Unconferences Carterette Webinars

Lowdown on Unconferences Andrew Shuping May 2011

What is an unconference?

(also known as barcamp, infocamp, librarycamp, govcamp, open space technology, cupcake camp, foocamp, and more)

"Happy hour with colleagues, sans beer"
Amy Buckland

http://www.blogwithoutalibrary.net/access-aej-spring2010.pdf
http://www.flickr.com/photos/arlophoto/5616233274/

or think of them as coffee breaks
http://www.flickr.com/photos/martisunshine/5510755562/

INFORMAL!!!
Agenda set day of the conference
Everyone participates in an active discussion
More fluid, more easy to change
Often no keynote speakers
Free or low cost

"What makes an unconference unique is the way it is engineered from the start to enable as much active participation by all attendees as possible."

http://tinyurl.com/2bq5v6o
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jennafreedman/3363355683/in/photostream/

Where did they come from?
From the open space technology which Wikipedia defines as:

"an approach for hosting meetings, conferences, corporate-style retreats and community summit events, focused on a specific and important purpose or task—but beginning without any formal agenda, beyond the overall purpose or theme."

http://www.flickr.com/photos/83156837@N00/1756495297/

Some key tenants
Whoever comes are the right people
Whatever happens is the only thing that could have
Whenever it starts is the right time
When it’s over, it’s over
Rule of two feet: don't like the topic then walk away

Difficulties
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pagedooley/2788648775/
Format can create anxiety for some people
Might not look as good on the resume for presenting
Some people just aren't going to be happy

Recent Events
National Library Unconference Day, May 2, 2011 http://blog.8bitlibrary.com/libuncon/

2011 THATcamp Southeast March 5, 2011: http://southeast2011.thatcamp.org/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/revuesorg/4557524230/sizes/o/in/photostream/

Planning your own
http://www.flickr.com/photos/eklektikos/2541408630/

What do you need?
A theme/need
A venue
A date
Sponsor or other funds
Communication tools/logo/publicity/other
People to help

Getting Ready
Conversation
People to help with logistics
Way to organize:
email
wiki
Google Group
Be flexible
Get the word out

LibraryCamp West

Funds

Keynote Presenter (if you have one)
Supplies
Food
Space
Schwag

Need to have ready
Room with plenty of chairs
Marker pens
Large sheets of paper
Schedule slots ready to be filled in
Whiteboards
Recycling & trash bins
Nametags
Duck tape
Food
WiFi
Enough power sockets
Hashtags

From: http://work.miramarmike.co.nz/2009/10/how-to-facilitate-barcampunconference.html

Tips and tricks
Do x, y, and z...no really. Seriously. Z's are really important (as in sleep).

Don't over prepare, difficult for perfectionist but is important
Diversity of roles for planners/facilitators is handy, i.e. someone to be creative, someone to ask questions, etc.
Library camps/unconferences are casual
Many unconferences are hybrids, and borrow some of the traditional concepts of a conference (keynotes, registration fees, etc.)
Utilize social software, like wikis
When planning a date/place/time, remember: Every day is a bad day for somebody.

Think of yourself as the host or hostess for this event.

Remember!
Whoever comes are the right people
Whatever happens is the only thing that could have
Whenever it starts is the right time
When it’s over, it’s over
Rule of two feet: don't like the topic then walk away

Day of Advice
Remember this is new for a lot of folks let them know what they need to do that day, such as:

Help come up with the schedule
Participation in discussions is encouraged
Help in taking notes

For the organizes remember:

You can't control everything
Things will be stressful in the beginning, but it will happen

Advice for attending
Come prepared to share information, ideas and questions. Unconferences work best when people are willing to share.
In order to encourage the spirit of sharing, use open-ended questions.
Give everyone an opportunity to share their ideas.
Keep track of ideas that interest you.
Exchange business cards with those people that you want to continue talking with after the unconference.
Bring whatever you need for taking notes (e.g., paper, pen, laptop, PDA, etc.)

Selections from: http://cnylibrarycamp.wetpaint.com/page/Advice+for+Participants

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ahockley/2481722549/sizes/m/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nirak/4651409376/sizes/m/in/photostream/

When all is said and done...
Step back
Enjoy the results
Take pictures
Take videos
Learn for the next go round

Final Thoughts....
Remember:
rule of two feet
let things happen
Discussion
Informal
Free or low cost

and finally:
This type of event will not work for everything

Selected Resources:
Books:
Steve Lawson, tech set
forthcoming Michelle Boule
Open Space Technology: A User's Guide

Websites:
http://www.openspaceworld.com/users_guide.htm
http://www.unconference.net/
http://www.openspaceworld.org/
http://work.miramarmike.co.nz/2009/10/how-to-facilitate-barcampunconference.html
http://chronicle.com/article/The-Unconference-Technology/65651/
http://chimprawk.blogspot.com/2006/07/advice-for-planning-bar-camp.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Space_Technology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unconference
http://www.slideshare.net/mekiser/library-camp-how-to-run-an-unconference-at-your-library

Examples of Unconferences
Master list of Library Camps/Unconferences:
http://liswiki.org/wiki/Library_Camp

Examples:
http://librariansmatter.com/blog/2008/08/22/library-20-and-beyond-getting-our-hands-dirty-library-unconference/
http://librarycampperth.wetpaint.com/
http://wiki.oreillynet.com/foocamp06/index.cgi
http://librarycampks.wetpaint.com/
http://thatcamp.org/
htt p://denver-stella.pbworks.com/

Questions? http://www.flickr.com/photos/76283035@N00/1507585665/

Thank you!
I can be found at:
ashuping.net
Link for my presentation will be located on my webpage

http://ashuping.net	144
http://musingsoflibrarian.blogspot.com	7
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Unconferences Carterette Webinars

by Andrew Shuping

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