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.