The Vala conference is a 3-day conference including presentations, round tables and panel discussions, with a focus on ‘Libraries, Technology and the future’. The conference is aimed at library and information technology professionals and is organised by VALA – an independent Australian based not-for-profit organisation that actively supports the use and understanding of information technology in libraries and the GLAM sector. It is widely recognised as the premier library and information technology conference within this region.
In my role as a Digital Literacy Officer it is important to keep abreast of the technologies which may impact libraries and librarians in the future. The exhibition viewing and networking provided me with an opportunity to view and learn about how technologies are currently being utilised by libraries and emerging technologies that could impact libraries in the future. It was also a wonderful opportunity to meet other information professionals and learn more about sectors of the information profession outside of public libraries. The ideas and knowledge I garnered from this conference inspired me to look at programs and events run at my library service and see how they could be altered or updated. It also helped me build connections that I hope to utilise in the future to run events in connections with other library services, it also provided an interesting look at how other library services are run which could support a push for change at my current library service or encourage me to consider applying for positions at these other library services.
Further information on each of the presentations I attended can be found here:
Further information about VALA and the conference can be found here.
As evidence of my attendance my registration form can be found here.