ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries


C&RL News ■ March 2002 / 181

Quality contributed papers will enliven 
the Charlotte conference. Attendees will be 
buzzing with comments about the thought- 
provoking presentations they have heard. 
Creating a successful abstract can b e easy 
if the suggestions above are noted.

Contributed papers are due on May 31, 
2002. The Call for Participation is available

online at http://www.ala.org/acrl/charlotte/ 
cfp.htm l. Abstracts o f 250 to 500 words 
should be sent to: Gloriana St. Clair, Uni­
versity Librarian, Carnegie M ellon Uni­
versity Libraries, 4909 Frew Street, Pitts­
burgh, PA 1 5213-3890; (412) 268-2447; fax 
(412) 268-2793; e-mail: gstclair@andrew. 
cmu.edu.

Tips for successful workshops

by Rosemary McAndrew and Susan Richards

Remember the workshops at the 2001 ACRL National Conference in Denver? In­
novative, engaging, focused, these workshops 
were an opportunity to concentrate on one 
issue or topic for an extended period of 
time. Four o f these workshops were of­
fered in Denver for the first time, and par­
ticipants gave them rave reviews. As you 
contemplate the development of a work­
shop for the 2002 conference, keep in mind 
the following:

• Workshops are three-hour sessions.
• During this lengthy session, you will 

b e able to engage your audience in a vari­
ety o f active learning exercises.

• Participants expect to develop a new 
skill, plan, or program.

• Limit the number o f workshop facili­
tators. Remember, learning, not presenting, 
is key. (This is not an opportunity for a 
large number o f presenters to impart in­
formation. It is a chance for attendees to 
actively take part in a learning opportu­
nity.)

• Limit the content. While you have 
three hours, it is better to cover less infor­
mation in-depth than to overload the par­
ticipants with information.

• Clarify your format and the learning 
outcomes you expect to accomplish. Ask 
how you will encou rag e participation. 
What will the participants learn or take 
away at the end of the workshop?

• Let your imagination fly. Here is a 
chance to develop an interactive learning 
experience for librarians who are eager to 
engage in a topic you chose.

At the Denver conference, workshop 
participants developed marketing plans, 
created library faculty collaborations, de­
vised plans for partnerships, and assessed 
their inform ation literacy initiatives. A 
workshop is more than a focused discus­
sion. Those who participate will expect to 
have something to show for their time and 
effort. Is there a tangible, like a written 
policy or plan, that attendees will complete 
at the end of the workshop? Is there a par­
ticular skill or set of skills participants will 
develop during the workshop?

We know you have a workshop idea 
that will help all of us “Learn to Make A 
D ifferen ce.” Send in that application by 
May 31, 2002. The Call for Presentations is 
available online at http://www.ala.org/acrl/ 
charlotte/cfp.html. ■

A b o u t the au th o r

Rosemary McAndrew is reference librarian and department chair at the Community College o f  Philadelphia, e-mail: 
rm cand rew @ ccp .cc.p a .u s, a n d  Susan R ich a rd s is u n iv e rs ity  lib ra ria n  a t L a w re n ce  U niversity, e -m a il: 
susan.l.richards@lawrence.edu

http://www.ala.org/acrl/charlotte/
http://www.ala.org/acrl/
mailto:rmcandrew@ccp.cc.pa.us
mailto:susan.l.richards@lawrence.edu