2024

 

On October 25, 2024, Dr. Lian Ruan, Head Librarian and Director of IFSI International Programs made a presentation, titled “Libraries as Partners for Emergency Preparedness and Response in Times of Crisis” at the Shanghai International Library Forum 2024 organized by Shanghai Library in China (October 23-October 25) with the theme as  “Library: Digital Empowerment and Sustainable Growth.”

 

Dr. Ruan also made a presentation, titled “Artificial Intelligence for Libraries” at Southwest University Library (October 22), Nanjing Agricultural University Library and Jiangsu University Library (October 26) respectively.

 

2023

 

On April 14, 2023, Head Librarian Dr. Lian Ruan was invited to give a presentation, entitled “Development Trends in Archives Management in US Academic Libraries” at Connecting History and Future: International Conference on Information Resources Management organized by School of History and Culture, Hubei University, China.

 

2022

 

On November 10, 2022, Head Librarian Dr. Lian Ruan gave a presentation entitled “The Roles of CALA in IFLA” at the CALA Webinar – Is IFLA Right for You, organized by the CALA International Relations Committee.

 

On October 27, 2022, Head Librarian Dr. Lian Ruan and Kelda Habing gave a presentation entitled “Meeting Firefighters’ Dynamic Needs in Response to Climate Change Disasters: Open Access Initiatives at the Illinois Fire Service Institute Library” at the International Open Access Week, organized by the Universidad Nacional Autonoma De Mexico.

 

From October 10 to December 5, 2022, Head Librarian Dr. Lian Ruan gave a series of presentations for Jiangsu University on the following topics: “Trends,” “Strategic Planning,” “Covid-19 Impact,” “Library Role in Disaster Management,” “Digital Humanities,” “iSchool,” “Research Data Management,” “Makerspaces,” “Library Building-Future Design,” “High Density,” “Research Methods and Research Design,” “SSCI Scholarly Paper Writing and Publishing,” and “Future of Libraries.”

 

On August 9, 2022, Head Librarian Dr. Lian Ruan gave a presentation entitled “Development Trends of Digital Scholarship Services in North American University Libraries in the Pandemic Era” at the 3rd e-Symposium on Digital Academic Services for Research Libraries Documentation and Information, organized by the Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

 

From July 10 to July 22, Head Librarian Dr. Lian Ruan gave a series of presentations for Renmin University on the following topics: “Trends,” “Strategic Planning,” “Covid-19 Impact,” “Library Role in Disaster Management,” “Digital Humanities,” “iSchool,” “Research Data Management,” “Makerspaces,” “Library Building-Future Design,” “High Density,” “Research Methods and Research Design,” “SSCI Scholarly Paper Writing and Publishing,” and “Future of Libraries.”

 

On June 19, 2022, Associate Director of Fire Protection Michael Kilby gave a presentation on the topic “Fire Protection Strategies for Collections & Museums,” organized by The Palace Museum, Beijing, China.

 

On May 26, 2022, Head Librarian Dr. Lian Ruan gave a presentation on the topic “Trends Info Literacy,” organized by Sun Yat-sen University.

 

On May 22, 2022, Director Jim Keiken gave a presentation on the topic “Fire in Cultural Heritage Sites,” organized by The Palace Museum, Beijing, China.

 

On May 19, 2022, Head Librarian Dr. Lian Ruan joined a panel discussion for the 2022 CALA Midwest Chapter Annual Conference, entitled “The Well-Being of Chinese American Librarians.” Diane Richardson gave a presentation entitled “Interagency Cooperation: Children’s Fire Safety Literacy Reading and Discussion Program Initiatives at the Illinois Fire Service Institute” (ALA American Rescue Plan: Humanities Grants for Libraries award, funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)) at the conference.

 

In March 2022, Head Librarian Dr. Lian Ruan gave two presentations on the topic “Reading and Information Literacy in the U.S.” and “Trends Info Literacy,” organized by the Shanghai Library.

 

From March 21 to April 18, 2022, Head Librarian Dr. Lian Ruan gave a series of presentations for Yunnan University on the following topics: “Trends,” “DH iSchool,” “Research Method,” and “Covid.”

 

From March 10 to April 28, 2022, Head Librarian Dr. Lian Ruan gave a series of presentations for Jilin University on the following topics: “DH Digital Humanities,” “Research Methods,” “Scholarly Publishing,” “Knowledge Management,” “Disaster Info Management,” “Research Data Management,” “Trends,” and “Strategic Planning.”

 

On March 23, 2022, Head Librarian Dr. Lian Ruan gave an online presentation on “Trends,” organized by South China Normal University.

 

2021

 

On December 22, 2021, Director Jim Keiken and Dr. Lian Ruan attended the 2nd International Symposium on Public Security and Global Governance hosted online by Jinan University. Director Jim Keiken was invited to give the first keynote presentation entitled “Training Firefighters in the United States.” More than 100 participants joined online, 60 faculty and students joined in person, and 40 experts participated in the symposium.

 

On July 22, 2021, Dr. Lian Ruan, David Ehrenhart, Diane Richardson, and Shuyi Liu presented at the American Library Association International Relations Round Table (ALA IRRT) Pre-Conference on the topic “Libraries Adapting to the COVID World: The Illinois Fire Service Institute (IFSI) Library Practice.” https://www.ala.org/rt/irrt/initiatives

 

On June 23, 2021, Dr. Lian Ruan and Shuyi Liu presented at the Chinese American Librarians Association (CALA) Annual Poster Session on the topic “Knowledge Management Initiatives at Illinois State Fire Academy Library.” https://2021calaposter.wordpress.com/home/knowledge-management-initiatives-at-illinois-state-fire-academy-library/

 

On May 19, 2021, Dr. Lian Ruan, David Ehrenhart, Diane Richardson, and Shuyi Liu presented at the Chinese American Librarians Association (CALA) Midwest Chapter Annual Conference Roundtable Discussion on the topic “Keeping Safe while Staying Open: Serving First Responder Users During COVID Pandemic.”

 

In May 2021, Dr. Lian Ruan gave a pre-recorded poster presentation on the topic “International Outreach Services at Illinois State Fire Academy Library” at the Medical Library Association (MLA) ’21 Conference from May 10-27, 2021.

 

2020

 

On October 20, 2020, Dr. Lian Ruan was invited to give a pre-recorded presentation entitled “Research Collaboration on DH: A Publishing of Special Issue of Library Trends” at the China DH 2020 (Shanghai) Conference for the "Construction and Service of Collection Resources from the Perspective of Digital Humanities" Sub-forum, organized by the Shanghai Library.

 

In October 2020, Head Librarian Dr. Lian Ruan and Shuyi Liu attended the Virtual Conference of the 2020 Shanghai International Library Forum (SILF), organized by the Shanghai Library.

 

On June 24, 2020, Dr. Lian Ruan and Shuyi Liu presented at the Chinese American Librarians Association (CALA) Annual Conference Poster Session on the topic “The Development of Digital Humanities and Academic Research in China: A Special Issue of Library Trends.”

 

In May 2020, Head Librarian Dr. Lian Ruan, Shuyi Liu, and Dr. Xingye Du submitted a poster and a short paper entitled “Research Collaboration on DH: A Publishing of Special Issue of Library Trends” to the conference DH 2020 (Shanghai) -- Benevolence and Excellence: Digital Humanities and Chinese Culture, and the poster and paper were accepted. The short paper will be included in the conference proceedings and will be available in the CNKI database. Head Librarian Dr. Lian Ruan was invited to give a pre-recorded online presentation.

 

In May 2020, Dr. Lian Ruan, David Ehrenhart, Diane Richardson, and Shuyi Liu submitted two papers entitled “Emergency Management and Service Support: Practices at the Illinois Fire Service Institute Library” and “Communication and Partnership with Libraries in China and the U.S.” to the 2020 Shanghai International Library Forum (SILF) with the conference theme “Building Libraries for a New Age: Perseverance, Transformation and Disruption.” Both papers were accepted and included in the conference proceedings (download PDF). They were also posted to the IFSI Community within the Illinois Digital Environment for Access to Learning and Scholarship (IDEALS). 

 

On May 11, 2020, Dr. Lian Ruan and Shuyi Liu presented at the Chinese American Librarians Association (CALA) Midwest Chapter Professional Development Virtual Conference on the topic “Developing the International Library Community in the Digital Age through Collaboration and Partnership.”

 

In February 2020, Head Librarian Dr. Lian Ruan and Shuyi Liu submitted a poster, "The Development of Digital Humanities and Academic Research in China: A Special Issue of Library Trends," to the Chinese American Librarians Association (CALA) Annual Conference Poster Sessions. They attended the virtual poster session on June 24, 2020.

 

2019

 

At the end of December 2019, Dr. Lian Ruan visited the East China University of Science and Technology Library and gave a presentation on the topic “iSchool LIS education.”

 

From November 22 to November 23, 2019, Dr. Lian Ruan and Richard Kesler (Interim Director, IFSI Research Center for Firefighter Health) joined the China Public Safety Conference in Beijing. Richard Kesler gave a presentation titled “Science and Research in Supporting Firefighter Safety and Life Health.”

 

From November 18 to November 19, 2019, Head Librarian Lian Ruan visited the Binzhou Medical University Library in Yantai, Shandong Province. She joined and presented at the Library Innovative Services Workshop. 

 

On November 16, 2019, Dr. Lian Ruan presented at the iSchool Technology Panel which asked “How does technology transform librarianship?” at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

 

On November 8, 2019, Dr. Lian Ruan visited the Jiading Library Branch and gave presentations on the topics “Current Library Developments” and “Trends in Academic Libraries in the USA” in Nanxiang, China.

 

From October 29 to November 9, 2019, Head Librarian Lian Ruan visited the Jiangsu University Library in Zhenjiang and attended the International Symposium on the Library Strategic Planning and Discipline Development with four librarians from the United States: Lisa Hinchliffe from the Library of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Lindsay King and Peter Leonard from the Yale University Library, and Howard Silver from the MIT Library. Dr. Ruan’s presentation title was “Strategic Planning & Developing the State Fire Academy Library through Global Community Engagement.”

 

On October 31, 2019, Dr. Lian Ruan presented at the International Symposium on Library Strategic Planning and Discipline Development at the Jiangsu University Library on the topic “International Outreach: Developing the State Fire Academy Library through Global Community Engagement” in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province, China.

 

From October 17 to October 26, 2019, Head Librarian Lian Ruan visited the Beijing Union University Library and the Department of Archives at Beijing Union University. She also visited the China Agricultural University Library’s space innovation projects, Beijing Institute of Technology Library, Hebei University Library, College of Management at Hebei University, Beijing Normal University Library, and the Library of Agricultural Information Institute of CAAS (Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences). During her visit, Dr. Ruan gave presentations on the topics “Current Library Developments,” “Trends in Academic Libraries in the USA,” and “iSchool LIS Education.”

 

On August 24, 2019, Dr. Lian Ruan presented at IFLA WLIC, Chinese Speaker Caucus Meeting on the topic “Chinese American Librarians Association and Global Library Community” in Athens, Greece.

 

On April 24, 2019, Dr. Lian Ruan presented at the CALA Midwest Chapter Annual Conference Program on the topic “Developing the State Fire Academy Library through Global Community Engagement.”

 

2018

 

On December 5, 2018, Head Librarian Lian Ruan visited and give a presentation at Yunnan Normal University in Kunming.

 

From November 7 to November 9, 2018, Dr. Lian Ruan, Head Librarian and Director of the IFSI International Program, was invited to visit and gave presentations on the topic “Library Development” at the following organizations: China Agricultural University Library, Jiangsu University Library, and Nanjing University of Aeronautical and Astronautic University.

 

From November 3 to November 6, 2018, IFSI Instructor Jim Conn, Robert Wirtz, and Dr. Lian Ruan attended the Police Academy’s Annual International Conference on Fire Sciences and Technology in Langfang, China. Jim Conn gave a presentation entitled “Fire Behavior Research in the United States” and Robert Wirtz gave a presentation entitled “Examining Fire Fighting Tactics Under Wind Driven Conditions: Laboratory Experiments.”

 

On October 24, 2018, Dr. Lian Ruan presented at the National Academic Library Information Literacy Online Education Symposium on the topic “The Status Quo and Trend of Online Education of College Students' Information Literacy in the United States” at East China Science & Technology University, Shanghai, China.

 

On October 19, 2018, Dr. Lian Ruan presented at the Songjiang Area Library Meeting on the topic “Development Trends of Innovative Services of Academic Libraries in USA” at the Shanghai Visual Art School Library, Shanghai, China.

 

On October 18, 2018, Dr. Lian Ruan presented at the Shanghai Library International Forum on the topic “Sino-US English Academic Publishing Cooperation: A Case Study” at the Shanghai Library, Shanghai, China.

 

On September 18, 2018, Dr. Lian Ruan presented at the APBSLG (Asia Pacific Business School Librarians’ Group) Meeting & Conferences Stage Presentation on the topic “Library Transforms Users, Society and Ourselves – My Story” at the Changjiang Business School, Beijing, China.

 

On September 17, 2019, Dr. Lian Ruan presented at the LIS and Archives Education Forum on the topic “Degree Programs in the School of Information Sciences at Illinois and LIS Education in the USA” at the Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, China.

 

On September 15, 2018, Dr. Lian Ruan presented at the Qufu Area Library Meeting on the topic “Development Trends of Innovative Services of Academic Libraries in USA” at the Jining University Library, Qufu, Shandong Province, China.

 

On June 24, 2018, Dr. Lian Ruan presented at the Chinese American Librarians Association Poster Session/ALA Annual Conference on the topic “Transforming China Libraries through Innovative User-Centered Services, Special Issue, International Journal of Library and Information Services published by IGI)” at the New Orleans Convention Center, New Orleans, LA.

 

On June 2, 2018, Dr. Lian Ruan presented at the Chinese Library Annual Conference/Library Society of China on the topic “Leadership and Partnership: CALA and Chinese libraries contributing to the IFLA global vision planning” at the Langfang Convention Center, Langfang, Hebei Province, China.

 

On May 30, 2018, Dr. Lian Ruan presented at the Beijing Area Library Information System (BALIS) Workshop on the topic “Library Practices and Innovation in American Libraries – A Case Study” at the Beijing Normal University Library, Beijing, China.

 

On May 29, 2018, Dr. Lian Ruan presented at the Chinese Science of Academy Library/Library and Information Science Publishing Workshop on the topic “Recent Five Years’ Hot Research Topics in the Field of International Library and Information Science” in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, China.

 

From May 26 to June 1, 2018, Dr. Lian Ruan, Head Librarian and Director of the IFSI International Program, attended the Chinese Library Annual Conference of Library Society of China and Library Exhibition in China. It included a preconference on reading in Chengdu (5/26-5/28/2018) and the conference (5/30-6/1/2018). She gave a presentation entitled “CALA and IFLA” at the CALA Academic Session. She also gave a presentation on academic publishing at Wuxi on May 29, and innovative services of the IFSI Library at BALIS (Beijing Area of Library Information System) on May 30, 2018.

 

On May 8, 2018, Instructor of the University of Illinois Fire Service Institute / Fox Valley Career Center Gary Baum gave a presentation entitled “The Potential Reduction of Firefighter Exposure to Carbon-Based Carcinogens in Structure Fires Through the Use of Class A Compressed Air Foam Systems” at the Fire Asia 2018 Conference organized by the Hong Kong Fire Services Department, the Institution of Fire Engineers (Hong Kong Branch), the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (Building Services Division), the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (Fire Division), the Ambulance Service Institute (Hong Kong Branch), and the China Hong Kong Fire Protection Association.

 

2017

 

On December 6, 2017, Dr. Lian Ruan presented at the Guangzhou Area Library Meeting on the topic “Trends, Challenges and Response of Academic Libraries in USA” at the University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.

 

On November 23, 2017, Dr. Lian Ruan presented at the Xuzhou Area Library Meeting on the topic “Trends and Innovative Services in Academic Libraries in USA in the 21st Century” at the Xuzhou Engineering University Library, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, China.

 

On November 16, 2017, Dr. Lian Ruan presented at the Wuhan Area Library Meeting on the topic “Trends and Innovative Services in Academic Libraries in USA in the 21^st Century” at the Wuhan University Library, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China.

 

On October 24, 2017, Dr. Lian Ruan presented at the Jiangsu Library Association Annual Conference on the topic “Remaking Space in Library Buildings and Innovative Services in the 21st Century” at Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China.

 

On October 11, 2017, Dr. Lian Ruan presented at the Illinois Library Association Annual Conference on the topic “Rise Up!” in Tinley Park, DiversiTea.

 

From September 21 to September 26, 2017, Head Librarian and Director of IFSI International Programs Lian Ruan, Director of IFSI Firefighting Program Sean Burke, and International Program Manager Jim Conn visited the Chinese People’s Armed Police Forces Academy. They joined the International Conference on Fire Science and Technology: Industrial Fire Prevention, Control and Rescue. Sean Burke and Jim Conn each gave a presentation on firefighting and hazardous materials response respectively.

 

On September 15, 2017, Dr. Lian Ruan presented at the Zhengzhou Area Library Meeting on the topic “Trends and Challenges in Academic Libraries in USA” at the Henan University of Economics and Law Library, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China.

 

From August 21 to 22, 2017, Dr. Lian Ruan presented at the IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations) Congress Poster Sessions on the topic “Developing Leaders and Innovators in the 21st Century: The Chinese Librarians Scholarly Exchange Program (CLSEP) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, United States” in Wroclaw, Poland.

 

On August 19, 2017, Dr. Lian Ruan presented at the IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations) Congress Chinese Speaking Caucus on the topic “CALA and IFLA” chaired by the Library Society of China in Wroclaw, Poland.

 

On August 3, 2017, Dr. Lian Ruan presented at the Modern American Academic Library Management, CALA and Yunnan 21^st Century Librarian Seminar on the topic “Remaking Space in Library Buildings and Innovative Services in the 21st Century” at The State University of New Jersey, Alexander Library in Rutgers.

 

On June 25, 2017, Dr. Lian Ruan presented at the ALA Annual Conference on the topic “IFLA Global Vision Open Discussion Forum” in Chicago and co-facilitated with Robin Kear and Stephen Wyber. A short article was published in IRRT Leads.

 

On June 24, 2017, Dr. Lian Ruan presented at the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago, with three panelists -- Scott Collard (Head of Specialized Research Services, New York University), Constantia Constantinou (Dean of University Libraries, SUNY Stony Brook), and Starr Hoffman (Head of Planning and Assessment, University of Nevada, Las Vegas)-- on the topic “Research Collaboration and Publishing in the Global Community” sponsored by the ACRL International Perspectives on Academic and Research Libraries.

 

On April 1, 2017, Dr. Lian Ruan presented at the CALA GMA Chapter Spring Forum on the topic “Developing the State Fire Academy Library through Innovation” in Washington, D.C.

 

2016

 

On December 6, 2016, IFSI Director Royal Mortenson and the IFSI Hazmat Instructor team joined the second Hazardous Chemical Emergency & Rescue International Workshop at the National Hazardous Chemicals Emergency Rescue Huizhou Base. Director Mortenson gave a presentation entitled “IFSI Emergency and Disaster Response Training for 1st Responders: Readiness through Training” at the workshop.

 

On October 27, 2016, Dr. Lian Ruan presented at the Annual Conference of the Library Society of China (LSC) and the Chinese Library Exhibition (Theme – Innovative China: Technology, Society, and Library), CALA Academic Session - “Innovative Services and Technology in U.S. Academic Libraries” on the topic “Developing Innovative Services to Meet Emergency Responders’ Unique Needs at the State Fire Academy Library” in Tongling, Anhui Province, China.

 

On October 25, 2016, Head Librarian Lian Ruan was invited to attend the Chinese Library Annual Conference in Tongling (铜陵), Anhui Province and gave a presentation on IFSI innovative library services at the CALA Academic Session on innovative services and technology in American academic libraries.

 

From September 21st to September 25th, 2016, Head Librarian and Director of IFSI International Programs Lian Ruan, Director of the IFSI Research Center Dr. Gavin Horn, and IFSI Special Operations Training Program Director Heather Moore visited the Chinese People’s Armed Police Forces Academy. Dr. Horn and Director Moore joined the International Conference on Fire Science and Technology and gave presentations respectively.

 

From September 2nd to September 16th, 2016, Head Librarian and Director of IFSI International Programs Lian Ruan visited libraries in China, met Chinese Librarians Scholarly Exchange Program participants, and gave presentations.

 

From August 17th to August 20th, 2016, Head Librarian Dr. Lian Ruan, Prof. Steven M. Lavalle, and three students from the department of computer science (UIUC), visited Dunhuang Academy and gave a presentation and scholarly exchange on virtual reality. 

 

On June 27, 2016, Dr. Lian Ruan presented at the Chinese American Librarians Association Leadership Academy Panelist Discussion on Leadership Development and Advancement with Clara Chu, Dora Ho, Zhijia Shen, Xuemao Wang, and Patty Wong.

 

2015

 

On December 16, 2015, Dr. Lian Ruan presented at the Annual Conference of the Library Society of China (LSC) and the Chinese Library Exhibition on the topic “New Trends of Academic Libraries in USA” and gave a keynote presentation at the CALA Academic Session on the topic “The Library’s Role in Social Advancement: Current Trends in Academic and Public Libraries in the United States” in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.

 

On December 14, 2015, Dr. Lian Ruan presented at the Guangzhou Area Library Meeting on the topic “Innovative Services in American Academic Libraries” at the Guangdong Polytechnic Normal University Library, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.

 

On December 10, 2015, Dr. Lian Ruan was invited by the Jiangsu University Library to join the Academic Library Planning Meeting and gave a keynote speech on sharing experiences of strategic planning in academic libraries. As CALA President, Dr. Ruan was invited to give a keynote speech on new trends of academic libraries in the USA as part of CALA’s Academic Session entitled “The Library’s Role in Social Advancement: Current Trends in Academic and Public Libraries in the United States” at the Chinese Library Annual Conference in Guangzhou (December 15 to December 17). 

 

On December 9, 2015, Dr. Lian Ruan presented at the National Academic Library Workshop on Strategic Planning on the topic “Sharing Strategic Planning Experiences in American Academic Libraries” in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province, China.

 

On December 8, 2015, the IFSI Hazmat Instructor Team was invited to attend the First Hazardous Chemical Emergency & Rescue International Workshop. Deputy Director Jim Keiken gave a keynote speech entitled “Management of Fire Intermodal Freight Facilities.”

 

From November 18, 2015 to November 30, 2015, Dr. Lian Ruan, Head Librarian and Director of IFSI International Programs, visited the following libraries and gave presentations on the topic “Library Management and Development”: Tongji University Library, Shanghai Maritime University Library, Jiangsu University Library, Anhui University of Industry Library, Jiaxing College Library, Wenzhou Medical University Library, Ningbo College of Engineering Library, Ningbo Public Library, Beilun Library, Shenzhen City Town University Library, Jinan University Library, School of Information Management at Sun-Yat Sen University, and Guangzhou Public Library.

 

From September 20 to September 26, 2015, Deputy Director Jim Keiken, Chief Tim Walsh, and Dr. Lian Ruan, Director of IFSI International Programs, were invited to the Chinese People Armed Police Forces Academy (CPAPFA). The Deputy Director gave a presentation on the topic “Hazardous Materials Emergency Response” and Chief Walsh gave a presentation on the topic “Structural Collapse Rescue” at the CPAPFA International Seminar on Rescue. Both also met with students and had interactive discussions on emergency rescue and firefighter careers in the United States.

 

From September 5 to September 19, 2015, Dr. Lian Ruan, Head Librarian and Director of IFSI International Programs, gave presentations on the topic “Library Management and Development” at the following university libraries: Jiangsu University in Zhenjiang, University of Science and Technology in China in Hefei, and Southeast University in Nanjing.

 

On August 26, 2015, Dr. Lian Ruan attended the Dunhuang Forum: International Conference on Digital Library and Cultural Relics Preservation and Use in the Big Data Environment and attended the Discussion with Panelists (Professor Stephen Downie, etc.) on “Digital Preservation of Dunhuang” at the Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes, Gansu Province, China.

 

On August 25, 2015, Dr. Lian Ruan presented at the Dunhuang Forum: International Conference on Digital Library and Cultural Relics Preservation and Use in the Big Data Environment on the topic “Digital Dunhuang & CALA: Collaboration in Scholarly Sharing and Exchange” at the Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes, Gansu Province, China.

 

On June 28, 2015, Dr. Lian Ruan co-presented with Weiling Liu on the topic “The Role of Chinese American Librarians in Library and Information Science Diversity” at the First CALA Posters Session during the ALA Annual Conference in San Francisco.

 

On June 14, 2015, Dr. Lian Ruan presented at the SLA Contributed Research Papers Session, SLA Annual Conference on the topic “Developing Innovative Services and Products to Meet Firefighters’ Unique Needs at the State Fire Academy Library” in Boston, MA.

 

On May 27, 2015, Dr. Lian Ruan presented at the Online CALA Southwest Chapter Annual Program on the topic “The Future of Chinese American Librarians Association.”

 

On May 20, 2015, Dr. Lian Ruan co-presented with Weiling Liu at the Online CALA Midwest Chapter Annual Program Keynote Speech on the topic “The Role of Chinese American Librarians in Library and Information Science Diversity.”

 

On May 14, 2015, Dr. Lian Ruan co-presented with David Ehrenhart at the inFIRE Annual Conference in Norwood on the topic “Developing Experience-Based Knowledge Management Services at the Illinois State Fire Academy Library.”

 

On April 5, Dr. Lian Ruan and two chiefs visited the Civil Flight Aviation University from April 5 to April 11, 2015 and gave presentations on libraries and information on the topic “Fire Academies and Fire Science Education in the USA.”

 

From February 4–6, 2015, Fire Asia 2015 was held at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong Special Administration Region (HKSAR) China. The conference theme was "Team Up For the Future" and focused on new firefighting and disaster recovery operation techniques, the latest fire engineering research, and paramedic operations, and showcased studies for landmark projects. IFSI Director Royal Mortenson gave a presentation titled “Fire Service Training Programs in the 21st Century of the US.”

 

On January 29, 2015, Dr. Lian Ruan co-presented with Barbara Ford, Terry Weech, Kate Williams, and Chengren Hu at the ALISE Annual Conference on the topic “Social Justice in the US-China Context: What are the Challenges of Discussing Social Justice Issues in the Context of Contrasting Cultures?” in Chicago, Illinois.

 

2014

 

On October 9, 2014, Dr. Lian Ruan co-presented with David Ehrenhart at the Library Research Seminar VI 2014 – “The Engaged Librarian: Libraries Partnering with Campus and Community” at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on the topic “A Commitment to Supporting Firefighters’ Dynamic Information Needs: Experience-Based Knowledge Management Services at the Illinois State Fire Academy Library”.

 

On September 17 to 24 and Sept. 27-28, 2014, Jim Keiken, IFSI Deputy Director, and Lian Ruan, Director of IFSI International Programs, visited the Beijing Institute of Technology Library, Beijing Youth Safety Museum, and the Chinese People’s Armed Police Forces Academy. As one of speakers at the International Seminar on Firefighting and Rescue in Special Environment, Keiken gave two presentations titled 1) "Emergency Management with a focus on NIMS and Some of the Current Technology Used at Disaster Scenes Such as Electronic Viewing Devices — Including Search Cameras, Infrared Devices and Fiber-Optic Cables, Drones, Robots, Audio and Seismic Units, GIS Mapping and Virtual EOCs" and 2) "Study on Emergency Management and Rescue Technology at Emergency Disaster Scenes." 

 

On May 6, 2014, IFSI Director Royal Mortenson opened the 2014 inFire Annual Conference held at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China. IFSI Director Mortenson fave a presentation entitled "Meeting the Fire Service Challenge of the 21st Century through Training, Education, Research and Information," followed by many questions from the audience. Dr. Lian Ruan delivered her presentation titled "Supporting Dynamic Information Needs of Firefighter Instructors in the Digital Age." Both presentations were well received.

 

2013

 

From October 12 to October 18, 2013, IFSI Assistant Director James Keiken participated in the Aviation Firefighting and Emergency Rescue International Seminar organized and hosted by the China Civil Aviation Flight University in Guanghan, Sichuan Province. He gave two well-received presentations - "Bulk (Terminal) Storage Plant" and "US Fire Service."

 

From September 17 to September 26, 2013, Royal Mortenson gave presentations in the field of fire emergency services, including "Emergency Management and 1st Responder Training at IFSI and in the US," "Comprehensive Disaster Management Response and Training," and "IFSI: Providing 1st Responder Training, Emergency Management, and Research for the Fire Service in the 21st Century" at the following organizations: Institute of Public Safety Research, Tsinghua University (Beijing), Chinese People's Armed Police Forces Academy (Langfang), Dalian Administrative College, Dalian Maritime University, Dalian Jiaotong University, Northeast University of Finance and Economics (Dalian), Jinan University (Guangzhou) , Sun Yat-sen University, Guangdong Fire Protection Association (Guangzhou), and Hong Kong Fire Services Department (Hong Kong).

 

From August 30 to September 17, 2013, Head Librarian Lian Ruan gave presentations on “Academic Libraries' Development Trends and Knowledge Management Services in Special and Academic Libraries” at the following universities: East China Normal University (Shanghai), Shanghai Sports University, Shanghai Maritime University, Jin Cheng College of Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing Agricultural University, Southeast University (Nanjing), Hangzhou Normal University, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology (Hangzhou), Hangzhou Electronics University of Technology and Science, Zhejiang University (Hangzhou), Sichuan Police College (Luzhou), Chongqing University, The Lanzhou Branch of the National Science Library, Chinese Academy of Science, Northwest University For Nationalities Library (Lanzhou), Dunhuang Research Institute, Peking University (Beijing), Beijing University of Science and Technology, and Tsinghua University (Beijing).

 

2012

 

In 2012, Associate Director Brian Brauer presented at the Amsterdam Research on Emergency Administration (AREA) at Vrije University in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

 

On October 9, 2012, Dr. Lian Ruan presented at the Illinois Library Association (ILA) Conference on the topic “Developing Innovative Services in Partnership with User Community” in Springfield, Illinois.

 

From September 3 to September 9, 2012, Associate Director Brian Brauer, Program Director Ray Palczynski, and Director of IFSI International Programs Lian Ruan were invited by the Chinese People’s Armed Police Forces Academy to attend the 2012 Annual International Symposium on Firefighting and Emergency Management co-organized by the Science Technology and Information Bureau of Ministry of Public Security, the Chinese People’s Armed Police Force Academy, and the Firefighting and Rescue Technical Committee of China Fire Protection Association in Langfang city, Hebei province. Brauer’s presentation title was "Building a Statewide System for Emergency Response in Illinois," Palczynski’s presentation title was "Illinois Homeland Security," and Ruan’s presentation title was "Illinois State Fire Academy Library and IFSI International Programs for Firefighting and Emergency Management." The symposium’s theme was "Hazardous Chemicals Incident Response and Training" and it had 140 participants from China, USA, Canada, and Great Britain.

 

From July 6 to July 12, 2012, Deputy Director Roger Lunt visited Dalian Administrative College. Lunt gave the presentations "Paradigms of U.S. Emergency Response" and "High-Rise Case Study" on behalf of Director Jaehne.

 

On May 3, 2012, Dr. Gavin Horn, Director of IFSI Firefighter Life Safety Research Center, attended the 4th Fire Symposium by the Hong Kong Institute of Engineers (Fire Engineering Division in Hong Kong). His presentation title was "Human Factors Engineering to Improve Firefighting Tools and Equipment for the Next Decade."

 

In February 2012, Director Jaehne, Hazmat Program Director Ray Palczynski, and Director of IFSI International Programs Lian Ruan attended the Fire Asia Conference from February 6 to 12, in Hong Kong. Director Jaehne’s keynote presentation, "Leadership and Training for Special Operations Response to a Multi-Hazard Disasters," was well-received.

 

2011

 

In November 2011, Head Librarian Ruan gave a speech entitled "Leadership in Library Management" at the East China Normal University Library.

 

On October 18, 2011, Dr. Lian Ruan, Diane Richardson, and David Ehrenhart presented at the Illinois Library Association (ILA) Conference on the topic “Think Big:  Building the State Fire Academy Library in the Digital Age” in Rosemont, Illinois.

 

In June 2011, Head Librarian Ruan gave presentations on the topic “Future of Academic Libraries in the USA” at the Zhejiang University Library and the Third Military Medicine University. She also gave a presentation on her dissertation at the Department of Information Management, Zhejiang University.

 

On May 21, 2011, Dr. Lian Ruan presented at the Chinese American Librarians Association 2011 Midwest Chapter Annual Conference on the topic “Digital Knowledge Management Structure for Fire Service Training” at Indiana University Southeast, New Albany, Indiana.

 

On May 10, 2011, Head Librarian Lian Ruan presented at the inFIRE Annual Conference on the topic “Library Practices and Management in the Digital Age of Fire Information: Development of the Illinois Fire Service Institute Library” at the Illinois Fire Service Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

 

On April 8, 2011, Head Librarian Lian Ruan presented at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science Research Showcase on the topic “Information-Seeking and Sharing Behaviors Among Fire Service Field Staff Instructors: A Qualitative Study.”

 

2010

 

In December 2010, Director Jaehne, Dr. Horn, and Head Librarian Ruan attended the inFire Conference in Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou. Jaehne gave a speech entitled "Providing Critical Life Safety Response Time" and Dr. Horn gave a speech entitled "Engineering Solutions to Reduce Firefighter Injuries and Fatalities" at the conference. Jaehne also gave a speech to students in the emergency management program entitled “Comprehensive Emergency Management System in USA” at Jinan University. Head Librarian Ruan gave a presentation to librarians and library directors in the Guangzhou area on "Future of American Academic Libraries and Librarians" at Jinan University.

 

On October 10, 2010, Head Librarian Lian Ruan presented at the Third Sino-U.S. Symposium on Library and Information Science Education in the Digital Age on the topic “Professional Library Management Education in the Digital Age” at Wuhan University in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China.

 

On September 9, 2010, Head Librarian Lian Ruan presented at the eChicago@Dominican University Symposium – “Preparing and Building Community in Crises” panel discussion on the topic “Delivering Right Information to Illinois Firefighters at Right Time Through Community Collaboration.”

 

On May 13, 2010, Head Librarian Lian Ruan presented at the inFIRE Annual Conference on the topic “Expansion and Future of the University of Illinois Fire Service Institute Library” at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

 

2009

 

In November 2009, Director Jaehne gave speeches in the following universities in China: Tsinghua University's Center for Public Safety Research (Topic: Emergency Management), Dalian University of Technology School of Management (Topic: Emergency Management), Northeast Agricultural University (Topic: Agricultural Rescue), Shenzhen City University Libraries (Topic: Proactive Library Services), and Guangzhou Finance College Library (Topic: Proactive Library Services).

 

On May 26, Head Librarian Lian Ruan presented at the inFIRE Annual Conference on the topic “Meeting Fire Service Field Staff Instructors’ Dynamic Information Needs” at the National Research Council Canada – Ottawa, Ontario, Canada from May 25-28.

 

2008

 

In October 2008, Director Richard Jaehne and Head Librarian and Director of IFSI International Programs Lian Ruan were invited by the Center for Public Safety Research to attend the 7th International Symposium on New Technologies for Urban Safety of Mega Cities in Asia (USMCA 2008) at Tsinghua University. Director Jaehne gave a keynote speech on the topic “U.S. Emergency Response Systems.”

 

On June 9, 2008, Head Librarian Lian Ruan presented at the CALA 2008 Annual Program on the topic “Global Outreach: A U.S. – China Experience” during the ALA Conference in Anaheim, California.

 

On April 4, 2008, Head Librarian Lian Ruan co-presented with Adam Groves at the GSLIS Research Showcase Poster Session on the topic “Developing a Digital Image Collection of Illinois Firefighter Line of Duty Deaths (IFLODD) Database.”

 

2007

 

On May 12, 2007, Head Librarian Lian Ruan presented at the CALA Midwest Chapter Annual Conference - Outreach and Collaboration in the Age of Digital Transformation, Ideas and Experience from the Midwest on the topic “Developing a Digital Image Collection of Illinois Firefighter Line of Duty Deaths (IFLODD) through Outreach and Collaboration” at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

 

On May 9, 2007, Head Librarian Lian Ruan was invited as a panelist for the library leaders’ discussion on evidence-based practice at the Evidence Based Library and Information Practice Conference (EBLIP4) in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. She presented on the topic “Evidence-Based Practice in U.S. Fire Library Management.”

 

2006

 

In August 2006, Director Jaehne gave a presentation entitled “U.S. Emergency Management” in Beijing, China.

 

On June 24, 2006, Head Librarian Lian Ruan presented at the ALA Annual Conference Poster Session on the topic “Deliver Right Information to Illinois Firefighters at Right Time” in New Orleans.

 

On June 25, 2006, Head Librarian Lian Ruan co-presented with Jian Anna Xiong at the ALA Annual Conference on the topic “In Search of Excellence: Chinese American Librarians in the 21st Century” in New Orleans.

 

2005

 

On June 13, 2005, Head Librarian Lian Ruan presented at the inFIRE Annual Conference on the topic “A Survey to Support ‘Evidence-Based Practice’ in Special Libraries Serving Fire Service Personnel and Researchers in Public Safety and Homeland Security Areas” in Norwood, MA.

 

On June 6, 2005, Head Librarian Lian Ruan co-presented with Linda C. Smith at the SLA Annual Conference on the topic “A Survey to Support ‘Evidence-Based Practice’ in Special Libraries Serving Fire Service Personnel and Researchers in Public Safety and Homeland Security Areas” in Toronto, Canada.

 

On May 15, 2005, Head Librarian Lian Ruan presented at the MLA Annual Meeting’s Symposium Information Needs Panel – “What are the information needs of first responders?” on the topic “The Role of Information Services in Emergency Preparedness Planning” Sponsored by the Medical Library Association (MLA) and the National Library of Medicine in San Antonio, Texas.

 

2002

 

On September 18, 2002, Head Librarian Lian Ruan presented at the Annual State Agency Librarian’s Meeting on the topic “Illinois Fire Service Institute Library” at the Illinois State Library in Springfield, Illinois.

 

On May 30, 2002, Head Librarian Lian Ruan presented at the inFIRE Annual Conference on the topic “Creating Integrated Distance Learning Library Services for Illinois Firefighters: An Integrated Information Service with Online Firefighter II Certification Program” in London, United Kingdom.

 

2001

 

On May 3, 2001, Head Librarian Lian Ruan presented at the inFIRE Annual Conference on the topic “Developing Internet Outreach Training Program for Illinois Fire Service Personnel, Public and Community College Librarians” in Chicago, Illinois.

 

2000

 

On May 11, 2000, Head Librarian Lian Ruan presented at the inFIRE Annual Conference on the topic “Mapping Multiple Vocabularies for Better Subject Access to Fire Science Materials" at the Institute for Research in Construction, National Research Council, Ottawa, Canada.

 

1999

 

On May 7, 1999, Head Librarian Lian Ruan presented at the inFIRE Annual Conference on the topic “Reaching Out to Under-Served Illinois Firefighters: Results of a Survey Project" at the New York State Academy of Fire Science Library, Montour Falls, New York, from May 5-7.