Conference News:
April 25, 2011 Newsletter:
In this newsletter:
The programme
pre-Conference workshops - reminder
Hotels
Transport and getting around
Visas, money matters and other practicalities
Notes for Speakers and Presenters
SITS VAC
The next newsletter
Our sponsors
The programme
There have been some changes to the programme since the first draft.
The latest version is posted on the conference website, downloadable from <http://ecist.read2live.com/ECIS_Istanbul/Schedule.html>.
IF there are more changes, they will be posted on boards at the venue.
A short copy of the programme will be included in your conference pack. This will list speakers and session titles, and of course times and rooms. It will NOT include the session descriptions. Please go to the website before the event and note the sessions you are most interested in. It might be good to have a second session in mind for each programme slot, in case the room of your first-choice is packed!
Additional session:
Larry Gilbert of Follett International will be leading a Destiny Users Group meeting on Sunday at 09.00..
Congratulations!
Theresa Breslin, one of our guest speakers, has been short-listed for the 2011 Carnegie Medal for her novel Prisoner of the Inquisition. The Carnegie Medal is the UK’s equivalent of the Newbery Award, so this is really good news. Theresa won the Medal in 1994 with Whispers in the Graveyard.
Handouts and worksheets
Many speakers will be posting their handouts on the conference websites OR on their own websites. These speakers may not bring handouts, so please print out your own before the conference or afterwards. You’ll find the handouts and the links on the conference website, at <http://ecist.read2live.com/ECIS_Istanbul/handouts.html>
Show off your library!
We still look for “Show off you library” proposals. During the opening sessions on Friday morning, we invite you to show off your library – something you would like to say about your library, your library program, your website, your blog, a special activity you’ve held, anything at all. Ideally this will be visual, something we can project on the screen in the Enka Schools theater: live internet, still photos on a USB stick, powerpoint or prezzi … it’s up to you.
Please send your proposals to <carakeyman@enkaokullari.k12.tr> to reach us by 5 May.
The venue
Please note that Enka Schools is in session on the Thursday and Friday of the conference. We are having to work around the school – and the school is working its way around us. We have tried to minimise the disruption we cause to the school, in our timings and in our use of rooms.
Name tags
Your name tag is your entrance ticket to the school, and to conference activities. Please have it with you and, while at Enka Schools, please wear it visibly at all times.
Invitations
Follett International invites all conference participants to the Follett Cocktail Cruise on Friday 13 May, a two-hour trip on the Bosphorus. Buses will take you from Enka Schools to the boat, and later from the boat back to your hotel.
The Librarians’ Committee also invites you to the Conference Dinner at Portaxe on Saturday 14 May. This promises to be one of the biggest events of the year, second only to the royal wedding. Buses will take you from your hotel to the restaurant, and back afterwards. Do join us!
pre-Conference workshops – reminder
If you’ve signed up for the pre-conference workshops on the Thursday, don’t forget to bring your laptop or other communications device – and your charger too!
Hotels
We hope everything goes smoothly (obviously).
If you have a problem on checking-in to your hotel, and you booked your accommodation online through Entas, look for the Entas desk in the reception area. If nobody is available, please telephone
Entas Turizm:0090 212 354 24 24
Ayca Kilinc:0090 533 345 95 98
Please have your invoice reference number available; a copy of the pro-forma invoice itself might be useful.
If you have a problem on checking-in to your hotel but you did NOT book online through Entas, then Entas cannot help you.
Conference transport
The Conference is providing transport between the conference hotels and Enka Schools, and to other conference venues. This is a once-a-day service using privately hired buses. It is not a public service and it is not a through-the-day shuttle service. The service is available to those staying in the conference hotels who booked through Entas, or have responded to our earlier invitation to book a place on the buses.
There will be NO bus monitors to take a count and make sure everyone is aboard! The buses will leave at the scheduled times. If you miss your bus, you will need to make your own way. Taxis are plentiful and cheaper than in many major cities. In some cases, metro and taxi (or taxi and metro, depending on where you are going) might prove a quicker and cheaper option.
Bus departure times from the hotels will be posted on the website nearer the time. We suggest you gather in the hotel lobby fifteen minutes before the due departure time and begin boarding as soon as they arrive.
Making your own way to Enka Schools
Enka Schools is in Istinye very close to the Istinye Park shopping mall. The closest metro station is Ayazağa – ITU. The school is 1.6 km from the metro station in the direction of Istinye. The taxi from the metro to the school is about 5 TL.
The Ramada Plaza is by the Osmanbey metro station (right outside the hotel – Pangalti exit)
Divan City is near the Mecidiyekoy / Sisli metro station (5-10 minute walk) and the Dedeman Hotel is near the Gayrettepe metro station (5-10 minute walk).
Enka Schools / Enka Okulları is near the Ayazağa- ITU stop. From the Ayazağa metro it is a 15-20 minute walk to the school (1.6 kms). Walk in the direction of Istinye. Stay on the sidewalk on the right-hand side of the road (do not use underpass). Walk past the Istinye Park shopping center. At the first set of lights after Istinye Park turn left and walk down the hill to the Enka Schools gates (200 Meters).
A map of the Istanbul metro can be found at <http://www.urbanrail.net/eu/ist/istanbul.htm>.
A map, to orient you to the conference locations- Enka School, the hotels, Taksım and the airport, can be found at. <http://linkyy.com/6Ay>.
If you are driving to Enka Schools, please park at the top entrance in the Sports Complex and walk down the hill to the school entrance.
Getting from the airport to the conference hotels
If you don’t know Istanbul, the best way is probably by taxi. That is certainly true from Ataturk International Airport. It’s an expensive option if you come into Sabiha Gokcen Airport.
Cheaper alternatives include taking a Havas transfer bus from the airport to Taksim Square, and then a taxi. Those stopping at the Ramada Plaza Hotel might consider taking the metro from Taksim to Osmanbey, exiting the station at the Pangalti end of the platform.
More information on getting around in Istanbul can be found on the conference website. We shall be posting links to tourist information sites and other information here as well.
Visas, money matters and other practicalities
Visas
•Citizens of some countries do not need a visa to enter Turkey.
•Citizens of some countries can obtain a visa on arrival at the airport.
•Citizens of some countries must apply for a visa at least one month before they plan to enter Turkey.
You can find out if YOU need a visa at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs web site
<http://www.mfa.gov.tr/visa-information-for-foreigners.en.mfa>
Costs vary, payable in cash, and depend on how much your country charges for visas for Turkish nationals to enter your country. You can find the charges at
<http://www.mfa.gov.tr/visa-fees-at-border-gates-for-2010.en.mfa>
Visa on arrival
Please be sure to buy your visa BEFORE you get in line at passport control. The desks are immediately before passport control. There is nothing more irritating than queueing 20 minutes to get to the front of the line, only to be told to go back to the visa desk!
Money matters
You will probably get a better deal if you change money in Turkey, rather than buying it in your home country. There are ATMs and banks in the airports, once you have left customs and exited into the arrival halls.
Coins
Small change can be a problem for taxis, small shops, sometimes even big ones. Small coins (especially 5 and 10 kurus coins - worth about 2.5 and 5 euro-cents respectively) sometimes seem to be in short supply. If something costs 9.95 TL and you hand over a 10 TL note, you might get the 0.05 TL change - or you might not.
On the other hand, if something costs 19.20, you could be given a 1.00 TL coin as change of your 20 TL note. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. Don't worry too much if you find yourself short-changed. It evens out.
In similar fashion, if an item costs 6 TL and you hand over a 10 TL note, you’re likely to be asked for the odd 1 TL coin – you’ll get a 5 TL note back.
Take care!
The pavements/ sidewalks can be very uneven. If you want to look up at a building (etc), do stop first. When walking, keep an eye on the ground.
Istanbul traffic can be cavalier, and red traffic signals seem sometimes to be for decoration only. If you cross at a green man crossing, be sure that the traffic has stopped or has time to stop before you cross.
Electricity
Turkey operates on 220V 50Hz two-pin round plugs. Be sure to bring an adapter if you use anything different!
Wi-fi will be available at Enka Schools.
Notes for Speakers and Presenters
Presenters are reminded that they need to bring their own laptops.
All presentation rooms are equipped with wireless internet.
Two presentation rooms have smartboards. If you requested a smartboard on your proposal form, then the appropriate room has been allocated.
Projection facilities, speakers and the internet are available in all rooms. The school is pc – if you use a Mac, please bring your own Mac-VGA converter.
We cannot tell how many people there will be in your audience, and there will be no prior sign-up. Photocopy facilities will NOT be available at the school for duplication of handouts.
We would like to post all handouts on our website before the conference, so those interested can download and/or print-out in advance. An alternative option is for you to post your handout on your own website, and for us to provide a link to the page or site. Yet another option, assuming you have handouts of course, is to bring paper copies with you.
Please send your handout (.pdf or .doc or .ppt preferred) or your link to ecist‑speakers@read2live.com.
SITS VAC (situations vacant)
Committee members
By November 2011, there will be at least two vacancies on the ECIS Librarians’ Committee. If you might be interested in joining the committee, and especially if conference organisation excites you, do let us know.
Robert College, Head Librarian
If Istanbul excites you, then you might take early note that I shall be leaving Robert College in August 2012. If you’d like to take advantage of your visit to Istanbul to find out more about the school and the position, please contact Mrs Maria Orhon <morhon@robcol.k12.tr>.
The next newsletter
This is the last newsletter to be sent before the conference. For any changes, updates and latest news, please go to the conference website at <http://ecist.read2live.com/>
There might be one last newsletter after the conference. That depends on how well we’ve recovered!
There will be one last mailing to everyone on this mailing list, probably late in 2012. You’ll be invited to express your interest in our next triennial conference, due to take place in 2014. If you respond to that newsletter, you’ll be placed on the 2014 mailing list. If you choose to ignore it, you’ll not be bothered again.
If you are interested in hosting the 2014 conference, be it at your school or perhaps in a conference hotel in your city, please get in touch: ecis@read2live.com
March, 2011 Newsletter:
IMPORTANT : please, check your records - are you registered? are you booked? HAVE YOU PAID? Do you have a pro-forma invoice? Please check!
A problem is coming to light: people who think they have registered for the conference or who think they have booked their hotel - but they haven’t.
Please note: an automatic report of the details you sent is NOT enough. If you are not sure if your registration or hotel booking has been received, please check:
check that you have a pro-forma invoice which shows what you have booked for (workshop choice, conference status, hotel and dates of stay as applicable), the amount you have paid, and a balance due of 0.00 euro.
If the balance due is more than 0.00, then you (or your school) have not paid in full.
If you don’t have a pro-forma invoice, then your booking has not been received.
If you think you have paid but the invoice shows an amount owing, please check your records. In some cases, there has been miscommunication between you and your accounts office. Two cases have come to light where the amount had been paid - and Entas was able to trace it. If you think you have paid but there seems to be a query, supporting documentation helps (copies of bank transfers or credit card statements, dates of transfer and so on).
If you haven’t yet paid and are paying by bank transfer, be sure to include your name, school, ECIS Librarians’ Conference and the reference number on your invoice on the bank transfer form. In the same way, if you prefer to fax or mail your credit card details (rather than sending the details online), be sure to include these details too.
If you are not sure where you stand, please email <ecist-reg@read2live.com>.
Conference - outline schedule (subject to change):
Thursday - pre-Conference Day at Enka
09.15 - 09.45Workshop registration
09.45 - 13.15Morning workshops (Valenza OR Johnson) (inc coffee break)
13.15 - 14.00lunch in cafeteria
14.00 - 16.30Afternoon workshop (Valenza AND Johnson) (inc coffee break)
Vendors set-up Thursday pm
Friday - Conference day 1
09.00 - 09.30Registration
09.30 - 13.15Keynote addresses (inc coffee break)
13.15 - 14.30lunch in cafeteria
14.30 - 16.15Sessions 1 and 2
16.30Follett International Cocktail Cruise
19.00Return to hotels
Saturday - Conference day 2
09.00 - 13.00Sessions 3, 4, 5, 6 (inc coffee break)
13.00 - 14.00lunch in cafeteria
14.00 - 15.30Sessions 7 and 8
15.30 - 16.15Book-signing at the exhibition
16.30 Buses to hotels
19.30Conference dinner
Sunday - Conference day 3
09.00 - 10.45Sessions 9 and 10 (inc coffee break)
11.15 - 12.15Endnote Address
12.15 - 13.00lunch in cafeteria
13.00return to hotels
A taxi-ordering service will be available for those going directly to the airport - sign up on Friday.
The hotels:
We have filled the available rooms at the conference hotels. If you haven’t yet booked, there are several possibilities.
There may be rooms available for our dates, but not at the special conference rate. You would need to make your own booking.
Divan City Hotel <http://www.divan.com.tr/ENG/>
Dedeman Hotel < http://www.dedeman.com/us/hotels-resorts/home-page.html?119=7>
Ramada Plaza Hotel <http://www.ramadaplazaistanbul.com/>
You can ask Entas to find accommodation on your behalf - contact details available at
<http://entas.com.tr/tr-TR/Entas.asp?menuID=6>
Find your own accommodation in Istanbul. Please note: we have signed up with HotelsCombined.com - which offers a 10% rebate on any hotel booking made through them, by attendees at supported conferences. This would include new bookings at the conference hotels. Further details at <http://www.hotelscombined.com/Conference_Support>
Getting to and from Enka Schools :
A once-a-day bus service will be provided between the conference hotels and Enka Schools, and between the hotels and Portaxe (venue for the conference dinner).
The service will be available for those not staying at a conference hotel - we shall be sending further details nearer the time. Those who have not booked their hotel through Entas but who wish to use the service will need to sign up when we send those details. We need to know numbers so we provide sufficient buses.
For those making their own way to Enka Schools, we will again send details nearer the time.
Visas for Turkey:
•Citizens of some countries do not need a visa to enter Turkey.
•Citizens of some countries can obtain a visa on arrival at the airport.
•Citizens of some countries must apply for a visa at least one month before they plan to enter Turkey.
You can find out if YOU need a visa at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs web site
<http://www.mfa.gov.tr/visa-information-for-foreigners.en.mfa>
Costs vary, payable in cash, and depend on how much your country charges for visas for Turkish nationals to enter your country. You can find the charges at
<http://www.mfa.gov.tr/visa-fees-at-border-gates-for-2010.en.mfa>
If you need a letter to support your visa application,
please let us know at <ecist@visa@read2live.com>
Turkish currency:
You will probably get a better deal if you change money in Turkey, rather than buying it in your home country. There are ATMs and banks in the airports, once you have left customs and exited into the arrival halls.
Show off your library?
Participants are invited to show off an aspect of their library or library programme - we are thinking of short picture shows (slide or movie) or maybe show off your library web site in real time on the big screen. Pictures from Book Week? A memorable author visit? Student work in the library? Reviews on your moodle? .....
If you have something to be proud of and can show off, please send details to <ecist-show@read2live.com> and we’ll let you know!
Also...
Please note that the pre-conference workshops, the conference itself, and all outside activities connected with the conference are open only to those attending the pre-conference workshops and/or the conference itself.
A limited number of extra places at the conference dinner will be available. These must be booked in advance. Please email confdinner@read2live.com for details.
