Wading in before Diving in: Preparing Library Students for Professional Participation

Abstract

Library and information science (LIS) students have little opportunity to become familiar with the standards and expectations of a professional conference other than attending an actual conference, which can be intimidating and mysterious. The American Library Association student chapter at the University of Michigan School of Information hosts an annual student-led conference, QuasiCon, which fulfills this unmet need. Started as an ‘unconference’ five years ago, QuasiCon has evolved into a day-long conference that gives LIS students the full conference experience, from submitting a proposal to the student selection committee to networking, all in a supportive environment. By volunteering to serve on the QuasiCon planning committee, LIS students can also develop valuable fundraising, event planning, and project management skills. The whole QuasiCon experience prepares LIS students to immediately participate in the professional library community upon graduation, which advances the entire library profession. Information professionals also benefit by attending QuasiCon because they can scout future talent, recruit for professional organizations, and shepherd budding professionals into the field. This poster will describe QuasiCon’s professional impact for LIS students, such as learning how to compose an engaging conference proposal, as well as for information professionals. At QuasiCon 2016 in early February, attendees will be asked to evaluate the conference, including how it has professional value for themselves. The poster will report this feedback and impart best practices for planning and attending a student-led conference. Visual elements on the poster will include photographs of this year’s conference and anonymous quotes from the evaluation.