TEDxLibrariansTO: Librarians as Thought Leaders

Yes, the TEDx whirlwind is coming to libraryland!

Later this month on Saturday, June 25th, TEDxLibrariansTO is coming to Toronto.

About TEDxLibrariansTO

Who inspires you?

We live in a time that is in need of inspiration. The aspirations of both individuals and society have always had a home within libraries and have traditionally found a voice through librarians.

The theme for TEDx LibrariansTO is Librarians as Thought Leaders. Come to the event and experience this incredible opportunity to hear librarians speak to the differences we make in the world and how we have, can and do lead and transform society.

I have to admit, I really like the idea of the theme, Librarians as Thought Leaders. It's quite relevant these days, especially in light of the situation at McMaster and other places where it seems that librarians are having trouble getting their communities to recognize their value as librarians. This kind of event focuses directly on what librarians bring to their communities, how and where we can lead, where we can use our values to make the world a better place. It's certainly something I've tried to do in a small way at my institution.

So who are the speakers? So far, it looks to be a fantastic lineup.

As of this writing, registration isn't open yet. It should be available very soo, so I'll update when it is.

You can also follow them at their website, on Twitter, Facebook and even follow the audience-submitted videos on their YouTube channel. Location and other details are here. It's also worth noting that TEDx events are run locally run events, independent of the regular TED events.

I'll be volunteering at the event so I hope to see you there!

More like this

Yesterday I spent the day at the RTP headquarters, attending TEDxRTP. The TEDx conferences are small, locally organized offshoots of the well-known TED conference. This was the first TEDx in the Triangle region (though Asheville beat us as being the first in the state) and, judging from the…
This is about the symposium upcoming at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, The Future of the Academic Library. The symposium is co-presented by Library Journal and McMaster. It was announced on Twitter this past Sunday and there was a bit of a Twitter-storm about the conference as quite a…
McMaster University colleague Andrew Colgoni (Twitter) has taken my Stealth Librarian Manifesto and tamed it a little bit and come up with his own version, which is here. I like what Andrew has to say in a post titled, I prefer Ninja Librarianship, myself: [T]here's much that can be learned from…
The Library Chapter of the York University Faculty Association has released the following unanimously approved letter: York University Faculty Association, Library Chapter 240 York Lanes, York University 4700 Keele St. Toronto, ON M3J 1P3 June 2, 2011 Dr. Patrick Deane, President and Vice-…

It sounds good. On the other hand, it's also directly opposite the ALA Annual Conference, which is admittedly a U.S. event. (I assume the organizers were aware of this conflict.)

Walt, I imagine they were aware of the conflict but they also probably assumed that not too many Canadian librarians go to ALA annual, or at least not enough to make much of a dent in potential attendance. For the June time slot, they were probably more aware of CLA, SLA and CHLA and probably a few other Canadian conferences too.

Oh boy, another opportunity for librarianship as a profession to stare at its own navel.

Well, Ian, some navel gazing is more productive and useful than others. This conference seems more outward focused than perhaps some other events you might be thinking of.