Julie Todaro to speak at SIS Research Forum Feb. 20

The School of Information Sciences invites you to hear Dr. Julie Todaro speak on “21st Century Libraries” on February 20 from 12:00 – 1:00 pm in the Lindsay Young Auditorium at John C. Hodges Library on the UT campus. Dr. Todaro is the President of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL).

In her presentation, which will also be webcast, Dr. Todaro will focus on today’s world where - whether we like it or not – libraries exist in a "flat" and ever evolving "dog-year change" environment where we strive to be cutting edge, struggle to avoid bleeding edge, and position ourselves to be competitive while we balance the traditional with the new. Please join us for this important research forum.

What: SIS Research Forum with Dr. Julie Todaro
When: February 20 from 12 – 1 pm
Where: UT Hodges Library Auditorium

Program Abstract

21st Century libraries exist in today and tomorrow's "flat" and ever evolving "dog-year change" world. Libraries and library and information support environments strive to be cutting edge while struggling to avoid bleeding edge and balancing and budgeting for the traditional with the new. Juggling diverse employees (basic and advanced competencies, experience, education, etc.) and human resources/supervisory issues; collaborations and partnerships in .com, .gov, .edu and .net environments; global vs. local information and library services; open source content issues; scholarship; digitization; faculty, student, staff and patron success; federal, state and local information policy; extensive access issues; and assessment outcomes requirements- to name but a few areas - creates major issues that prove challenging for administrators, decision makers and associations that both support and lead professionals in the field.

Although maintaining and developing programs and services and solving problems is critical, of more importance is the identification of ways of doing library and information business in a 21st century flat world including ways to envision and plan for future organizations, the establishment of a process for identifying evolving new century issues that specifically relate to libraries, the recognition of the need to address change in and of itself, the design of modes and methods for delivering services and resources, and the design of extensive, continuous professional development to equip administrators, managers and employees - in all environments - to best meet the needs of constituents.

Bio

Dr. Julie Beth Todaro is the 2007-2008 President of the Association of Academic and Research Libraries (AARL) and Dean for Library Services at Austin Community College in Austin, Texas.

Julie's type-of-library experience includes academic library manager for 25 years, public librarian for seven years, and an all-level school librarian certification. In addition, she has library education experience (teaching management, public libraries, marketing and advocacy coursework) from the University of Michigan, Texas Woman's University and the University of Texas at Austin. She is the "The Truth is Out There," columnist for the Library Association of Management and Administration Journal (1997–present,) writes the quarterly column "Nothing But Net" for Haworth's Community and Junior College Libraries (1996 to the present;) and has a number of other publications including "A Bibliography of Traditional and Web-based Library Career Resources," Compiled with Jan E. Hayes, Chicago: ALA, Office for Human Resource Development and Recruitment, August 2000; "Top Ten Most Important Elements of Customer Service." in School Library Journal May, 1995; Facilitating Groups. American Library Association: Chicago, ILL: 1992; "The Role of the LRC in Developmental and Literacy Education." in The Role of the Learning Resources Center in Instruction." San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Inc., 1990 with Dorothy Martinez; "Changing Children's Environments." Illinois Libraries 58 December 1978: 903-908; and, co-author (with Mark Smith) of Training Library Staff and Volunteers to Provide Extraordinary Customer Service (Neal-Schuman, July 2006). Her upcoming monograph focusses on library and information center responses to emergency and disaster situations in a post-911 world.