Wednesday, November 02, 2011

Nature is a Language, Can you Read?

Alexandria Faculty and Staff took Portsmouth, Virginia by storm on Oct 27 - 28 to attend the Virginia Library Association Annual Conference.



(l-r: Matt Todd, Sylvia Rortvedt, Rebecca Kamen, Anne Anderson, Brandee Worsham. One of the student sculptures in visible in the background).


The 2011 conference was notable for the participation of a number of members of the NOVA community. The conference program was designed and laid out by Alexandria Campus graphic design students working in the NOVAStudio program, mentored by Professors Lisa Hill and Angela Terry.

As President of the Association Matt Todd conducted both general conference sessions and served on the conference planning committee.

The keynote address at the opening general session was delivered by Alexandria Campus Fine Arts Professor Rebecca Kamen, who described how her work has been influenced by books and supported by libraries, linking her interests in the history of science, the visual arts, the book as artifact, and the intersection of classroom instruction, the creation of art, and libraries as cultural repositories. Her address was later described by attendees as "outstanding," "out of the box," and "one of the most interesting of all conferences I have attended."

Sylvia Rortvedt (Associate Director of Learning and Technology Resources at the Alexandria Campus) joined Rebecca in a very well-received concurrent session that was the subject of a "Twitter" stream.

Thirteen NOVA faculty and staff were granted permission to attend the conference, and two NOVA students donated artwork to be raffled off in support of the VLA scholarship fund.

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