The field of "Project Management" is expansive and can seem daunting, but even knowing the basics can be beneficial for librarians. We plan to share an overview of project management and discuss the role project management plays in an academic library, and, more specifically, the role it plays in technical services. Using our unit, Collection Management Services (CMS), at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as a concrete example, we will walk through two different projects that we've completed to demonstrate how technical services professionals can use project management in effective ways.  We will first share some of the nuts and bolts information-the "what" of project management. What is it? What is involved? Then we will look at the role project management plays in practical terms-the "how" of project management. How do we integrate projects into the normal work of our units? How do we manage projects? And finally, we're going to look at the role of project management in the more philosophical terms of "why". Why do we worry about managing projects? Why does it matter? In the current budget climate, scoping technical service work as defined projects, and using effective project management to not only manage the project but assess its worth to the organization, can lead to increased opportunities to enhance access to collections.

Information literacy (IL) has become a requirement by many accrediting agencies, making it one of the hottest topics in public services today. There are endless library conferences, workshops and poster sessions devoted to its meaning, methods, and assessment.  Is there any connection between Technical Services and Information Literacy?  Do technical services professionals have a role at their library for improving information literacy within their user community?  Can they have something to contribute to the discussion?  I will offer suggestions for collaborating on IL with public service colleagues, and I will get the audience up-to-speed on the information literacy topic, including some of the IL lingo.   Additionally, I will highlight ways to relate professional roles to IL initiatives and provide resources for staying on top of trending IL topics.