[Anonymous], 'Midwinter Plans: LITA in Los Angeles', LITA Newsletter v15n01 URL = http://hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/serials/lita/lita-v15n01-[anonymous]-midwinter V15N1.MIDPLANS LITANEWS ----------- Midwinter Plans: LITA in Los Angeles PLAN TO VISIT at least one new LITA Interest Group in Los Angeles-- or get back in touch with an old interest. Groups will be finishing plans for the 1994 ALA Annual Conference and holding informal discussions on various themes. Some of those plans follow. Almost every LITA meeting is open, except for scholarship, nominating and award committees. If you're considering volunteering for a committee, Midwinter offers an excellent chance to see how the committee works. The LITA Midwinter Meeting schedule in this issue provides a list of meetings as of late October 1993; check the Midwinter program for late additions and changes. Interest Group Continuity Task Force The LITA IG Continuity Task Force was created as a one-year group to investigate perceived problems in continuity and leadership development within LITA Interest Groups; to assess the extent (if any) to which such problems prevent Interest Groups from being fully effective or discourage new leaders from emerging; to suggest ways to improve continuity of Interest Group leadership and, in cooperation with the Leadership Development Committee, to recommend ways to improve Interest Group leadership on an ongoing basis. The Task Force has met once. We'll be meeting again at ALA Midwinter and Annual. We would like to have input from LITA members on ways to improve Interest Group dynamics, leadership and continuity. Whether you have experience as an IG chair, IG member, or just have attended IG meetings, please send your suggestions and comments to Linda Robinson, OCLC, 6565 Frantz Rd., Dublin OH 43017; Internet: linda_robinson@oclc.org. Artificial Intelligence/Expert Systems Interest Group The Artificial Intelligence/Expert Systems IG will co-sponsor a demo fair of knowledge-based systems for use in reference with the Hot Topics Discussion Group of MARS on Monday, February 7th, 1994, from 11a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The fair, which will include systems both completed and under development, is the second such event organized by the Interest Group and will be held immediately following the meeting of the Hot Topics group. In addition to the demo fair, the AI/ES IG will have its business meeting later Monday afternoon. The meetings and the demo fair are open; the only requirement for participation is an interest in and/or curiosity about the use of knowledge-based systems in libraries. For those interested in being active participants in the demo fair, please send a description of your project to Lori Bronars, Kline Science Library, Yale University, PO Box 208111, New Haven, CT, 06520-8111; Internet: bronars@ biomed.med.yale.edu; BITNET: bronars@yalemed. Authority Control Interest Group (ACIG), LITA/ALCTS ACIG'S Midwinter Meeting will begin with updates and announcements about automated authority control. Dave Reser (Library of Congress) will discuss aspects of the work of the Cooperative Cataloging Council (CCC) that relate to authority control, while Barbara Tillett (University of California, San Diego) will report on the work of the CCC Task Group on Authorities. In addition, written updates on authority-control-related projects that the bibliographic utilities are planning or carrying out will be available. An open forum on authority control issues will follow the announcements. Chairs of the ACIG ad hoc committees will serve as a panel to answer questions from the audience and to raise their own questions. Topics might include the pros and cons of linking authority and bibliographic files, techniques for online maintenance of authority-controlled fields and how controlled vocabularies can be used to improve patron interaction with the online catalog. After the forum, ACIG will hold a business meeting primarily focusing on program planning for the 1994 ALA Annual Conference. ACIG encourages anyone interested in authority control to attend the meeting and participate in discussions. For further information, please contact the Chair, Karen Calhoun (Internet: ksc@oclc. org).--Doug Koschik Desktop Publishing Interest Group The focus of Desktop Publishing IG is to help librarians to use DTP and graphic design to improve library publications. This is also the topic for the 1994 ALA Annual Conference program sponsored by this Interest Group. DTP IG will have a one-hour business meeting during the ALA Midwinter Meeting. Anyone interested in desktop publishing in libraries is welcome to attend. For more information, please contact co-chair Pat Ensor, Information Services, University of Houston Libraries, Houston, TX 77204-2091; Internet: lib38@jetson.uh.edu.--Xiao-Yan Shen Human-Machine Interface Interest Group Human-Machine Interface IG will hold its regular business meeting at Midwinter. In addition to taking care of IG business matters, the group hopes to have an open discussion of HMI issues and topics of interest to those attending, focusing on real-life examples and experiences. LITA members interested in human-machine interface issues are encouraged to attend and to bring with them ideas and experiences to share. Discussions started at the Midwinter IG meeting will be continued on the IG's listserv and at future IG meetings.-- Jennie McKee, Chair Online Catalog Interest Group OCIG will hold a free-ranging discussion of topics relating to development and use of online public access catalogs. As new technologies emerge while computer and telecommunications technologies converge, what is the definition of the online catalog now and in the future? All those interested in sharing experiences, ideas and visions of the OPAC--from public services perspectives to those of systems management and development--are welcome to attend. From our discussions, we will develop the thematic content of future OCIG programs. At this meeting we will also review plans for our joint program with TESLA at next summer's ALA in Miami Beach. The program will focus on the impact of Z39.50 on libraries, including end-user reactions to client software and strategies for Z39.50 implementation. OCIG encourages anyone interested in helping to plan future meetings to join our OCIG planning group. For more information please contact OCIG's chair: Jeff Rehbach, Starr Library, Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT 05753; (802) 388-3711 x5356; Internet: rehbach@myriad.middlebury.edu; BITNET: rehbach@midd--Jeff Rehbach Optical Information Systems Interest Group Norman Desmarais, editor of CD-ROM Librarian, will lead a managed discussion on current issues in multimedia for OISIG's Midwinter meeting. The remainder of the meeting will focus on the program "Access to Digital Images," to be presented at the 1994 ALA Annual Conference. A feature of that program will be an informational packet on digital imaging technology. The packet will combine the efforts of several of the co-sponsoring groups in LITA (Emerging Technologies), ALCTS (Electronic Imaging Technologies Committee and Preservation Microfilming Committee) and PLA (Technology in Public Libraries Committee). The program will explain some of the major issues in providing access to digital images. Black and white, gray scale and color--each pose different technical problems. Howard Besser (Canadian Center for Architecture), an expert on imaging technologies, will provide an overview of the current imaging climate. He will be followed by Thomas Hickerson (Cornell University), Marilyn Lutz (University of Maine) and Pamela Mason (National Agricultural Library), who will describe and demonstrate imaging applications in their libraries and in networked systems including the Internet.--Pamela Mason Serials Automation Interest Group, LITA/ALCTS LITA/ALCTS Serials Automation IG will meet at the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Los Angeles. The topic for discussion will be format integration and its impact on serials automation. Small Integrated Library Systems Interest Group The Midwinter meeting will focus on planning for the proposed 1994 Annual Conference program, "Shared Systems for Small Libraries: How to Automate Together." The topic drew enthusiastic endorsement during the IG's business meeting in New Orleans. Many librarians of school and small public and academic libraries see the shared systems approach as the only way to purchase and maintain a powerful, networked, multimodule integrated system. Libraries within a school district or libraries of various types within a geographic area are forming automation consortia for such reasons as finance, grant applications, political leverage in the community, and resource and knowledge sharing. Program presenters are needed. If you have a story to tell of building a joint shared automated system among smaller libraries, contact Greg Zuck or Teresa Day, Southwestern College, Winfield, KS 67156; fax (316) 221-8382; (316) 221-8310 (Zuck); (316) 221-8288 (Day), by December 31, 1993.--Greg Zuck Vendor/User Interest Group Beta testing will be this group's focus for 1994. At the Midwinter meeting, the group will concentrate on such aspects as: What does the vendor expect from beta testing? What does the user expect? What are the ethical concerns from the vendor's perspective? From the user's? What resources are needed from each side for beta testing? Building on these discussions, at the 1994 Annual Conference the Vendor/User IG will strive to develop guidelines for beta testing through a combination of presentations and further breakout sessions. Please join us and contribute your ideas and experiences. For more information, contact Anita Cook: (614) 292-4626; Internet: anita@ohiolink.edu.--Pamela Brown