Thing 12 - Attending Conferences

The last conference I attended was on 9th July 2015, so it's fairly fresh in my mind.  It was A Meg-Lib Conference organised by JISC.  Mainly it was looking at Digital Literacy

When we want to attend something like this we have to fill in a form called an SD1, on this we have to say what is is we wish to attend, who it's organised by, where it is, how much it is, any travel costs that are likely to be incurred - or if you're going on the train you have to say which train you went to get as the College buy the tickets for you in advance, we also have to say how the event meets with the Colleges strategic objectives and finally, what the college will gain by you going.  I have to say this can be quite off putting, but I haven't yet not attended an event because of this form.  This then goes to our line Manager who approves it (you hope!), then it goes to their Line Manager for final approval, before being passed to HR for them to book your place & get your train tickets.  It's your Line Manager who decides if there is enough funding available for you to go.

Anyway, obviously I got the go ahead to go to the above conference at Bradford College.  Networking was done before it started, during coffee break and at lunchtime.  Not afterwards as everyone dashes for their train!  I just tend to chat to anyone who will talk to me.  Usually I ask where they work and how things are there and other conversations just develop from there, depending on replies.  I am a shy person at heart, & sometimes people need to approach me first to build my confidence. 

I always use a notebook to take notes as I just find it quicker, I've tried using my IPad, but I seem to miss too much.  I always try to type up my notes within 24 hours, because that way it stays fresh in my mind & I always have a copy I can read!  I try to make notes of nearly everything, then I can filter out what isn't relevant at a later date.

What would I do different next time?  I think I need to work on my Networking skills, because although I will talk to anyone, I find it hard to approach people.

Just as an after-note, my favourite conference I went to was in Colombo in Sri Lanka.  I was invited to give a paper on Children's librarianship.  Now that was an amazing experience!