Bobcatsss Reflections

Well, I've been home from Parma a month now and thought it was time to reflect on my experience at Bobcatsss. As a Research student attending the conference was invaluable, unlike my fellow MMU students I am actively encouraged to share my research with others and as those of you that also do this know this can be a very worrying and stressful experience although obviously hugely beneficial. I had of course had a little bit of practice doing this within my department and at the annual MMU Student Conference but for me Bobcatsss was my first 'proper' experience.


Working hard to prepare the Conference packs.

I had mistakenly thought (and been told by others) that I would have plenty of time to mull over my presentation and tweak it over the days leading up to my big moment. As part of the team that helped to organise the conference this just wasn't possible! We worked from early morning until late at night and I think we were all totally exhausted by the time we came home. It was non-stop hustle to ensure the smooth running of both venues, workshops and presentations. This was in fact a blessing in disguise for me as I didn't have any time to stress or worry over my presentation slot on the second day and it was suddenly upon me before I could really give it much thought.

The presentation itself went as well as could be expected with the sudden rush of nerves. I was happy to be up there on stage sharing my enthusiasm with my chosen research subject. Now I tend to find that telling people I study Personal Information Management is meet with a blank look and the feeling that my subject is boring. The good thing about Bobcatsss and the high number of LIS students and practitioners is that they understood my attraction, or at least more than the science/engineering/history people do at any rate!

The second positive aspect of this particular conference was the lively student atmosphere. I made so many new friends, and really enjoyed the chance to talk to other people who were experiencing the same issues (problems) as me as they studied for their Masters/PhDs etc. This always makes what I am going through seem less daunting and more of a shared experience.... I often remind myself it will all be worth it in the end.



Finally I can't think about my time in Parma without dwelling for a few moments about the entertainment included in the Bobcatsss experience. We were well and truly shown the delights that Parma has to offer, as the home of Verdi we had a musical evening at the Cirolo di Lettura e Conversazione,


We also overdosed on Parma Ham and Parmigiano at the Trattoria Corrieri and enjoyed pizza and pasta at La Dolce Vita (the 2010 Official Bobcatss pub)-

Bobcatsss is a great conference, I would recommend attending to anyone with an interest in LIS issues and urge you to check out the conference site forBobcatsss 2011. If you want to see more photos from my time in Parma we have a Flickr Group here, please feel free to add photos of your time at Bobcatsss 2010 to our group.

Bobcatsss Parma

Hi Bobcatsss was very tiring but a wonderful experience.

I had hoped to post more while I was there but little things like presentations, chatting to people and those lovely little pastries kept getting in the way!

Thanks to everyone who helped the team from the UK.

I thoroughly enjoyed myself and hope to next year in Szombathely.

Despite the vino flowing freely at last nights excellent social dinner, attendances for this mornings workshops have not been affected.

With only a few stragglers left to register, the MMU team have got chance to attend a few workshops and get chance to hear an interesting mix of topics from across the world. The poster presentation this afternoon gives us chance to show off our masterpiece! We'll see who walks off with the top prize...

The facilities at Parma uni have a classical grace one would expect from a 1,000 year old organisation but the toilets, being unisex, have caused some concern in the team. Sue Hornby in particular has yet to come to terms with them!

Speaking of Sue, she got to enjoy an impromtu tour of Parma courtesy of Mr Glass, when a 5 minute trip to the university turned in to a 90 minute aimless wander... That's their excuse for being late, prehaps they just enjoyed a lie in?!

Ciao for now

Matt

Bobcatsss Team hard at work

Bobcatsss Team meeting

Today we have spent the afternoon stuffing envelopes with meal vouchers, filling conference bags and generally getting organised for tomorrows big day!

Bobcatsss 2010 Live!!!

Another update fresh from the official Bobcatsss site......

We are proud to announce that the “Opening Ceremony” and the Panel “Education of the 21st century professionals” will be available online simultaneously. To see the live web cast click the following link

The calm before the storm

Its day two in Parma and the Bobcatsss team and now settled in and began to find our bearings in this beautiful little city. Our Italian colleagues have provided us with a warm welcome and helped pick out the choicest of restaurants!

With the conference fully booked, and registration requests still being received, our first meeting was to iron out the logistics of registration to ensure a smooth a start as possible for the 300 or so expected delegates. A flick through the attendees shows the cosmoplitan nature of the conference with delegates from as far afield as Guinea, Latvia and India. And with dear old blighty represnted for the first time of course!

Last minute preperations are underway, but hopefully chance for some more exploring and a glass of vino before an early start tomorrow.

Ciao!

Bobcatsss 2010 - Parma 25th-27th Janaury 2010

The time has come for the UK students attending the conference to get organised; pack up our posters and presentation notes, leave our nerves at home and head off to Parma, Italy for the 2010 Bobcatsss Conference. We leave tomorrow morning from Manchester to travel to Parma via Milan.

This year the theme is "Bridging the digital divide:libraries providing access for all?" and the program features keynote speeches from Ellen Tise, IFLA President and Paul Sturges of Loughborough University.

Check back for regualer updates over the next few days.