Here is the official announcement:

Darien Library will be hosting a “Drupal4Lib Camp” on  Friday, February 27, 2009 from 9 am to 4 pm.

The camp will be an  opportunity for libraries who are working with Drupal, or interested in  implementing Drupal, to get together, share experiences, solve problems, and  collaborate. This unconference will be a combination of a series of 10 min  lightning talks given by Drupal veterans in the morning followed by break-out  sessions in the afternoon.

Audio and video from Drupal4Lib Camp  sessions will also be streamed lived online.

There is no registration  fee. However, participation is limited to 70.  Please register for the  Drupal4Lib Camp at http://drupalib.interoperating.info/node/167

Attendance at Library Camp NYC was quite large (100+ people!) which certainly tested the open spaces concept. The 14th floor of Baruch’s vertical campus building was well equipped to handle the crowd, however, and a number of really great sessions were spawned. The only drawback of the unconference format, I’ve found, is that I always find myself wanting to be in two or three places at once. You can take a look at how the final program evolved on the event wiki.

During the first session, I attended ‘Library 2.0 show and tell‘ which focused a lot on wikis and some other specific technologies. The group also touched on topics such as how to get staff/patrons to buy-in to new services. I also attended a session led by OCLC’s Eric Hellman on their grid services concept (xISBN, etc). I think I enjoyed the final session the most, however, which was a discussion about cataloging and Weinberger‘s Everything is Miscellaneous.

A great day, and I’m sure we’ll see more library camps in the future.

I’ll be going, and glancing at the sign up page, it looks like it’ll be a good turnout.

This event, like the first, will be an open spaces unconference. If you’ve never experienced an open spaces meeting, it is certainly a very interesting and effective way of bringing people together to discus and build ideas. The event is free and open to anyone who would like to attend, though there is a sign-up sheet that will help us with planning. Open space meetings assume that whoever shows up are the right people for the meeting, so if you’re there, you are not out of place!

Ed Vielmetti, describing an unconference:

An unconference or “camp” is a way of organizing a conference so that you focus on bringing the right people to the room and don’t stress about who is going to be a speaker or what’s going to be on the agenda. There is a low podium, lots of places to gather and talk, and no fixed pre-set agenda.

Darien Library has four rooms available for the event, three of which are tech-ready. The day will begin with a meeting to determine the agenda and topics for the day. We will then break up in to groups to begin discussion on those topics. Participants are free to move between the sessions at any time. Wireless internet access is also available for those who need it.

More information (and the sign-up sheet) is available on the Library 2.0 wiki. Be sure to check it for updates.

I’ve never attended a real open spaces event, so this is going to be a completely new experience for me (I’ve been saying that about a lot of things lately). I’m confident, however, that the format will be conducive to discussion and I’m expecting that we’ll not only learn a lot but accomplish a fair bit as well. A number of great people are planning on attending–be sure to add your name if you plan to come. I believe that space constraints are capping registration at 40.

Some of my topics may overlap what Eli’s already tossed out, but that’s the idea–to find the overlapping topics and go from there.

I’d like to spend some time looking at Library 2.0. I’m wondering if the term itself is becoming a liability. My concern is that there is so much contention associated with it now that the great intellectual discussion it’s intended to represent is being neglected.

I want to talk about ways that techies and non-techies can better communicate. I think there will be a good representation from both camps, if you will, that a candid dialogue could ensue.

I’d like to spend some time talking shop with other techies. Specifically, I’d like to get together with some other III users and see where that goes. I’d also like to cover/learn more about some of the stuff discussed at code4lib. XML/XSLT hacking would be fun too.

I want to talk about OPACs. Specifically, I want to talk about adding social software to the OPAC. I’d like to share some of the work I’ve been doing in this direction and invite others to do the same. I’d also like to gather ideas on getting buy-in for this sort of thing.

A general talk about trends in library websites. I’d really like to hear from the academic sector on this because the public library perspective can be very different and sometimes the academic library voices don’t come through as well as I’d like. I’d like to find out where the similarities end and differences begin.

Because this is not an “in-industry” event, I’d like to talk with library users and get their opinions and perspective on many of the ideas behind Library 2.0.

I’d like to spend some time checking out all the neat gadgets people will be coming with–so bring your cool stuff!

I, too, would like to talk about IM virtual reference. AADL doesn’t do it and I really think we should. I’d like to hear from others who may have successfully pulled it off. I’d like to talk about some other alternatives as well, such as web-based IRC clients/bots/etc.

I’d like to talk about networking in libraries. Perhaps cover different Wi-Fi solutions. I have some ideas on using bittorrent as a content delivery system for patrons I’d like to vet. General chat about networking/server infrastructure would be fun.

I think some discussion should go into whether an information clearinghouse should exist for L2 ideas and resources. The Library 2.0 wiki, perhaps? Maybe we can get a start on filling in some information.

I have a feeling I’ll be updating this page post, but this is a start. I’ll be cross posting this list to the possible session page on the Library 2.0 wiki. Be sure to add yours there as well. Even if you’re not going, if you think of a topic, add it because there will be a number of bloggers present who will be interpreting events. Who knows, your topic might get discussed.

The 2006 Library Camp will be held here at the Ann Arbor District Library. Programs and discussions will continue throughout that day and may spill out into the stacks, computing centers and wherever else the participants deem a good meeting place. Of course, all your geek amenities will be provided.

Be sure to visit the wiki or tune into Ed's blog for more information.

[tags]L2, Mash-ups, AADL, Superpatron, Unconference, Library, Librarians, Geeks, Library Camp[/tags]