February 12, 2001 – LibraryHQ.com, the information portal for library and information professionals, announced today a new free service for matching speakers to library organizations seeking quality programs and presentations.

Speaker Source, at http://www.libraryhq.com/speakers/, enables library groups to locate and contact authors, library technology experts, and other experienced speakers. Speakers provide a brief description of topics, qualifications, and requirements; those seeking speakers can search for specific topics or browse the entire database. Speakers are available both for professional library events, as well as for events designed for library users. No fees are charged by LibraryHQ to be listed in the database or to use the service. Speakers set their own requirements and fees, if any.

"We've already had a tremendous response from authors and library technology experts," said Katharine Garstka, manager of LibraryHQ. "Library groups are always looking for speakers for both staff and public events, and there are a lot of people who would be happy to share their experience and knowledge. Speaker Source brings them together – it's that simple."

LibraryHQ recently announced the availability of SiteSource and associated products and services for libraries, schools, and individuals. Available through yearly subscriptions, SiteSource contains a database of 27,000+ quality, MARC cataloged Web sites selected according to specific criteria by professional catalogers and subject specialists. Expanding by more than 1000 Web sites each month, SiteSource contains a wide variety of subject areas for users of all ages.

LibraryHQ.com was developed by librarians for librarians and information professionals as a free Web resource and e-search starting point. It contains the Speaker Source, News Source, Automation Source, Classified Ads, and many specialized lists of resources on topics such as e-books, filtering, library organization websites, library science education, legal issues, and library statistics.