1. Registration opens for ACRL/LAMA Joint Spring Virtual Institute
2. ACRL Instruction Section Discussion Forum available online
3. New "Leading Change" Webcast
4. 49th Annual RBMS Preconference registration

1. Registration opens for ACRL/LAMA Joint Spring Virtual Institute
Registration is now open for the ACRL/LAMA Joint Spring Virtual Institute, "Leading from the Middle: Managing in All Directions.” The Institute, offered ACRL and the Library Administration and Management Association (LAMA), will be held April 29-30, 2008.

The ACRL/LAMA Joint Spring Virtual Institute will feature live, interactive Webcasts and asynchronous online poster sessions. Programs will address issues of management and leadership, including developing library professionals, inspiring change, interim appointments, library 2.0 transformation, innovation and more. Complete descriptions of the institute programs and learning outcomes are online at http://www.acrl.org/ala/acrl/acrlevents/springvirtualinstitute.cfm.

2. ACRL Instruction Section Discussion Forum available online
The ACRL Instruction Section (IS) Research & Scholarship Committee is pleased to offer the content of its Midwinter 2008 Discussion Forum, “Research Into Action: Leveraging Research Into IL Instruction” on the IS Website at http://www.ala.org/ala/acrlbucket/is/conferencesacrl/discussionforums.cfm#2008. An audio recording of the session is available to download or stream, and a PDF of the forum’s Recommended Reading List is also available.

The forum was held on January 13, 2008 in Philadelphia and featured panelists Lisa Janicke Hinchliffe and Scott Walter of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Michelle L. Zafron from the University at Buffalo.

3. New "Leading Change" Webcast
How can we better understand the effects of change on our organizations and on the people in them? In a new e-learning Webcast “Leading Change,” ACRL content strategist Kathryn Deiss provides several models which can serve as lenses through which to view change. Deiss has written and presented extensively on the subjects of leadership, innovation, coaching and mentoring, planning, organizational learning, and organizational culture.

“Leading Change” will be offered at 11 a.m. Pacific (12:00 p.m. Mountain, 1:00 p.m. Central, 2:00 p.m. Eastern) on Thursday, March 20, 2008. For additional information, including technical requirements and a link to the online registration form, visit http://www.acrl.org/ala/acrl/acrlproftools/leadingchange.cfm.

4. 49th Annual RBMS Preconference registration
Registration is now open for the 49th Annual RBMS Preconference, Rare and Special Bytes: Special Collections in the Digital Age, to be held June 24-27, 2008 in Los Angeles. Digitization is a hot topic in all libraries, but has unique implications for special collections repositories. The 2008 RBMS Preconference will explore a wide range of issues pertaining to the digitization of special collections, including the selection of materials, improving access, copyright and licensing, and the use of digitized materials. Full-day workshops will be offered on Cataloging Cultural Objects (CCO) and the Descriptive Cataloging of Rare Materials (Books).

Register and book your hotel room early as the last two RBMS Preconferences have sold out! A limited number of scholarships are available for first-time attendees. For program, registration, and housing information, visit http://www.library.ucla.edu/libraries/special/RBMS/index.htm. Late registration charges apply after May 21.