Much of the program for 2011 Reference @ the Metcalfe Seminar explores the role of data in libraries. With library collections and services moving away from just the physical and expanding rapidly into digital resources, this year's speakers will explore the library's role in creating, collecting and sharing digital data.

Creating and sharing digital resources will become increasingly important to libraries that want to remain service based, surely a key feature of reference work, and not be relegated to just physical store houses. This year's program promises to stimulate your thinking about what that could mean for public libraries.

This seminar is free for New South Wales public library staff.

The seminar features:

• David Lee King, Digital Branch and Service Manager from Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library in Kansas will be presenting via Skype
  
• Paul Hagon from the National Library in Canberra with some new ways of thinking about search
• Dr Mitchell Whitelaw Associate Professor in the Faculty of Arts and Design at the University of Canberra on datavisualisation which provides different ways to explore data
• Craig Thomler exploring government 2.0 in Australia

You will also be hearing from Ross Balharrie and Jerelyn Brown about databases and licensing,

Megan Pitt on  Central Northern Regional Library's CWA Country of study web page and others.

You can even buy a t-shirt to celebrate this seminar.

Program

9.00 am tea and coffee in the Dixson Room

9.30 Welcome by State Library Executive

9:40 David Lee King by Skype

10.40  Ross Balharrie on NSW.net

11.05  Jerelynn Brown, State Library of NSW on electronic collections

11:25  Megan Pitt from Central Northern Regional Library on their CWA Country of study web page

11.50 - 12:10 lightning talks
lunch in the Dixson Room 12.10 - 12:50

12:50 Paul Hagon

1:50 Dr Mitchell Whitelaw
2:50 - 3:15 afternoon tea
3:15 - 4:05 Craig Thomler

4:15 Close

If you are tweeting, blogging, posting to Flickr...please use #risg2011

Travel assistance is available if you are travelling over 100 kilometres to participate.