2007 Annual Unconference

[Jenny Levine]

I recently found out that ALA has reserved a large meeting room at the convention center on the Saturday and Sunday of the Annual Conference in D.C. specifically as a space for "unconferences!"

In case you're not familiar with the concept, you can read more about unconferences, also known as "open space" events. Basically, it's a group of people choosing to come together to discuss whatever topics they want, so there is no set agenda.

So ALA will offer a big room, flip chart paper, and a facilitator for the room (not for sessions) in order to let members come together for informal - and possibly spontaneous - meetings. This could take the shape of groups of people randomly coming together and deciding topics to discuss, or a group could form around a specific topic, decide on a meeting time, publicize it, and then decide what specifically they want to discuss about that topic (hint, hint, Library 2.0, cough, cough).

As soon as I have more details about the location of the room, I'll post them here, but I really like the idea of ALA offering these kinds of spontaneous opportunities within a conference that is (necessarily) planned within an inch of its life up to two years in advance. What do you think?

[Rhonda Crim-Tumelson]

I think it is wonderful! We need this opportunity for collaboration. Please let me know when you find out about the space, as I would love to organize a small meeting. Thanks Jenny!

[Jenny Levine]

I will, Rhonda - thanks for the feedback! :-)

[Karin Dalziel]

This does sound great!

Maybe we can have an LIS student meeting...

[Jennifer Parsons]

An unconference within an unconference? Hmm. That could be interesting.

[Jenny Levine]

Since the room is somewhere in the convention center, my hope (and that's all it is until I get further details) is that there will be wireless. Maybe I should light a candle or something....

[Dorothy Hughes]

Great idea, Jenny! Please post more details as they become available on a meeting. BTW, presumably your using digital candles to increase the chances of wireless access:)

[Mary Ghikas]

OK -- so this (unconference within a big conference) didn't actually work very well this time. But, I'm not giving up on the idea. What would work? We were trying "open space technology" (there's a website, a blog, etc.). Using that approach implies a certain level of in that the participants start out together, define the topics (i.e. the breakout sessions) and schedule - and then move as they choose between breakouts. That need to be there to start the process didn't get communicated clearly to enough people. So -- we'll rethink timing, approach -- and try again. The aim was to provide some real flexibility within a complex conference. There are a number of approaches we could take to embed "self-organizing," flexible "space" within conference. Suggestions? Recommendations? mg