Unsure what was going to happen to the video recording of the Pecha Kucha, and wanting to share it with those who couldn’t be at Computers in Libraries this year, I went ahead and recorded a screencast of my narrative along with the slides and embedded audio clips. It loses a little something without the live audience, but you’ll get the basic idea.

Let’s try to embed the YouTube version below. The video in avi format at blip.tv is actually of superior quality, but I can only figure out how to embed the flash version and blip.tv’s doesn’t work for most people.

I have since learned that the original Pecha Kucha video is going to be posted on YouTube soon, so I probably spent more time on this than it was worth. Good practice, I suppose.

Earlier this evening, a group of nine Computers in Libraries attendees came together online to reflect on their conference experiences. The result is Uncontrolled Vocabulary #37.

I’ve already had one request for presentation slides from CiL, which seemed fitful motivation to create a separate presentations page. There, you can find a link to my Pecha Kucha slides, as well as my presentations from previous ITI conferences and beyond.

Update: Something’s not right with the Pecha Kucha slides. The file won’t open after the download completes. I’m working on it.

Update 2: OK, there’s now a semi-functional set of PowerPoint slides available on the presentations page, with appropriate instructions for downloading them.

I’m home safely after a few whirlwind days in D.C. Glad to be back with my family. Computers in Libraries continues to be an outstanding conference, well worth the hassle of travel.

I won’t be posting my conference thoughts here, as I’ll be saving those for tomorrow night’s episode of Uncontrolled Vocabulary, which will, unless I decide otherwise between now and then, be devoted exclusively to discussion of the conference. If you’re interested in being a part of that discussion, you are warmly invited and encouraged to do so. The show blog has instructions, but I’m happy to provide more assistance for new callers, so don’t be afraid to contact me.

Tomorrow morning, I hop on a plane and, with any luck, I’ll be in D.C. in time for the latter part of Gaming Night at Computers in Libraries. You can see most of my agenda for the next few days over on the conference wiki.

A number of people have asked me whether I plan to do anything Uncontrolled Vocabulary-related at the conference. Short answer is no, although I’ll have my headset with me. My experience is that it’s too difficult and too “outside the moment” to try and get a group together to do any sort of reflection/commentary on the experience while it’s still happening. The plan is to record Thursday night after the conference. Some people will still be traveling, but I think it’s the best option amongst less-than-ideal ones.

So if you’re going to be in D.C. (or are already there!), come harass me. Monday, I’ll be at my most identifiable in my shiny new Uncontrolled Vocabulary t-shirt, but I’ll be my loud, boisterous self the rest of the time. See you there!

Information Today has posted the final program (.pdf) for Computers in Libraries 2008. I took the opportunity to determine my tentative schedule and post it up on the CiL2008 wiki. I don’t have any definite meal plans at this point, so if you’re interested in sharing a meal (or coffee or whatever), drop me a line.

Scanning my feeds today, I came across the opening salvo in ITI’s Computers in Libraries blogging effort. Although I did email Don Hawkins to get my green ribbon, that wasn’t what struck me about the post. It was this: “The tag for all blog posts and Flickr photos will be CIL2008.”

Why? Because three years ago, I did a whole lot of blabbing on the topic of consensual tagging at CiL. I proposed a few different tag options and the one respondent and I agreed on cil2005.

To be honest, I hadn’t thought much of it since, but now I wonder: Is that really the origin of what has become the official tag? Probably not. It’s a pretty obvious choice and, for all I know, there were probably others talking about it earlier. But I like to think I contributed to a still-growing phenomenon.

A search of Flickr shows 226 pictures tagged cil2005. By the following year, ITI was on board. This resulted in 626 photos tagged cil2006 on Flickr. And in 2007, a stunning 1,418 photos were tagged on Flickr with cil2007.

Granted, this speaks to the growth of Flickr as well as consensual tagging, but I think the value of an agreed-upon tag has been demonstrated. When I was unable to attend last year, the easy access to hundreds of photos from the conference was my connection to the event.

And I’ve already subscribed to the Technorati search results feed for cil2008, so I can see who’s as excited as I am.

I’m feeling pretty energized these days. Fabulous wife, two awesome kids, house that I can call home. My job has settled in to become something I enjoy (most days). The show is everything I hoped it would be (although I could do a better job of marketing it). And my network of librarianly friends and acquaintances seems to grow on an almost daily basis. Things are firing on all cylinders.

It’s the perfect time for a conference.* After a bit of a hiatus, I’m returning to the ITI conference scene for Computers in Libraries 2008. And I’m pumped up about it.

I’ll be speaking twice. First, with the estimable Matt Gullett, I’ll be talking about Libraries as Laboratories for Innovation and, more specifically, about the efforts of our innovation team at my workplace.

The second presentation is a bit more unconventional, at least by library conference standards. It’s called a Pecha Kucha. The idea is that each presenter is allowed 20 slides that are displayed for 20 seconds each. 6:40 to get up, get on with it and get off. Beautiful. That’s about the limit of my attention span.

In this particular Pecha Kucha 2.0, as it’s billed, each participant will be evangelizing for a particular 2.0 technology (naturally, I’ll be covering podcasting) with a final presenter taking on the role of naysayer. Should be good fun and the fellow participants are all noteworthy presenters.

But as many of you know, the real joy of a conference comes from the other attendees, and in particular, the conversations you have in between sessions, at receptions, over meals, and so on. This year, I expect to be fully overwhelmed.

Beyond the old friends with whom I’m anxious to reconnect, there’s a whole new web of acquaintances that I’ve made through the show and through the wacky world of social networking, especially Twitter and Facebook. I can’t wait to meet as many of them as I can in person. I’m all about bringing people together right now. In many ways, that’s what Uncontrolled Vocabulary is all about.

Anyway, all of this yammering on is for no greater purpose than to share some of my excitement with you. I feel we could all use a little more good energy around this little chunk of the blogosphere. So here, have some of mine.

* I know that this is a bit early to discuss a conference in April, but I can’t help myself. I’m excited now!

Michael Stephens (who I can’t wait to call Dr. Stephens) points to a David Warlick post on Conference 2.0.

Michael adds an idea of his own: A podcast booth or quiet area where podcasters could stage a discussion, conference debrief, or just get some recording done.

Yes, yes, yes. I can’t begin to tell you how handy that would be for my (intended) efforts. It’s nearly impossible to find somewhere quiet enough to do any group recording.

As for Conference 2.0, I once listened to Steve Dembo talk about a conference in which all of the presentations are pre-recorded and disseminated prior to the actual conference. The conference sessions themselves are then reserved for group discussion, questions, etc. Knowing that, under the current model, all the best stuff happens in the discussions that take place outside of the traditional sessions, this seems like a brilliant reconsideration of the old school conference mode.

Incidentally, if you are not familiar with David Warlick, take a minute to check out his stuff. He’s a real education visionary.