Upcoming sessions
Tech Forum sessions now run throughout the year. Check back here regularly for registration details or sign up to the Tech Forum newsletter to be notified of new sessions as they’re announced.
Twenty years of BookNet Canada: A trivia event
Trivia | Dec. 9, 2022, 2:00 p.m. ET | Free
BookNet Canada turned 20 this year! To celebrate, we’re hosting a live webinar trivia event — our twist on a good, old-fashioned pub quiz. Join us to see how much you remember about general book trivia, Canadian publishing goings-on, and the evolution of book formats over the past two decades.
Sign up as a solo player or put gather a team of up to ten players (each team member needs to register separately). When you register we’ll send you the trivia answer sheet to use the day of the quiz and the Zoom link.
This event promises fun, prizes, and — perhaps most important — bragging rights!
Retail panel: Pandemic-era booksellers one year later
Webinar | Jan. 24, 2023, 2:00 p.m. ET | Free
In January 2022, we convened a panel of retailers, all of whom launched their bookstore during the pandemic (if you missed it, you can watch the video at tinyurl.com/techforumretailers ). Where are our booksellers and bookstores one year later? What have they learned? What further challenges have they encountered? What opportunities have opened up? How goes their customer acquisition and retention? And what do they think about returns? Join Stacy Batchelor (Fable Book Parlour), Kerri Doyle (Books & Shenanigans), and Meghan Desjardins (River Bookshop) in conversation with Tim Middleton and Lauren Stewart of BookNet and learn what it’s like to evolve as a retailer without a “before time” to reference.
ONIX: Essentials Plus
Training | Feb. 27, March 1, and March 3, 1 p.m. ET | $298.94
In this three-session course, Graham Bell introduces the ONIX standard and the essentials of producing, managing, and disseminating book metadata. This course gives you all the vital information to understand the basics of ONIX and how it’s used in the book industry. It mixes the background and theory of metadata with real-world practice and guidance in an approachable but authoritative way. This year, the course has been extended with the addition of more information on metadata for digital products.
This course is suitable for beginners with no knowledge of ONIX, but it is also of value to those who are already familiar with ONIX. It is aimed at staff with management responsibility for product metadata, either in editorial, IT, marketing or production within a publishing house, or in similar roles within distribution and retailing. It is not highly technical, but software developers seeking to understand ONIX would benefit greatly from this course.
This training spans 13.5 hours over three days:
- Monday, February 27 from 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. PT
- Wednesday, March 1 from 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. PT
- Friday, March 3 from 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. PT
You must be in Canada and have a Canadian mailing address to attend.
ONIX: Essentials Plus
Training | March 7, March 8, and March 9, 1 p.m. ET | $298.94
In this three-session course, Graham Bell introduces the ONIX standard and the essentials of producing, managing, and disseminating book metadata. This course gives you all the vital information to understand the basics of ONIX and how it’s used in the book industry. It mixes the background and theory of metadata with real-world practice and guidance in an approachable but authoritative way. This year, the course has been extended with the addition of more information on metadata for digital products.
This course is suitable for beginners with no knowledge of ONIX, but it is also of value to those who are already familiar with ONIX. It is aimed at staff with management responsibility for product metadata, either in editorial, IT, marketing or production within a publishing house, or in similar roles within distribution and retailing. It is not highly technical, but software developers seeking to understand ONIX would benefit greatly from this course.
This training spans 13.5 hours over three days:
- Tuesday, March 7 from 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. PT
- Wednesday, March 8 from 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. PT
- Thursday, March 9 from 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. PT
You must be in Canada and have a Canadian mailing address to attend.
ONIX: Advanced Topics
Training | March 14 and March 16, 1 p.m. ET | $298.94
This two-session modular course introduces advanced aspects of the ONIX standard and associated metadata.
It builds upon the knowledge of ONIX gained through the Essentials training course, and covers more advanced features of book metadata, identifiers, and ONIX for Books, including its use with ebooks and the latest features of ONIX 3.0. The exact course content is varied according to the interests of the attendees.
It mixes the detail of metadata theory and practice with real-world supply chain effectiveness in an experienced, pragmatic but authoritative way. There is also time in the course for detailed discussion of issues raised by the attendees about their own metadata and associated business processes.
This course is suitable for those with a good background knowledge of publishing and some experience working with ONIX. It is aimed at staff with management responsibility for product metadata and at software developers seeking more in-depth domain knowledge. Before joining this course, attendees should have attended the ONIX Essentials course, or have gained extensive experience of metadata management and ONIX over several years.
This training spans eight and a half hours over two days:
- Tuesday, March 14 from 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. PT
- Thursday, March 16 from 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. PT
You must be in Canada and have a Canadian mailing address to attend.