News About Super Conference 2016

I’d like to devote this Bird’s Eye column to a special announcement about the OLA Super Conference. Many of our delegates have asked why we have a Canadian conference in January. The primary reason has been that the timing works well for the vast majority of delegates and exhibitors and we rarely conflict with other conferences.

However, we also think that we deserve to network and learn in an environment that does not include ice, snow, slush and salt-stains. For this reason, and based on recommendations by thousands of previous conference-goers, we have made an important location change to OLA Super Conference 2016.

We are thrilled to announce that the next OLA Super Conference will be held at beautiful Ka’anapali Beach, Maui, Hawaii, January 27 – 30, 2016.

Our decision is based on the following key points:

• The importance of gaining new ideas by visiting other library systems.
• The surprising similarities between Ontario and Hawaii; bilingual, contain islands, hilly terrain, large bodies of water.
• The opportunity to pack in a 10-hour pre-conference during the flight.
• We can finally offer a proper luau in response to thousands of persistent requests.
• The fact that we are a profession that does not really surf much. We need to change this.
• Delegates will get lei’d upon arrival.

Some featured presentations that we are working on are:

• Volcanoes: the Next Maker-Space?
• Challenges of a Mobile Librarian; Surfing versus Book Delivery.
• A History of the Ukulele in Story Time.

Interesting fact: Maui was a demi-god known as a trickster.

Stay tuned for more updates. Aloha for now!

Shelagh Paterson is the Executive Director of the Ontario Library Association. Bird’s Eye is a regular column offering her perspective on the issues and ideas affecting the OLA and its members.

[Editor’s Note: It seems clear from this column that the responsibilities and pressures of SuperConference 2015 have taken a toll on the OLA Executive Director. While booking your Maui SuperConference trip please take advantage of comprehensive cancellation insurance.]

April Foolish is the CEO at the Erehwon Public Library.

For more articles from the Special Issue of Open Shelf see the Table of Contents.