Library Camp NYC

I kicked around the idea of having a Library Camp NJ a few months ago. Response wasn’t fantastic but, then again, I didn’t try very hard to spread the word, and perhaps I am not the best champion for the cause. In the meantime, Baruch College in Manhattan will be sponsoring Library Camp NYC this August.

I certainly plan on attending if I can get approval to take that day off and may even be talking about this or that if I can come up with an appropriate topic – Ruby on Rails might be too narrow or technical. Those of you who are relatively local to NYC should read more about it and consider coming.

What is a "Library Camp?" The first Library Camp was held at the Ann Arbor District Library in Ann Arbor, Michigan in April 2006 as an "unconference" to talk about opportunities and challenges regarding Library 2.0. It was organized by John Blyberg, and went over so well a Library Camp East was held in September 2006 at the Darien Public Library (CT) with about 50 attendees (organized by Alan Gray). So what's an unconference? Unlike a traditional conference, where people have to pay registration fees to sit in an auditorium and listen to someone read off PowerPoint slides, there are no registration fees and everyone is a active participant. Whoever shows up are the right people for an unconference. The discussion topics are decided by the participants when they arrive, as well as topics that are brought to the forefront during discussions that are deemed as particularly important and are thought to be worthy enough by members of the discussion groups to have these topics break off into their own core discussion groups. The format has gained popularity in the technology field in recent years, because it promotes collaboration and engagement.