About Speakers

The Symposium on the Future of Integrated Library Systems will feature these and other speakers.

Marshall Breeding, Director for Innovative Technologies and Research, Vanderbilt University , has various responsibilities related to the strategic use of technology in the library. Breeding also maintains lib-web-cats and Library Technology Guides web sites. His "Systems Librarian" column appears monthly in Computers in Libraries published by Information Today. He is also a a Contributing Editor for Smart Libraries Newsletter published by ALA TechSource.

Karen G. Schneider, author of Free Range Librarian, is a writer and librarian who has published over 100 articles and 2 books, primarily about Internet technologies for libraries. She also co-moderates PUBLIB, a discussion list for public librarians, Schneider is an enthusiastic speaker, presenter, and educator who in 2000 was named by the PUBLIB as one of the top ten speakers in librarianship. Schneider is an Air Force veteran, graduate of Barnard College, the University of Illinois, and the University of San Francisco.

Rob McGee, President, RMG Consultants, LTD holds graduate degrees in both library and computing science. Since1965, McGee has worked as a professional in library automation. In his work on three successive library automation research and development projects from 1967 through 1982 at The University of Chicago, Rob McGee produced system requirements, system designs, technical plans, and library automation. In 1980, Rob McGee founded RMG Consultants, Inc. to share the benefits of his experience to librarians. Since then, RMG has assisted more libraries to plan and procure automated systems than any other consulting firm.

Chip Nilges, OCLC Vice President for New Services, has also served as Executive Director of OCLC WorldCat Content and Global Access, Director of OCLC Cooperative Discovery Services; Director of OCLC New Product Planning; and OCLC FirstSearch Product Manager in 2000. He was Product Manager, Online Medical Products, Gale Group in 1999. He was OCLC Electronic Collections Online Product Manager from 1997 to 1998, and was FirstSearch Product Support Specialist from 1994 to 1997. Chip holds a master’s degree in business administration, a master’s in English, and a bachelor’s degree in English, all from Ohio State University.

Carl Grant, President, CARE Affiliates, Inc. has over 30 years of experience in the library profession. He is a librarian and educator holding a Bachelor of Science in Education and an MLS in Information & Library Science both from the University of Missouri. Carl has long been active in the information standards area, and is currently serving as the Chair of NISO, a non-profit national information standards organization. He also has extensive experience in open source software including development and maintenance.

Other bios will be added as they become available.