I had an awesome time presenting at the Connecticut Library Association conference on Monday. I presented It’s All About the User–I’m taking a clue from Michael’s Hyperlinked Library and serializing the presentation.
It was extremely well received (packed house!) and I got some great questions at the end. A big “thank you” to everyone for being kind and receptive–even when I spilled coffee all over the presentation table!
After the presentation I attended Lee Rainie‘s session on Web 2.0, and learned a lot from his presentation on Pew‘s data results. At one point someone brought up Twitter, and sure enough, I raised my cell phone, having just posted on the talk. It was a great session, and Lee was entertaining, warm and insightful–his anecdotes lent a real-world awareness to statistics that often feel far-removed for many librarians.
Presentations over, I had a working dinner over the phone and then headed to the Spa for a haircut and a massage–a rare treat! I crashed early since I was up at 3am to fly back the next morning.
Now it’s back to daily library work and catching up on emails!
Posted by Cliff on April 30th, 2008
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I was honored to be able to speak to the first class of PINNACLE, the year-long training program for Georgia’s up-and-coming library leaders. It was a great crowd of mentors and mentees, and I got to meet some amazing librarians. Over lunch we traded Reference Desk horror stories (a favorite past time of librarians), and was able to learn more about the PINNACLE program. So a big “Thank You!” to the PINNACLE organizers for inviting me!
I was lucky to get there, because the sign for the library is at ground level behind the parking spaces, which means that if any cars are parked along the street you can’t see the sign. So there I was, trying to find the library, peering into the windows looking to see if there were stacks of books (since there were no blue-and-white library signs along any of the roads). I guess you can find the library, as long as you’re the only one hoping to use it! And of course, inside was a hand-crafted “no cell phones” sign–the paper cell phone’s display has the word “NO” on it!
After the event, I wandered to a local art shop to peruse the beach scenes, and I was amused to find that one artist paints the copyright symbol next to his name when he’s signing the paintings. I knew better than to take a picture, but I just got a kick out of it. I’m not really sure that painting the symbol protects him more than if he just signs his work, but then again, I’m not aware of how someone could break his copyright–I mean, if they’re going to go to the trouble of mass-producing and selling his work, they’ll probably be able to remove the copyright notice, right?
Posted by Cliff on April 24th, 2008
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I must say, it was a real treat to be able to present at the South Georgia Regional Libraries‘ Staff Development Day in my hometown of Valdosta, GA. I presented Using the “C” Word: Change and the Future of Libraries, which covers Web 2.0, Library 2.0, and adjusting to the rapid pace of change in libraries. The audience was excellent, had some good questions, and showed real enthusiasm for improving their libraries’ service. It was great to hear some of the things that folks were interested in doing at their libraries (and a big thanks to Chuck for playing tag-team with answering questions after the talk!). I was also lucky enough to watch the library staff do a SWOT Analysis of their libraries; I have done this before in my own library, but it’s always neat to see it from an outsider’s perspective. I’m really looking forward to what SGRL will produce in the upcoming months!
Posted by Cliff on February 26th, 2008
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I had a great time keynoting at the Forsyth County Public Libraries Winter Staff Day! We also had a great time popping the cellophane on our gift boxes! W00t!
You can also check out my presentation, “Library. Two Point Oh.”
Everyone was very friendly and welcoming, and I received a copy of Oglethorpe’s Dream as a thank-you gift (I’m a photography nut)! Since my presentation, I’ve had online conversations with folks from FCPL via email, MySpace, Facebook and IM. Since I knew I was going to be speaking to a crowd with a diverse range of technical experience, I tried to make my presentation of Library 2.0 more concept-driven than a blurry tech-fest. I seem to have succeeded, since one person commented that my presentation was “non-threatening”. Now that’s a compliment!!!
Posted by Cliff on December 10th, 2007
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I had a great time at the afternoon sessions. I learned a lot of new tricks in flickr and del.icio.us. Since most Web 2.0 tools are constantly adding new features, it’s always nice to have an overview from a colleague–we each use the tools in different ways!
The closing speaker was Dr. Kristina Jaskyte, from the UGA school of Social Work. She gave a brilliant presentation on organizational change and innovation, and how we deal with change psychologically. It was quite insightful, and gave me a lot of food for thought. She was kind enough to give me a copy of her presentation before she left–I’ll definitely be making use of the notes that I took in the future!
I had a great time, met some cool librarians, and learned a lot about Athens and the surrounding area. Thanks, everyone, for making me feel so welcome!
Posted by Cliff on October 5th, 2007
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