Poster Presentation- Part 2

Poster Presentation

Presenting my poster at Umbrella was tiring, interesting and rewarding. 

I had to be near my poster throughout all conference breaks, ready to discuss the project and answer any questions.  The poster sessions were busier than I imagined, many conference goers were genuinely interested in viewing all the posters and commenting on exciting new projects.

Personally, presenting my poster on MENTOR represented a HUGE step forward in my professional development.  I had to know the project inside out and prepare myself for any unknown questions.  I also had to leap out of my comfort zone and interact with peers, answering questions and accepting comments and constructive criticism.  Finally I  had to talk to two judges about my poster.

I am excited and passionate about MENTOR and used to working with the public on a daily basis, therefore I did not find it too difficult to be an (hopefully) informative and friendly presenter.  People asked me insightful questions and I was able to engage in professional discussion ad also offer my advice on the use of volunteers.  Volunteers do not seem to be utilised in other library sectors such as academic and health.  However they are common in most public libraries, archives and museums.

Presenters were entitled to also produce an information sheet about the project to hand out to interested people and I believe my weak point was the quality of my information sheet.  Having taken the time to design and print an eye-catching, professional poster I should have done the same for my hand-out.  Instead I typed an A4 sheet of information in Word.  If I present a poster again I will ensure that my hand-out is equally well designed, well thought out and attractive.

I would definitely recommend taking a poster to a conference.  It is great for:

• Networking
• Gaining valuable feedback about a project
• Personal Professional Development

However I would strongly advise having a team of at least two people to present the poster, otherwise it is very intensive and tiring!

There were 16 Posters on display at Umbrella 2009.  Some of my favourites were:

• University of Portsmouth Are e-books taking off This was an eye-catching, precise and very informative poster with a great information sheet.
• Liverpool John Moores University Learning 2.0 @ LJMU Again a very well designed poster, based on a monopoly board.
• Northumbria University Turning Point for Evaluation A well designed poster, interesting handout and helpful and engaged presenter.