I headed early to the Top Trends session as I remember it being packed in previous years. This year is no different. I’m sitting in a room with about 500 people, all of whom are waiting to learn more about technology: What works? What doesn’t? And, what can we expect from the future?

An interesting tidbit about this event is the lack of power—electrical power, that is. The laptops in the room abound, but I sit as one of 4 lucky individuals grouped around a power outlet. I’m not sure if I should be concerned that the technology meeting found itself in a room with few power outlets; or if I should be jealous of all the people in the room with handheld devices that have extensive battery life.

A full write up of the trends can be found on the LITA Blog. I’m just going to highlight a few things I heard.

* This panel discussion began 8 years ago. During the discussion, it was noted that some of the trends mentioned by the experts 8 years ago, are still issues we face today.

* Everything we do is an “interim solution.” We need to be thinking about what we do as interim solutions. We need to stop looking as fixes as solutions. Rather, they are just one step along the way.

*The panel was asked how they identify trends. Answers included:
1. Read a lot. Read listserves, blogs, and articles.
2. Go to conferences and listen.
3. Don’t just read library publications; read Wall Street Journal and read publications from other industries.
4. If you read about it in Time or Newsweek; it’s already done.
5. Don’t look at what libraries are doing, look at what your family is doing — cousins, kids, etc.
6. Talk to people. Lots of them. Have the conversations.