ULC's Fast Forward Lets Conferees Explore the Future of Libraries
June 26, 2008 - Anaheim; Registration for this unique conference closes May 30

May 6, 2008 (CHICAGO) - On June 26, the Urban Libraries Council (ULC) will host Fast Forward, a full-day conference that will help public libraries imagine, learn, and innovate faster as community resources for learning.  As part of ULC's futures initiative, Foresight 2020, Fast Forward will feature expert speakers who will describe scenarios, tools and dynamics of learning in the year 2020.  The audience will be encouraged to think about what shifts in resources, strategies and partnerships would be advisable, should such futures unfold.   The conference is open to non-ULC members.

"We’ve already begun to apply what we’re learning in ULC’s Foresight 2020 and we’re eager to attend Fast Forward," said Melinda Cervantes, County Librarian, Santa Clara County Library. “As one member of our library’s strategic planning team suggests, 'Instead of being buffeted by the winds of change, we can chart a course that will guide us to where we want to be, one that will shape what we want to be, and help ensure our continued success.'"

Fast Forward experts include Dr. John Seely Brown, a lecturer and writer on the intersection of people, technology, society, community building, and learning.  Brown was Chief Scientist of Xerox Corporation and the Director of its Palo Alto Research Center (PARC).  Additional conference speakers – including NPR tech guru Omar Wasow, founder of BlackPlanet.com, and J.C. Herz, principal of Joystick Nation, Inc., a research and design practice that applies the principles of game design to products, services and learning systems -- will lead conversations about effective change strategies, new trends in socially constructed learning, and changing learner experiences.  The day is designed with interactive sessions to help participants think about the business implications for public libraries.

In the spirit of Foresight 2020’s silo-busting model, ULC invites participants from multiple perspectives, including trustees, directors, managers, and staff of public libraries, as well as attendees from the public library vendor world.  Attendance in organizational teams is encouraged so that innovative, future-oriented thinking can be spread more quickly within the library and in the community it serves.

"ULC programs are designed to help libraries build strong organizations,” said ULC President Martin Gomez. “Fast Forward, as part of Foresight 2020, does exactly that.  It will give libraries the tools they need to not only be fearless about the future, but agile and innovative so they can seize the opportunities it brings." 

Fast Forward will be held in Anaheim at the Paradise Pier Hotel.  Registration closes May 30.  Find registration materials and additional information at http://www.urbanlibraries.org/events/foresight2020.html.

About the Urban Libraries Council
For more than 30 years the Urban Libraries Council (ULC) has worked to strengthen public libraries as an essential part of urban life.  A membership organization of North America's premier public library systems and the corporations that serve them, ULC serves as a forum for sharing best practices resulting from targeted research, education and forecasting.  ULC's programs are acclaimed for inspiring new organizational models that invigorate urban libraries and enrich the areas surrounding them.  ULC is headquartered in Chicago.  For more information, visit the group on the Web at www.urbanlibraries.org.