As many of your know, I’m traveling a lot lately - well that’s because I’m out there teaching librarians about open source. Here are my upcoming open source talks:

• Practical Open Source Software for Libraries and Librarians
  California Library Association Annual Conference, Pasadena, CA, October 2009
• Free Your Mind and Your Data Will Follow: Open Source for Libraries
  PLAN, Panama City Beach, FL, September 17, 2009
• Practical Open Source Software for Libraries and Librarians
  SLA Annual Conference, Washington, D.C., June 14, 2009
• Open Source Software for Libraries
  CLA Annual Conference, Montréal, Canada, May 30, 2009
• Free Your Mind and Your Data Will Follow: Open Source for Libraries
  NEFLIN, Orange Park, FL, May 21, 2009

Hopefully I’ll see you at one or more of these talks.

David Schuster has announced a meeting of KUDOS (Koha Users and Developers of Open Source) at the annual meeting of the American Library Association in Chicago.

Date: Sunday, 7/12/2009
Time: 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm
Location: Hyatt Regency Chicago (not the Hyatt that’s close to the
convention center)
Room: Grand Suite 3

The next big conference on my travel schedule is SLA Annual in Washington D.C. I will be talking about my new book on Mashups as well as Open Source for Libraries.

If you’re coming to SLA this year, look for me and if you can - make sure to attend one or both of my talks

Technorati Tags: sla2009, sla09

Looks like I had the featured SLA CE class earlier this month If you’ll be at SLA this year, make sure you register for my class to learn how you can use open source software in your library.

Featured CE Course: Practical Open Source Software for Libraries and Librarians
 

Date: Sunday, 14 June 2009
Time: 8:00 am - 12:00 pm
Instructor: Nicole Engard, Open Source Evangelist, LibLime

Listen to podcast & check out SLA’s other excellent courses.

Technorati Tags: sla2009, open source

This morning’s panel was The Impact of Global Digital Natives: New Business Practices and Policies.

Joe Lucia from Villanova started off the morning with his talk entitled No Secret Code: Open Source, Innovation, and Academic Libraries in the Digital Environment.

Joe started by pointing us to the OCLC studies on user perceptions - particularly for his environment, the report on College Students’ Perceptions of Libraries and Information Services.

Some of the findings:

• 89% start research with search engines
• 87% have visited an academic library, for a variety of reasons
• 57% report using online library site as a step in research process
• 79% describe libraries as “accurate” & “credible”
• 50% report using library catalog frequently

Some unsurprising conclusions:

• Current undergraduates evidence greater familiarity with search engines than with online library resources

• Current undergraduates have a broad awareness of an respect for the value & accuracy of library resources
• We need to make the library search experience as familiar & as engaging as searching the open Web.

What is the “New Openness” in Library Technology?

Web native technologies for the rapid development and deployment of simple applications. This means we need a critical mass of robust well-developed open source components and standardized data frameworks and interfaces that can be used to build sophisticated discovery & presentation layers. He mentioned Lucene and SOLR because they are being used in open source products as well as in proprietary products - except that with the later, they’re selling them to us and the former is a free way to benefit from their power.

Obviously I’m with Joe when he says that we should be demanding APIs and data portability so that we can take the data we’re creating and remix it to our heart’s content.

Another aspect of this “new openness” is that the original skepticism of open source is fading, not only in our world, but in the enterprise and business worlds as well. Open source is becoming extremely viable and Joe thinks that in a decade it will be the predominant way that we access technology.

He then went on to talk about the VUFind project which I have written about extensively here and on other sites on the web - so I’m not going to repeat myself except to say that it’s changing and growing - it’s awesome and it’s open source - what more do you need??

Then, my favorite part - the case for open source in libraries!! Do I really need to tell you all about this again?

Here are Joe’s points:

• Libraries are situated within the domain of the commons

• They provide their communities with open access to intellectual and cultural resources
• No single individual controls or uses up the resources in the library

So - the cultural assumptions and social practices embedded within open source software are congruent and co-extensive with the values and missions of libraries as we understand them. In short “Embracing open source software = deepening and enhancing our culture mission and social function”

Technorati Tags: vufind, nfais09, nfais2009

Three years ago, Koha users and developers from around the world met up to discuss the future of the project. It is now time for us all to meet again, this time on U.S. soil. This conference is not just a great way for Koha community members to put faces with names (and online aliases), but a great way to get the community together to discuss what matters to us and learn from others around the world.

Please take a minute to read the press release and register for the conference ASAP so that we can get an accurate head count. This is a great learning experience - and registration is free - so it’s well worth attending!

Technorati Tags: koha, kohacon09

As I mentioned before, LibLime will be at ALA Midwinter in book #722 and will be speaking at the following events. Come join us - or just stop by to say hi

FRIDAY, January 23rd

2:00 - 5:00 PM
OUTSIDE THE BOOTH… Panel Discussion
Starting Over: Re-Inventing the Integrated Library System (ILS) and the Library Automation Industry– RMG’s Nineteenth Annual Presidents’ Seminar: The View from the Top
on the panel… Joshua Ferraro, CEO LibLime

RMG’s Nineteenth Annual Presidents’ Seminar will include the traditional panel of library automation executives from industry companies plus featured speakers from libraries undertaking technology developments and initiatives.

Hosted by Rob McGee, RMG
Denver Convention Center, Korbel Ballroom 3B

6:00 PM - Stop buying your records back! Introducing ‡biblios.net
Presenter: Joshua Ferraro, CEO LibLime

‡biblios.net is a FREE browser-based cataloging service with a data store containing over thirty-million records. Records are licensed under the Open Data Commons, making the service the world’s largest repository of freely-licensed library records!

SATURDAY, January 24th

10:00 AM - Gee, I wish Koha did this… LibLime and the Development Process
Presenter: Becky Bell (WALDO)

WALDO has contracted with LibLime for over 35 software enhancements and now has a lot of experience in working with LibLime as the projects move from an idea to a specification and finally into software. You’ll hear a brief update of the status of these projects. Plus, we’ll follow one of the projects from the scoping study stage through the specification approval stage and end as the project moves into development and software testing.

10:30- 12:00 NOON
OUTSIDE THE BOOTH…
Serials Management in Koha’s open-source library software.
Presenter: Nicole C. Engard, Open Source Evangelist LibLime

The presentation will help you understand what open source is all about and show you how the Koha open-source automation system cannot only handle your serials in the library catalog, but provide better services to your patrons.

ALA Midwinter program sponsored by the ALA ALCTS Continuing Resources Section College and Research Libraries Interest Group. (E-Journals All Around: in the Catalog, the Knowledgebase, and the Web)

Sheraton Hotel, Gold

1:00 PM - Koha ZOOM OPAC Demo
Presenter: Joshua Ferraro, CEO LibLime

1:30 - 3:30 PM
OUTSIDE THE BOOTH…
KUDOS (KOHA Users and Developers of Open Source) Meeting

NOTE: This is for users of Koha only. Libraries who are interested in Koha, but have not yet signed a contract with a support provider or implemented Koha on their own, should attend the Koha Interest Group Meeting– see below.

Crowne Plaza Hotel
Room: Altitude

3:30 - 5:30 PM
OUTSIDE THE BOOTH…
Koha Interest Group Meeting
Crowne Plaza Hotel
Room: Altitude

SUNDAY, January 25th

10:00 AM - Stop buying your records back! Introducing ‡biblios.net
Presenter: Joshua Ferraro, CEO LibLime

‡biblios.net is a FREE browser-based cataloging service with a data store containing over thirty-million records. Records are licensed under the Open Data Commons, making the service the world’s largest repository of freely-licensed library records

1:00 PM - Koha ZOOM OPAC Demo
Presenter: Joshua Ferraro, CEO LibLime

3:00 PM - Open-Source Technical Services Tools
Presenter: Nicole C. Engard, Open Source Evangelist LibLime

MONDAY, January 26th

9:30 AM - Koha ZOOM Staff Client Demo
Presenter: Nicole C. Engard, Open Source Evangelist LibLime

10:40 - 11:10 AM
OUTSIDE THE BOOTH…
ALA Tech Showcase: ‡biblios: a new social cataloging (r)evolution from LibLime
Presenter: Joshua Ferraro, CEO LibLime
Pueblo Theater (1)

12:30 or 1:00 PM - Stop buying your records back! Introducing ‡biblios.net
Presenter: Joshua Ferraro, CEO LibLime

‡biblios.net is a FREE browser-based cataloging service with a data store containing over thirty-million records. Records are licensed under the Open Data Commons, making the service the world’s largest repository of freely-licensed library records!

Technorati Tags: liblime, alamw09, koha

There will be a lot of open source at ALA Midwinter this year, but I thought I’d share this announcement with you all since it just arrived in my mailbox.

“Can You Open This For Me? Using and Understanding Open Source Tools.”
Sponsored by the RUSA MARS Hot Topics in Electronic Reference Discussion Group

Saturday, January 24, 10:30am - 12:00pm
Korbel Ballroom 3B
Colorado Convention Center

See a lot of free things online and not sure if they would work for your library? Our panel of speakers will introduce you to some of today’s hottest open source tools and offer practical advice on how to implement them at your library.

Presenters:
Marsha Schnirring, Instructional Services Librarian at Occidental College, will discuss Zotero.
Ian Chan, Web Development Librarian at CSU San Marcos, will compare research guides made with Moodle, Drupal, and Library a la Carte.

I’ll be speaking in another session about Koha at the same exact time so I won’t be able to attend, feel free to share your notes with me after the event!

If you’d rather hear about Koha and Serials you can come to the ALA ALCTS Continuing Resources Section College and Research Libraries Interest Group’s session.

E-Journals All Around: in the Catalog, the Knowledgebase, and the Web

Time: Saturday Jan. 24th, 10:30am-12:00pm
Location: Sheraton Hotel, Gold
Program:

1. Peter McCracken (Co-founder & Director of Research, Serials Solutions): A KBART Update - Improving Patrons’ Access to Electronic Resources.
The presentation will address the current status of the Knowledge Bases And Related Tools (KBART) project, with particular attention to how it will benefit publishers, librarians, and ultimately (and most importantly), library users. We will discuss what KBART has done in the past year, what effect we believe the initiative will have in the e-resources supply chain, what will be coming next, and what challenges remain.

2. Beth R. Bernhardt (Electronic Resources Librarian, University of North Carolina Greensboro): Dealing with Free E-Journals: Are they worth the effort?
The number of “free” electronic journals available on the internet continues to increase. This presentation will focus on answering questions such as how can we find these journals, should we make an effort to provide access for our patrons, and what is the potential cost for maintaining them?

3. Nicole C. Engard (Open Source Evangelist, LibLime): Serials Management in KOHA’s open source library software.
The presentation will help you understand what open source is all about and show you how the Koha Open Source Automation system can not only handle your serials in the library catalog, but provide better services to our patrons.

4. Brief Business Meeting: New members are welcome!

More on events at ALA soon!!

Technorati Tags: alamw09

From the news blog of the Northeast Kansas Library System:

The Northeast Kansas Library System is hosting a “Kansas Koha Interest Group Day” conference for libraries interested in the Koha open source integrated library system next Wednesday, December 10th at the NEKLS system office in Lawrence, Kansas. The conference is open to anyone interested in open source ILS systems, and Koha in particular.