Technical Services SIS: What a Year!

Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! Amid extensive hurricane damage to libraries, the OCLC-RLG merger, the decision by the Library of Congress to no longer control series, and reports on the dubious future of cataloging as we know it, we've been through quite a year. Fortunately, your TS-SIS colleagues have come to the rescue with an outstanding package of programs, meetings, roundtables, and other events to help us understand and assimilate what's been going on. Be sure to catch our AALL-sponsored programs, but don't miss all the other learning opportunities that TS-SIS is offering this year.

Start out on a light note by sharing greetings, gossip, and war stories at the annual TS/OBS/RIPS/CS-SIS Joint Reception, scheduled for 6:00-7:30 Saturday evening, and once again generously sponsored by Innovative Interfaces, Inc. After a year like this one, we could all use a little down time.

Sunday, a program on transforming technical services librarians into digital librarians (A-5) will feature Carol Hixson from the University of Oregon Libraries, a nationally recognized expert and speaker. Carol will also lead the discussion on law cataloger education at the New Law Catalogers Roundtable from 2:45 to 4:00. Immediately afterwards (4:15-5:15), please join us for our centennial celebration program, “Conversations across the Cubicles: Pioneering Change in the TS-SIS, 1978-2006.”

Other open-to-all sessions scheduled for Sunday include the Preservation Committee Meeting (11:45-1:15), the Preservation and Binding Roundtable (2:45-4:00), the Heads of Technical Services Roundtable (11:45-1:15), the Web Site Advisory Roundtable (11:45-1:15), and the TS-SIS Business Meeting (5:30-6:30). All members are welcome and encouraged to attend!

On Monday, TS-SIS will be presenting a special forum on “21st Century Technical Services: Reorganizing for the Future” (10:15-11:30). In the afternoon, you can participate in a real cataloging hot topic by attending “Cataloging at the Crossroads: LC's Series Decision and Its New Role in National Cataloging Policy” (2:00-3:00). Monday open meetings include those of the Serials Committee (7:30-8:45am), the Cataloging & Classification Committee (8:30-10:00), and the Acquisitions Committee (9:00-10:00).

Tuesday will offer Program G-3 on the transformation of AACR2 into “Resource Description and Access” (RDA), presented by our own Ann Sitkin, Kathy Winzer, and Jennifer Bowen. Also meeting on Tuesday will be the Education Committee (11:45-1:00), Acquisitions Roundtable (5:15-6:15), and Heads of Cataloging in Large Law Libraries Roundtable (5:15-6:15). And on Wednesday you can take part in the Management Issues Roundtable (7:00-8:45am) as well as the very first meeting of the brand-new Membership Committee (noon-1:15).

For building and room locations of all these events, check the chronological and alphabetical lists of meetings in your Annual Meeting program booklet, which you should receive when you check in at the registration desk. By attending them, in just a few days you can learn an awful lot about where we came from, where we are, and where we may be heading!