The American Library Association 2006 Midwinter Meeting will be held in San Antonio, January 20-25! This is a great opportunity to get to know the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) division and its sections, including the new Reference Services Section (RSS). Numerous meetings and discussion group sessions occur during the ALA Midwinter Meeting.
Business Reference Services Discussion Group
Sponsor: RUSA Business Reference and Services Section (BRASS)
When: Sunday, January 22
Topic: Business library and business reference web pages
Dual Assignments Discussion Group
Sponsor: RUSA Collection Development and Evaluation Section (CODES)
When: Saturday, January 22
Topic: The CODES Dual Assignments Discussion Group is an open meeting that will focus on a current issue in collection development; the exact topic has not yet been decided.
Collection Management in Public Libraries
Sponsor: RUSA Collection Development and Evaluation Section CODES
When: Saturday, January 22
Topic: A discussion group with a diverse topics relating to collection management in public libraries
History Librarians Discussion Group
Sponsor: RUSA History Section (HS)
When: Saturday, January 22
Topic: History Section Discussion Group meets at MidWinter to talk about topics of interest to Section Librarians
Genealogy and Local History Discussion Group
Sponsor: RUSA History Section (HS)
When: Saturday, January 22
Topic: Discussion of current topics in the genealogy and local history fields.
It's All Just Reference
Sponsor: RUSA Machine-Assisted Reference Section (MARS)
When: Saturday, January 22
Topic: Co-hosted by MARS Virtual Reference Discussion Group and Virtual Reference Committee. Virtual Reference is here to stay. Should it remain a separate service or be integrated with other services: desk, email, phone, consultation, and instruction? How might we integrate some or all reference services together? What are the staffing, training, and quality control implications of a fully-integrated, local service, particularly for libraries operating in a virtual reference consortia? Attendees will discuss timely topics in virtual reference.
Hot Topics in Electronic Reference Discussion Group
Sponsor: RUSA Machine-Assisted Reference Section (MARS)
When: Saturday, January 22
Topic: Hot Topics Discussion Group meeting
Hot Topics in Frontline Reference
Sponsor: RUSA Reference Services Section (RSS)
When: Saturday, January 22
Topic: Hot topic for discussion group meeting yet to be determined.
Ethical and Legal Issues in Reference
Sponsor: RUSA Reference Services Section (RSS)
When: Saturday, January 22
Topic: We will be reviewing a checklist for ethical decision-making, plus discussing topic ideas for Annual Conference.
Reference Services in Small and Medium Sized Research Libraries
Sponsor: RUSA Reference Services Section (RSS)
When: Sunday, January 22
Topic: A forum for sharing of information and experience of reference librarians from those libraries smaller than the 54 largest Association of Research Libraries, whether academic or public.
Reference Services in Public Libraries
Sponsor: RUSA Reference Services Section (RSS)
When: Sunday, January 22
Topic: Discussion group for reference librarians in public libraries
Reference Services in Large Research Libraries Discussion Group
Sponsor: RUSA Reference Services Section (RSS)
When: Sunday, January 22
Topic: Discussion of topics of interest to those providing reference services in large research libraries
ILL Discussion Group
Sponsor: RUSA Sharing and Transforming Access to Resources Section (STARS)
When: Saturday, January 22
Topic: Discussion of issues facing Interlibrary Loan
Discussion Group
Sponsor: RUSA Sharing and Transforming Access to Resources Section (STARS)
When: Sunday, January 22
Topic: Discussion to help decide the focus for discussion groups in STARS beyond the STARS ILL Discussion Group
Updated information will appear on the
The exhibits will open at 5:15 p.m. Friday, January 20, for an All-Conference Reception in the exhibit hall until 7:30 p.m. Exhibits then will be open daily until January 23.
Advance registration runs through December 9 and hotel reservations can now be made online. See the ALA website (http://www.ala.org/ala/eventsandconferencesb/midwinter/2006/home.htm) for more information.