Celebrating Kilgour's Legacy of Sharing Knowledge

A special day-long forum highlighting the theme, “A Legacy of Sharing Knowledge” and "The Future of Information and Library Science Professionals" will take place on the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus on February 20, 2007. The event will include the OCLC/Frederick G. Kilgour Lecture in Information and Library Science, a tribute to Dr. Kilgour, panel discussions and keynote presentations.

The day will begin with a tribute to Dr. Frederick G. Kilgour, founder of the OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc. and distinguished research professor at SILS who passed away in July, 2006. Dr. Kilgour invented the WorldCat database, which is one of the most consulted databases in higher education used daily by students, teachers, scholars and researchers worldwide.

The OCLC/Frederick G. Kilgour Lecture in Information and Library Science, named for Dr. Kilgour, will feature keynote speaker, Michael Tiemann, vice president, Open Source Affairs for Red Hat who will present, “Sharing Knowledge, Multiplying Value: The Non-Linear Nature of Open Source Software.” Tiemann is a true open source software pioneer, making his first major open source contribution over a decade ago by writing the GNU C++ compiler, the first native-code C++ compiler and debugger. His early work led to the creation of leading open source technologies and the first open source business model.

In 1989, Tiemann’s technical expertise and entrepreneurial spirit led him to co-found Cygnus Solutions, the first company to provide commercial support for open source software. During his ten years at Cygnus, Tiemann contributed in a number of roles from president to hacker, helping lead the company from fledgling start-up to an admired open source leader.

Tiemann serves on a number of boards, including the Open Source Initiative and the GNOME Foundation. He also provides financial support to organizations that further the goals of software and programmer freedom, including the Free Software Foundation and the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

The afternoon session will feature the theme, “The Future of the Profession: Educational Needs of ILS Professionals in the 21st Century.” It will include a keynote address by OCLC president and chief executive officer, Jay Jordan, and panel discussions among practitioners representing the library community and the information industry.

The OCLC/Kilgore Lecture is scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m. at UNC’s School of Social Work Tate Turner Kuralt Building Auditorium. A continental breakfast will be served at 8:30 a.m. compliments of the SILS Alumni Association.

The afternoon keynote address and panel discussions will begin at 1:30 p.m. and will be held at the School of Government auditorium, room 2603.

At approximately 2:30 p.m. the first panel discussion will begin. Confirmed panelists include: Charles M. Brown, director of Libraries, Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg Co. in Charlotte, NC; George Coe, president, Baker & Taylor Institutional, Charlotte, NC; Andrew Pate, vice president, Lulu; and Judith C. Russell, superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C.

The second panel is expected to begin at approximately 3:30 p.m. Panelists include: Michel Bézy, program director, IBM, Research Triangle Park, NC; Mary Boone, state librarian of North Carolina and SILS distinguished alumna; Deborah Jakubs, university librarian and vice provost for Library Affairs, Duke University, Durham, NC; and Duncan Smith, NoveList product manager, EBSCO Publishing, Durham, NC. Dr. David Carr, associate professor at SILS will moderate both panel discussions.

The event is free and open to the public, however seating is limited. Please send your RSVP via e-mail to Ssylvest@email.unc.edu or call 919.962.8366.

The OCLC/Kilgour Lecture is funded through a special endowment from the OCLC Online Computer Library Center to honor Dr. Frederick G. Kilgour. The fund supports an annual lecture bringing together scholars and leaders from around the world to share innovative ideas and cutting-edge research.

The forum is part of the 75th anniversary of the School of Information and Library Science.

Illuminating the Past, Imagining the Future!