My business partner, Rebecca, taught me long ago that feedback is a gift.  Thank you Ccomputers in Libraries 2008 attendees for your feedback —  in the conference surveys (of which I have only had a chance to read about 150 out of a very very large pile! and I know there will more online at the conference website as well), in person (I do appreciate all your thoughts, ideas, and praise), in blogs (I’ve only had a chance to read a few but check out the fabulous coverage by Sarah Houghton-Jan or the feed on the conference wiki), and in moderated conversations — Greg Schwartz hosted a call-in session,Uncontrolled Vocabulary #37, on the topic of CIL wrap-up.  Lots of good discussion and ideas.   Love the idea about less paper/no presentation booklet.  I have been trying for a few years to do something different with the presentations and perhaps ITI is ready to go green, we’ll see, but I can definitely work on the speaker forms for next year.  A suggestion for those of you who receive multiple copies of the preliminary conference program — share them with all your friends, colleagues, and others who may not receive any!  Greg, I did hear you and your group compliment me as an “excellent conference organizer” — much appreciated, and I agree with you, we should all toot our own horn more – “vicious or shameless self-promotion” never hurt a librarian as our voices do need to be heard.  Another great suggestion on your call during the discussions as stories as a theme of the conference — helping our clients/patrons tell their story about the library so that others hear what a great job we do.   Also love the “It’s like Candyland, only nerdier” comment – that’s how I’ll think about CIL from now on!  Thanks all for the feedback — suggestions, ideas, improvements — gifts for sure.

At CIL on April 8/08 Bonnie Peirce from Dover Town Library, one of Library Journal’s Movers and Shakers and known to many for Library Goddesses blog gave a fantastic session on open knowledge networks as a service model for youth services. Bonnie has initiated the B3OK pilot exploring the possibility of any physical or virtual object/location/space. Check it out. They’ve given kids a physical object they would be interested in - in this case a fossil - with a QRCode, and then let the kids explore all the various connections to pursue their interest in the fossil. This has led to kids talking with other kids locally and all over the world, forming new connections. Bonnie also posed 6 questions that she is posing as they look at the service model for engaging youth in the library —– but, really, these are questions librarians need to be asking about all service models:

1. how can we enable people’s participation with objects, topics, places, etc….?
2. how can we increase community knowledge, and trigger communication among people?
3. how can we enable their participation in their own communities?
4. will I lose my job today?
5. can I keep the platform open?
6. what stories or knowledge are hidden here that could be shared?

We particularly need to ask that 4th question: will I lose my job today? Am I pushing the boundaries to the edge to question the traditions and norms of what we do and how we do it — cuz the norm of yesterday isn’t necessarily the norm of today….but it’s kinda scary to ask that….and the creativity and innovation and exploration elements so essential for libraries rely on questions and courage.

My other ah ha! was from Dan Sich from University of Western Ontario who introduced us to hab.la — a chat application that allows us to keep the chat/IM window with people open on the screen while moving around to various websites. YES!