. The conference kicks off with two keynote presentations Wednesday morning.

“Working in a Global Environment – Success Strategies for Today’s Information Professional” is the timely topic of the opening keynote address to be delivered by Dr. Sandra Hirsh, director of the SJSU School of Information and Library 2.014 conference co-chair. Along with plans to discuss the role of information professionals in a global community and the importance of the Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) degree, Hirsh will also talk about how information professionals can become “rock stars” in their organizations and information environments. Hirsh will speak at 7 a.m. PDT. 

Samantha Adams Becker, senior director of communications for the New Media Consortium, will give her keynote presentation entitled “On the Horizon: Pressing Technologies, Trends, Challenges for Libraries” at 9 a.m. PDT. She will address how libraries can remain relevant and better foster interdisciplinary research. “In order to shape the future of learning,” said Becker, “we need to think deeply about the role that our academic and research libraries can play. Understanding how to take advantage of emerging technologies is a key piece to continuously meeting the needs of learners, faculty, and researchers.”

In addition to Hirsh and Becker, conference attendees will hear from the following keynote speakers:

• Phil Bradley, UK Internet Consultant
• Pam Sandlian-Smith, Director of Anythink Libraries in Adams County, Colorado
• Jia Yang, Leader of the Data Resource Department at the Shanghai Library
• Dr. Daisy Selematsela, Executive Director Knowledge Management Corporate at the National Research Foundation of South Africa
• Dr. Joyce Valenza, Assistant Professor and Co-Director of the MLIS program at Rutgers University School of Communication & Information
• Jonathan Hernandez, Ph.D. student in Library and Information Studies at the National Autonomous University of Mexico
• Dr. Helen Partridge, Professor and Pro Vice-Chancellor of Scholarly Learning and Information Services at the University of Southern Queensland, Australia.

The Library 2.014 conference will also feature 12 distinguished speakers, including Michael Stephens, assistant professor at the SJSU School of Information. Scheduled between the keynote and distinguished speaker presentation times will be sessions presented by information professionals from around the globe. The conference is all-inclusive, and everyone is encouraged to submit a presentation proposal. Conference organizers have extended the deadline for submitting proposals until Sept. 30, 2014.

The Library 2.014 conference is free, and there is no need to register. The conference presentations will take place via Blackboard Collaborate, and can be joined from desktop computers and mobile devices. Recordings of the sessions will be posted as each one is completed. The full conference schedule – viewable in multiple time zones – and information about attending is available on the conference website.

In addition, information professionals are encouraged to join Stephens for a special post-conference webcast, sponsored by Library Journal, on Oct. 30, 2014. Stephens will moderate a panel of notable speakers from the Library 2.014 conference to discuss participatory, hyperlinked library services. Panelists include Becker; Susan Hildreth, director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services; and Ayyoub Ajmi, digital communications and learning initiatives librarian at the University of Missouri at Kansas City. More information about the webcast will be available as the event nears.