Inside ASIST

Bulletin of the American Society for Information Science & Technology, Oct/Nov 2003

LOOKING TO LONG BEACH

ASIST 2003 Annual Meeting -Humanizing Information Technology: From Ideas to Bits and Back

We're just a couple of weeks away from the start of the 2003 ASIST Annual Meeting, when ASIST members and other professionals will gather to address the theme, Humanizing Information Technology: From Ideas to Bits and Back. We'll meet in Long Beach, California, October 19-22.

The conference committee, chaired by Marcia J. Bates, UCLA, has planned a technical program that includes dozens of panel sessions, SIG programs, contributed papers and poster sessions throughout a four-day schedule. Bates was assisted in her work by committee members Eileen Abels, Suresh Bhavnani, Michael Buckland, Donald Case, Chao-chen Chen, Andrew Dillon, Efthimis N. Efthimiadis, Raya Fidel, Jonathan Furner, Andrew Grove, Jenna Hartel, Sandra Hirsh, Joseph W. Janes, Don Kraft, Carol Kuhlthau, Marianne Nelson, Hope Olson, Carole Palmer, Jaime Pontigo, Dragomir Radev, Nancy Roderer, Victor Rosenberg, Linda Rudell-Betts, Bernie Sloan, Ross Todd, Irene Travis, Peiling Wang, Carolyn Watters, Judith Weedman and Barbara Wildemuth.

Among the topics that will be addressed in the context of the conference theme are user-centered design, business and management informatics, virtual reference services, international information issues, organization of information, information policy and design for children. In addition, a number of popular continuing education and professional development workshops will be offered as pre-conference sessions. Details about specific meeting activities, including registration information for the conference and for professional development workshops, are available at the ASIST website.

Local Activities

Throughout the year, members of the Los Angeles Chapter of ASIST (LACASIS), host chapter for the 2003 Annual Meeting, have given Bulletin readers a flavor of Long Beach and its environs through a series of articles in Inside ASIST. Now, as ASIST members make their final arrangements for their time in Southern California, we offer a few excerpts from those articles.

FROM FEBRUARY/MARCH 2003

by Bo-Gay Tong Salavador

Long Beach is not "just another beach city," by any means. The fifth largest city in California, its flagship attractions include the venerable Queen Mary, which houses a museum, a hotel and restaurants; the state-of-the-art Aquarium of the Pacific; the Museum of Latin American Art; and the Long Beach Museum of Art. A revitalized downtown showcases eclectic eateries, distinctive shopping and a vibrant nightlife offering jazz, blues and rock and roll. For the more athletically inclined, there are extensive walking and hiking paths along the fabulous 5 ½ miles of shoreline, not to mention opportunities for swimming, surfing, sailing, jet skiing, fishing and even deep sea diving! And if you somehow overdose on the warmth of the sun and begin to miss the cold temps of winter, you can catch an Ice Dogs game at the Long Beach Arena. (Yes, Long Beach has its own professional ice hockey team).

If you yearn to visit attractions elsewhere in Southern California, driving distances are quite reasonable. Here are some approximate distances (in miles) from downtown Long Beach to a few popular destinations: Disneyland, 26 miles; Malibu Beach, 36; downtown Los Angeles, 25; Getty Center, 32; UCLA, 30; Hollywood, 32; Huntington Library and Gardens (San Marino), 28. If you prefer not to drive the freeways of Los Angeles, many destinations can be reached by public transportation. For instance, the Blue Line of the Metro Rail system begins just steps from the conference hotel and takes you to downtown Los Angeles. You can then transfer to the Red Line which transports you to many attractions in Hollywood as well as to Universal Studios.

FROM APRIL/MAY 2003

by Linda Heichman

Imagine a city on the beautiful California coast, a city alive with a bustling art scene - museums, galleries, monthly art walks, symphony, theater and opera. San Francisco? Think again. Los Angeles? Nope. San Diego? Nah. I know, Carmel. Good try, but no. It's Long Beach.

Not only does Long Beach boast an eclectic art scene, the city is home to world-class art museums, internationally renowned theater companies, its own symphony orchestra, opera company and master chorale. Museums include the Long Beach Museum of Art, housed in a Craftsman mansion overlooking the Pacific Ocean; the Museum of Latin American Art, the Western United States' premier museum of Spanish and Caribbean arts and culture; and the University Art Museum at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB).

Performing arts abound in Long Beach. Choose from the Long Beach Symphony Orchestra, check out budding talent at California State University, Long Beach's Carpenter Performing Arts Center, Cal Rep, International City Theatre or Long Beach Playhouse.

Want more? Check these out.

Visual Arts

East Village Arts District www.eastvillageartsdistrict.com

Long Beach Museum of Art -www.lbma.org

Museum of Latin American Art -www.molaa.com