ALCTS Network News v19n04 (March 10, 2000) URL = http://hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/serials/ann/ann-v19n04.txt ALCTS NETWORK NEWS An electronic publication of the Association for Library Collections & Technical Services Volume 19, Number 4 March 10, 2000 In this issue: 10th WORLD CONGRESS OF IAALD FAQ FOR THE ALA ONLINE CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTER CALL FOR MENTORS TO INTERNATIONAL LIBRARIANS INFORMATION LITERACY: CHILDREN, NEW MEDIA AND THE LIBRARY, MARCH 16, 2000 ************ 10th WORLD CONGRESS OF IAALD I attended the 10th World Congress of IAALD (International Association of Agricultural Information Specialists), which was held in Dakar, Senegal on January 24-28, 2000. This association holds its world congress at five year intervals. My registration fee was supported by ALCTS, through the ALCTS International Relations Committee, which had received a recommendation from the Collection Development and Management Section.* Senegal is in western Africa and is the most western point on the continent. Just off shore is the Isle de Goree, the departure point for the millions of Africans who were sent to slavery in the western hemisphere. The conference was attended by 80 librarians, documentalists, and information specialists from 27 countries. Eighteen regional, national, and internal organizations were represented. Because of the proximity, many attended from African countries. Among the other countries represented were China, Fiji, Latvia, Slovenia, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, France, and Canada. Seven attended from the U.S. The congress theme was "Challenges Facing the Agricultural Information Community in the Third Millennium." Papers were presented in French or English, with simultaneous translation into the other language. My paper was on the essential role of collaboration and partnerships in development initiatives and their importance in facilitating access to collections and information resources in all formats. Some of the other topics addressed were: promoting emerging technologies, trends in information management, economic crisis and its impact on information access and information services, innovative information systems and services, the information highway and managing developing countries' content, lessons learned from communities and information society in Africa. As happens at all conferences, the exchanges that occurred between the formal presentations were equally stimulating. During the coffee breaks and meals, I had the opportunity to talk about libraries and librarians ! in the U.S. and the role that the American Library Association and ALCTS serve. I distributed several of the ALA pins, "Libraries Build Community." I had brought some copies of the ALA Editions catalog and several attendees were particularly interested in the books described. I feel very fortunate to have been able to attend this congress and thank ALCTS for its financial support. Travel abroad is enlightening and humbling. Being with librarians from around the world was particularly enriching. I learned about many different and difficult situations. I also learned how much we have in common - our interests, our priorities, and our goals. -- Peggy Johnson, President, ALCTS *Note from Whitney Coe, ALCTS, Chair, ALCTS International Relations Committee: Some funding remains available through the ALCTS International Relations Committee to support the attendance of ALCTS members to similar, relevant international meetings. Full details are available in _AN2_, Vol. 18, No. 8, November 23, 1999. ************ FAQ FOR THE ALA ONLINE CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTER Listed below are the answers to frequently asked questions regarding the newly-activated ALA Online Customer Service Center (OCSC). *What is the ALA Online Customer Service Center? The Online Customer Service Center (OCSC) is a new Website that provides direct, interactive access to ALA member information and conference registration through your web browser (Netscape, Internet Explorer, etc.). Using the OCSC you can view and update your member information or register for ALA conferences. The OCSC is a natural outgrowth of the past year's implementation of the iMIS Association Management System. The Web interface to the system is being rolled out in time for you to use it to register for ALA's Annual Conference. *Where can I find the ALA OCSC? The Web address of the OCSC is: https://cs.ala.org Note: The "s" in the "https" is essential! *Why should I use the OCSC? Probably the most important feature of the OCSC is that your member or conference registration information is written directly to ALA databases instantly, in real time. You can change your contact information and be confident that you will receive all your mailings and publications. Or register for a conference and receive your confirmation instantly online. No more looking for stamps, standing at a fax machine, or calling ALA to see if your registration has been received. *Do I need a Login ID and password? Yes. To use the OCSC you must login with a valid Login ID and password. This security measure is to ensure that your transactions remain secure. *How do I get my Login IDs and password? All members for whom ALA has e-mail addresses on file (about 38,000) will be sent a notice and instructions on how to get their Login IDs and passwords. The remainder of members will be sent a letter via regular mail. You will need to use your ALA membership number as your Login ID. To obtain a password, simply follow the steps given after you login. Note: The e-mail address you input must match the email address ALA currently has on file for you. If you do not receive a response, we probably have an incorrect e-mail address on file for you. Please contact ALA Membership Customer Service at 800/545-2433, press 5, or e-mail membership@ala.org. *What if I'm not a member of ALA? You must obtain a Login ID and password before using the OCSC. Click on "Create a Login ID and password for me" to go to a brief form requesting basic contact information. The OCSC Login ID and password will be created and emailed to you within a few minutes of submitting this form. *What can I do after I log in to the OCSC? Right now you can view and update your basic member and contact information. You can also register for Annual Conference. Additional conferences and meetings will be added to the system as their registration periods arise. *What will I be able to do on the OCSC in the future? You'll be able to join or renew your membership, order ALA Editions and ALA Graphics products, and place journal subscription orders. *What can I do if I'm having difficulty with the OCSC? You can call ALA Membership Customer Service at 800/545-2433, press 5, or e-mail membership@ala.org. ************ CALL FOR MENTORS TO INTERNATIONAL LIBRARIANS Be a mentor to an international librarian at the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago! Connect with librarians on a global scale. Navigating the ALA Annual Conference can be a daunting experience for librarians from abroad. To help international librarians make the most of their conference experience, the ALA International Relations Office is once again coordinating a mentoring program. Please consider becoming a mentor to an international librarian. A little bit of your time at conference (and/or correspondence before) to review the conference program, make suggestions on a schedule of programs, how to visit the exhibits, and other helpful hints can help make a big difference for international visitors, and be a rewarding experience for you. The ALA International Relations Office will strive to match each international librarian who requests a mentor with an American librarian that shares a similar area of interest. If you are interested, please contact Troy Swanson (tswanson@ala.org) or visit: http://www.ala.org/work/international/mentor.html. --Troy Swanson, ALA International Relations Office ************ INFORMATION LITERACY: CHILDREN, NEW MEDIA AND THE LIBRARY, MARCH 16, 2000 Information Literacy: Children, New Media and the Library, with German and American Experts, will be held on March 16, 2000 (Freedom of Information Day) at the Goethe-Institute New York, 2nd Fl., 1014 Fifth Ave., New York, N.Y.10028, library@goethe-newyork.org Additional information is available at: http://www.goethe.de/uk/ney/bv1-2000/enliteracy.html. --Elisabeth Angele, Goethe-Institute New York Library ************ ALCTS NETWORK NEWS (ISSN 1056-6694) is published irregularly by the Association for Library Collections & Technical Services, a division of the American Library Association. Editorial offices: ALCTS, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611; Peggy Johnson, President; Karen Muller, Executive Director; Shonda Russell, Editor; Editorial Assistance: Karen Muller. ALCTS NETWORK NEWS is available free of charge and is available only in electronic form. Opinions expressed in the articles are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the division. News items should be sent to the editor at the e-mail address above. To subscribe, send an e-mail message to listproc@ala.org with the only line of text being "subscribe an2 [your name]" (without quotation marks). Back issues of AN2 are available through the list server or the ALCTS web site: www.ala.org/alcts/publications/index.html. To find out what's available, send the following command to listproc@ala.org: "index an2" (without quotation marks). Send questions about membership in ALCTS to the ALCTS Office, alcts@ala.org. All materials in the newsletter subject to copyright by the American Library Association may be reprinted or redistributed for the noncommercial purpose of scientific or education advancement. For other reprinting or redistribution or translations, address requests to the ALA Office of Rights and Permissions, 50 E. Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611. an2 v19 no4