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The 2007 IASL Conference National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan, 16 - 20 July 2007

General Information

The theme of the 36th IASL Conference is: Cyberspace, D-world, E-learning: Giving Libraries and Schools the Cutting Edge

The importance of schools and libraries as the centers for the transmission of heritage and for breaking new ground in human civilization goes without saying. School libraries have been playing a pivotal role as learning resource centers for a long time. Today their place in the e-learning environment is becoming more prominent. Given their centrality, it is vital to examine how school libraries have adopted new communication technologies, and adapted to the digital world.

The aim of the conference is to provide a forum for academics, researchers and those who work in elementary and secondary schools and their libraries, to share their views, opinions, outlooks, and results, which can generate guidelines for the effective use of newly developed digital technologies in an e-learning environment.

The Organizing Committee of the 36th Annual Conference of the International Association of School Librarianship (IASL), incorporating the 11th International Forum on Research in School Librarianship, would like to extend an invitation for you to participate in the Taipei 2007 Annual Conference.

Important Dates:
01 September 2006: Call for proposals
31 December 2006: Closing date for submission of proposal and abstract
03 February 2007: Notification of acceptance of proposal
03 January 2007: Earlybird registration opens
30 April 2007: Papers to be submitted for inclusion in the proceedings
01 June 2007: Regular registration opens
16 July 2007: Conference opens
20 July 2007: Conference closes

Sub-themes:

I. New Communication Technologies and School Libraries
With the new wave of Web 2.0 on the world stage students may be more familiar and skilled in working with its tools and attractions, including RSS, Wikis, Podcasting, P2P, Blogs, etc. Critical topics include:

• Students and teachers interaction with Web 2.0 and other new technologies
• Changes in teaching methods brought about by new technologies
• School library's use of Web 2.0 and other new technologies

II. Collaborative Teaching and School Libraries
Collaborative teaching brings together school librarians, teachers of the same and other schools, and even other institutions from other countries, to perform teaching tasks. Critical topics include:

• Collaborative teaching: state of art experiences
• Impacts of collaborative teaching on learning
• Measures school libraries take to contribute to collaborative teaching
• Teamwork teaching created by librarians and teachers

III. e-Learning and School Libraries
Digital learning environments make it possible for students to interact with teachers and fellow students via teaching websites and related facilities. Critical topics include:

• Experiences gained in developing digital learning materials in elementary and secondary schools
• Assessment of the effectiveness of digital learning in schools
• Roles school libraries play in digital learning environments

IV. Interaction between the Digital Library and e-Learning
School libraries have taken big steps towards becoming e-learning resource centers. They have acquired substantial e-learning materials, have structured teachers' teaching websites, and have made tremendous efforts to integrate digital libraries with e-learning systems. Critical topics include:

• Directions for school libraries to take towards becoming digital
• Gaps and differences to overcome for traditional libraries to benefit from advanced information infrastructures
• Interaction and integration between school libraries and e-learning systems

V. New Reading Behavior and Information Literacy for Teachers and Students
It is vital to address how an ever evolving digital world impacts on two of the most critical activities taking place in school libraries: reading and information searching. Critical topics include:

• Needs and requirements of students and teachers relying more and more on websites
• Assessing information literacy
• Evaluation of use by students and teachers of e-books, e-journals, and other e-resources