Thing 15 - Attending, presenting at & organising seminars, conferences & other events

I have only been to one conference (a mini one) - CILIP's New Professionals Information Day 2011(NPID2011), & am currently booked to attend a second one (an 'unconference') - LibraryCampUK 2011. There's a common theme to my attendance - free events! Unfortunately, I haven't been in a position to be able to afford attendance at many events, although I have now become aware that I can put in applications for funding from various groups. Having recently started a new job, the issue is now one of taking the time off to attend! I don't feel that, as a 'newby', I can go swanning off to events, & my clerical position doesn't merit the organisation giving me time for cpd outside of its own training procedures (my interpretation, I hasten to add). If only there were more conferences at weekends eg. LibraryCamp, but I realise this is not the norm. Maybe I'll have to save myself for the summer conferences & book my holidays for then. As is probably clear from my blog about being a 'newby', I haven't presented at or helped to organise a seminar or a conference yet. I'm not sure how I'd fare with the presenting aspect as I'm not a natural public speaker, but never say never. I think that it is also the fact that I don't believe that I have anything to say just yet, but hopefully that will change.