Macon, Georgia - The Georgia Council of Media Organizations (GaCOMO) and the Southeastern Library Association (SELA) will hold the 24th annual GaCOMO Conference at the Macon Centreplex on October 3-5, 2012. The conference is a cooperative venture of members from the Georgia Association for Instructional Technology (GAIT), Georgia Library Association (GLA), Georgia Library Media Association (GLMA) and SELA. Collectively, these organizations represent over 2,000 K-12 school media specialists, instructional technologists, academic and public librarians, archivists, library trustees and vendors. The conference theme is "Macon It Happen @ Your Library" and will include keynote addresses from New York Times bestselling author Joshilyn Jackson, as well as Dr. Siva Vaidhyanathan of the University of Virginia Department Media Studies and School of Law.
The conference expects to host 800 attendees, and planners worked closely with the Macon-Bibb County Convention & Visitors Bureau to bring the meeting to Macon. "COMO has not met with SELA in ten years, so we welcome our regional friends to Georgia. They are providing a broader perspective in our continuing education offerings," said Elizabeth Leslie Bagley, COMO 2012 chair. In addition to numerous workshops and speakers, the conference intends to give back to the community by implementing an idea started by the American Library Association conference in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. "Libraries Build Communities," spearheaded by Ann Hamilton of Georgia Southern University, will partner with a local non-profit so that attendees may make a contribution to help the community. For the inaugural outreach in Macon, GaCOMO has selected Loaves and Fishes as its partner and recipient. Loaves and Fishes operates several transitional houses to help homeless people get their lives back on track, and provides assistance with food, clothing, and necessities for the poor. Conference attendees will have the opportunity to donate non-perishable food and/or money to assist in that work.
The conference gives members of the four professional organizations an opportunity to network and learn from colleagues across Georgia and the Southeast.
A limited number of guest passes are available for the public to purchase for certain events ($20 for a guest pass to the Authors' Reception, the Vendor Exhibits, or a Keynote Speech). For details about GaCOMO and registration, call 404-299-7700.
