ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 532 / C&RL News • “Insurm ountable O pportunities: Advanced Technology and the Academic Library,” by Bill P otter • “Analysis and Library M anagem ent,” by Mal­ colm Getz Mary Jo Lynch is director o f the American Li­ brary Associations’s Office for Research. A rthur P. Young is director o f th e library7 at the University of South Carolina. Academic Libraries: Research Perspectives may be ordered for $27.50 from ALA Publishing, 50 E. H uron St., Chicago, IL 60611. ISBN 0-8389-0532- 3. Poster preparation for ALA Annual Conference By Suzanne D. Gyeszly Resource Development Librarian Texas A & M University T he first poster session was introduced in Phila­ delphia in 1982 during the American Library Asso­ ciation Annual C onference. Since the beginning, it becam e very popular among librarians, both for participants as well as observers. T he num ber of applications, participants, subject topics, and ob­ servers have increased during th e past years. Among the most popular subject categories are: autom ation, technology, cataloging systems, public awareness, publishing, services to special groups, collection developm ent, serials, special collections, reference and inform ation services, bibliographic instructions and education, m anagem ent, person­ nel, and planning. Last year in Dallas 105 posters w ere exhibited in thirty major subject categories. T he purposes o f the poster sessions are to: 1. prom ote research project(s) o f an individual librarian or a team. 2. provide an effective com m unication o f ideas and research. 3. p resen t a broad range of topics in an informal way. 4. provide th e opportunity for both beginners and experienced librarians to participate in a na­ tional conference in a ju ried session. 5. place th e p re se n te r’s institution in a national spotlight. 6. obtain valuable inform ation on innovative programs, in a relatively short tim e period. Preparation for a successful poster session Based on my personal experiences after partici­ pating in several poster sessions since 1982, and currently preparing th ree posters for the Chicago Annual C onference, I strongly believe that the hardest task is to com plete the first poster. T h e re ­ fore, the purpose o f my article is to provide a “hands-on” experience for all the librarians who are struggling with th eir current research and poster or planning to participate in a poster session in the future. Suggested calendar o f events September to December Identify the future research or subject topic(s) for a poster. Subject should be relevant to the researcher’s interest or institution. If “seed money” is n eed ed to execute the project, the library direc­ tor, university, institution administration or outside sources may be approached for funding. If funding is not available, bu t the researcher still wants to proceed with the project, I believe that it is w orth­ while to personally finance the work. January Obtain an official poster’s abstract form and instruction manual from the ALA exhibit booth at th e ALA M idwinter M eeting or submit a le tter for the necessary inform ation from ALA H ead q u ar­ ters in Chicago. Read all instructions before p re ­ paring the abstract. P repare a well-written, short, b u t very specific abstract about the research proj­ ect. The abstract should cover major areas: state­ m ent o f th e problem , objectives, methodology, anticipated research results and conclusions. Be­ fore th e deadline, subm it the poster’s abstract to the C hair o f the ALA Poster Session C om m ittee using the official abstract form. June 1990/533 February to March Collect data for the research. D epending on the research topic, a variety o f methodologies can be used for data generation. Some of the most com ­ monly used m ethods are distributing mail or hand­ out questionnaires for a designated group, observ­ ing the use patterns of specific software packages, testing a new C D -RO M product, evaluating refer­ ence service, or creating a new bibliographical instructional system. Use the most appropriate tool and m ethod to collect data. If the poster is ac­ cepted, you should receive a poster acceptance letter from the chair o f the ALA Poster Session C om m ittee by late March. T he le tter includes the date, time, and designated area of the poster ses­ sion. April to May Select and analyze the collected data. T he com ­ monly available spreadsheets like Lotus 1-2-3 or Q uattro could be used for quantitative data analy­ sis. C om plete charts, graphs, and tables using popular IBM or M acintosh software packages such as Harvard Graphics, M acDraw II or SuperPaint. Drawings, photographs (color or black and white) and other items could be used for illustrations. June Prepare the poster. T he guidelines and specifi­ cations requested by the ALA Poster Sessions C om m ittee m ust be followed. Each poster should include a copy o f the research title, p resen ter’s name and institution, abstract, statem ent o f the problem , objectives of the research, methodology, major findings, and conclusion. A logical sequence o f the display should be followed beginning with an introduction, moving through developm ent and to the conclusion. If necessary, num ber the sheets for an easier and faster display arrangem ent. M ount inform ation, graphs, photos, etc. on separate poster boards for easy transportation. F urnish some hand-out materials for observers. Graphs, charts, or a summary o f the research help passers- by quickly grasp the concept you are presenting. Purchase thum btacks or push pins. P repare a n o te­ book for visitors’ addresses, affiliation and phone num bers (optional). Print your business cards for personal identification (optional). June 30 to the day o f the poster session Observe the designated poster area earlier in the day and pick up one or two Poster Session Abstracts published by ALA (optional). Be sure to arrive at least fifteen m inutes earlier than the scheduled time. Put up the poster in a logical sequence by following th e num bered charts. W ear your nam e tag. Be p rep ared for the poster session at least five minutes before the scheduled tim e as the observers are eagerly waiting to question you regarding the poster. (R em em ber they have already read the p rin ted abstract). Be friendly and calm as you answer conference attendees’ questions during the given ninety minutes. Give out hand-outs, if re ­ quested. If some questions can not be answered or if you run out of hand-outs during the poster session, take the req u ester’s name, address, and phone num ber and get back to him /her after you return from ALA. Take down the posters when your tim e has expired. Conclusions Participation in a poster session is an excellent opportunity to discuss the research project with interested colleagues and observers. Many times further good ideas can be added to the project based on com m ents and suggestions. Also it is a good chance to help other colleagues start similar projects in their institutions. Frequently editors of professional journals are visiting the poster ses­ sions, or they are reading the abstracts during or after ALA. If th e project is appealing to them , the p resen ter often will be asked to write an article for the journal. T he problem comes w hen the p re ­ senter receives two or th ree requests from different publishers for the same project. (It happened to me a year ago, and I had a hard tim e choosing betw een two prestigious professional journals). F or aca­ dem ic librarians, w here publications are required for ten u re and prom otion, it is an honor to be asked by an editor o f a well known, refereed journal. A u th o rs Note: The author wishes to thank Fay B. Davis f o r her help in preparing this manuscript. ■ ■ Academic librarians in the media Two academic libraries have won awards in th e first annual Librarians in the Media C on­ test, co-sponsored by American Libraries and th e ALA Public Inform ation Office. This new contest recognizes libraries for “consistently obtaining high-quality m edia coverage about librarians in non-library m edia.” T he Pikes Peak Com m unity College L earn­ ing Resource C enter, Colorado Springs, won first prize in the magazine entry category. B re­ vard C om m unity College Library, Cocoa, F lor­ ida, won first prize in the television category for a story about a Cocoa Beach librarian who is also a world weightlifting champion. Both li­ braries will receive $100 gift certificates from ALA Graphics. ALA held th e contest in obser­ vance o f T he Year of the Librarian (1989). announcing The Ultimate Acquisition Management Tool EBS announces a software package designed to serve the professional librarian’s needs— NOT THE NEEDS OF YOUR VENDOR. EBS LINK isn’t just an ordering device or a list of your ven­ dor’s inventory; EBS LINK is a management tool that will HELP YOU THROUGHOUT the acquisitions process. The professional librarian does MORE than order books. We realize that and we created EBS LINK to be an ACQUISITIONS M A N ­ AGEMENT TOOL. It keeps track of all your budgets, retrieves information the way you should have it, and helps you to be a more efficient librarian. Every library can use an extra arm or two in its acquisitions department. EBS LINK can help you make EBS your extra arm. The U ltim ate Acquisition Management Tool For information about obtaining EBS LINK at no charge, call: 1-800-899-0290 or write: E.B.S. BOOK SERVICE 290 BROADWAY, LYNBROOK, NY 11563 FAX: 516-596-2911