NEW YORK, NY -- June 27, 2003 -- LearningTimes, LLC, the leading provider of online conference communities for education, announced plans for the 2003 LearningTimes Library Online Conference: Innovations by Information Professionals (LTLOC). The conference will take place over five days in October (20 - 24), and is the first completely online forum to address in depth the current practical and philosophical issues confronting libraries today. A complete description of LTLOC 2003 can be found on the conference website at http://www.libraryconference.com.

“LTLOC 2003 responds to the pressing need for high quality professional development and community building within the information services field,” said Jonathan Finkelstein, President and Executive Producer of LearningTimes, “We’ve prepared five days packed with over thirty industry leaders delivering interactive live webcasts, voice and text based chat sessions, moderated discussion boards, and online poster sessions.”

“If you only participate in one formal professional development activity this year, this is the one!” added Hope Kandel, MLIS, coordinator of the LTLOC advisory board. “The keynotes and featured speakers offer unique perspectives on the issues faced by information professionals in 2003.”

Keynote speakers include:

Steven M. Cohen, creator of Library Stuff, a library weblog dedicated to resources for keeping current and professional development. He is also the Internet Spotlight columnist for Public Libraries Magazine. Cohen’s first book, Keeping Current - Advanced Internet Strategies to Meet Librarian and Patron Needs, will be published in October 2003.

Dr. Siva Vaidhyanathan, cultural historian and media scholar. Vaidhyanathan is author of Copyrights and Copywrongs: The Rise of Intellectual Property and How it Threatens Creativity and The Anarchist in the Library: How Peer-to-Peer Networks are Transforming Politics, Culture, and Information.

Michael Weitzman, Director of the Task Force Against Hate and Terrorism at the Simon Wiesenthal Center. Weitzman coordinates the SWC's research and activities on extremism, intergroup relations, the Internet, and hate crimes.

LearningTimes also announced several confirmed featured speakers:

• Derek M. Powazek, Author of Design for Community and creator of The Fray

• Lisa McPhail, MLIS, Industry Canada’s Office of International Partnerships

• Kim Dority, Former EVP, Jones Knowledge and Jones e-Global Library®

• Amy Friedlander, Ph.D. Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR)

• Steven W. Gilbert, The TLT Group

• Dr. Nancy J. Becker, Division of Library & Information Science, St. John's University

• George Cigale, Chairman and CEO, Tutor.com

• Sean Gallagher and Emily Trask, Eduventures

• Dane Ward, Co-editor and co-author of The Collaborative Imperative: Librarians and Faculty Working Together in the Information Universe (ACRL).

• Dr. Margit Misangyi Watts, Author of College: We Make the Road By Walking

LearningTimes suggests that the following people would benefit the most by attending LTLOC 2003:

• Academic Librarians
• Public Librarians
• School Librarians/Media Specialists
• Corporate Librarians
• Archivists
• Historians
• Museum Educators
• All interested in information services and
  the impact information professionals have on society.

There are still opportunities for speakers, sponsors and exhibitors to participate in the LearningTimes Library Online Conference. For more information and registration, please visit the conference website at www.libraryconference.com, write to library@learningtimes.net or call John Walber at 215-884-7321.

About LearningTimes, LLC

LearningTimes LLC, designs and produces online learning communities, programs, and events, and provides the platforms, applications and promotional expertise that make them successful. LearningTimes focuses on serving groups with an education-oriented mission, including: educational and cultural institutions, non-profit organizations, associations, and membership groups that benefit from an array of human communication tools, accessible through an online venue. The LearningTimes Network connects each member institution with other learning-oriented groups and provides unique opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration. A representative sample of the organization’s widely recognized clients and partners include: The World Education Market, Eduventures, The New York City Department of Education, The League for Innovation in the Community College, The Illinois Online Conference, New Visions for Public Schools, the New York Transit Museum, the Academy of American Poets, and Columbia University Teachers College.

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