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BIALL Conference Newcastle 2011 - Call for Papers
31 August 2010
Sharing Experience – Building Best Practice Models for the Legal Information Profession
BIALL 42nd Annual Study Conference & Exhibition
Thursday 16 June 2011 to Saturday 18 June 2011, The Sage at Gateshead, Newcastle
The BIALL Conference Committee Call for Papers is out now. Our Programme roadmap 'Sharing Experience - Building Best Practice Models for the Legal Information Profession' reflects our commitment to professional sharing and learning, and via direct feedback on the 2010 Conference.
Do you have an innovative project you can share? Perhaps you can provide some useful advice to demonstrate best practice? Or maybe reflect on successful techniques around cross department working?
Potential first time speaker? New blood is essential to the longevity of our profession, and variety of our Programme. Please tell us your ideas...and then you can tell everyone else during one of the sessions!
We look forward to receiving your submissions.
ABOUT THE ASSOCIATION
The British and Irish Association of Law Librarians (BIALL) was formed in 1969. It is an independent and self-supporting body which was established to represent the interests of legal information professionals, and other suppliers of legal literature and reference materials, in the United Kingdom and Ireland. There are over 700 members of BIALL, both personal and institutional. Almost every legal information unit is represented - academic legal research libraries, units in commercial, technical and industrial concerns, the courts and government departments. The diversity of the membership is one of BIALL's strengths as the members form a close network and share specialist knowledge and concerns, learning from the experience of others.
BROAD THEMES FOR THE CONFERENCE
In 2011 BIALL plans to offer a programme to reflect the collaborative approach that exists within our profession, where those who have knowledge, skills and expertise gained through project based experiences can share their proficiency and “tools of the trade”. The ultimate aim of “sharing experiences” is to develop “best practice” models for delegates.
Common to all in the legal information profession is the requirement to keep abreast of:
• Trends in the provision and delivery of legal information both in-house and outsourced
• Training requirements of our users
• Priorities in collection development
• Emerging technologies
• Trends in the legal information publishing environment
• Increasing the visibility of our information units
• Trends in knowledge management
• Management skills and personal development
Under the umbrella of the various headings listed above, the Association would specifically like to cover the following topics during the 2011 Conference. Some practical, participative sessions are encouraged:
• Outsourcing – an objective assessment
• “Competitive Intelligence” – how can the legal information department contribute to this process
• Overviews of the business side of a law firm
• Compiling and delivering a quality and effective training programme to users/ students to equip them with the actual skill set required for their end task
• Innovative methods of training such as online courses and new technologies
• How to make effective decisions and negotiate constructively with publishers in relation to collection development; hard copy v soft copy or both?
• The benefits and pitfalls of using Cloud computing technologies
• The implications of introducing Ebook technology
• How to keep on the right side of copyright legislation
• Customer focused marketing of the Library and Information Service
• Preparing and presenting budgets to decision makers; managing an effective tendering process
• How to implement an effective staff appraisal system to motivate staff
• How to enhance presentation skills
This list is by no means exhaustive and submissions for alternative presentations are most welcome.
BRIEF FOR SPEAKER PRESENTATIONS
We are inviting speakers from within the legal and information world to submit proposals for papers which fit within this brief. The conference programme is a blend of plenary sessions lasting 45 minutes and delivered to approximately 250 delegates, and parallel sessions lasting 60 minutes and delivered to between 30 and 80 delegates.
Actual presentations should last between 25 and 30 minutes in the plenary sessions, and between 35 and 40 minutes in the parallel sessions.
Although the emphasis of the Conference should be on the broad themes set out above, we encourage all submissions for sessions so long as they are on topics of current interest to the membership.
Parallel sessions are usually streamed, and due to its success in 2010 we are keen to run again a stream of sessions of particular relevance to senior level legal information professionals. We will aim to continue to stream according to sector (eg academic, law firm, general interest) as well.
As already outlined, the Association's members and Conference delegates hail from many jurisdictions, principally England and Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Ireland. In addition the Conference will comprise delegates from the academic, corporate, professional societies and court/government sectors with a mix of senior and junior staff. Not all subjects lend themselves to a multi-jurisdictional multi-sector approach, but these aspects of the audience should be borne in mind, especially for plenary sessions.
Although a professional association not run for profit but for the benefit of its members, BIALL can offer speakers a package which normally includes a contribution to travel expenses, overnight accommodation, attendance at the conference on the day of the presentation, and a modest honorarium.
SPEAKERS' ABSTRACTS
The BIALL Conference Committee will consider proposals for papers on the basis of abstracts. An abstract should be between 250 and 500 words long, providing a clear idea of the content of the presentation, an indication of its target audience, and an opinion as to whether it is best suited to a plenary or parallel session.
The abstract should be accompanied by a short biography, ideally between 150 and 200 words long, outlining relevant professional experience, publications, and papers delivered at previous conferences, seminars or training events. Submissions for plenary sessions should specifically include details of previous speaking experience at similar conferences.
ENQUIRIES AND CONTACTS
Informal enquiries can be made to the Programme Co-Ordinators Niamh Burns at niamh.burns@barcouncil-ni.org.uk and Beverley Oliver at Beverley.Oliver@IrwinMitchell.com or the Chair of the Conference Committee, John Furlong at john.furlong@mop.ie
Examples of previous programmes, speaker biographies and session synopses can be viewed at http://www.biall.org.uk under “Conferences”.
Abstracts should be submitted by email to niamh.burns@barcouncil-ni.org.uk and Beverley.Oliver@IrwinMitchell.com and john.furlong@mop.ie, no later than Wednesday 13 October 2010.
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