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1. Whoever comes is the right people

2. Whatever happens is the only thing that could have

3. Whenever it starts is the right time

4. When it's over, it's over

For those of you still unsure about how the unconference sessions work - here's how things will go.

1. You check the schedule and notice an unconference session is being held.
2. You do a little dance of joy because you'll be able to both network and talk about interesting issues affecting your library.
3. You arrive at the room where the unconference sessions are being held (please check the program) - ready for action.
4. Those in the room, along with the facilitators, decide the topics to be discussed and the order of discussion.
5. We discuss. Much knowledge-sharing happens. The facilitators take notes of the whole shebang. Notes will be posted to the wiki shortly after the session.
6. You leave with warm fuzzies knowing that you both taught and learned during the session.
7. You tell all your friends about the unconference session and attend more of them.

Overview

To launch our DC/SLA Unconference held at Catholic University on April 3, Stephen Abram shared the history of the 23 things model which SLA volunteers followed to develop SLA's 23 Things along with ongoing ways we can continue to harness tools that best meet our goals in 2009 and beyond. Stephen said that short burst of ideas match adult learning styles while, at the same time, the 23 Things model offers a structure for learning. As an unanticipated consequence of applying this model, many participating libraries also saw cultural barriers across the organization reduced.

Ideas Shared for 2009

The below ideas shared during our unconference tie together our 2009 goals along with associated tools we plan to explore (and perhaps exploit) during 2009:

(view as slideshow)
	Living, breathing idea map: Drawn during the live conversation and sharing by participants.		Ideas reformatted using Mindomo.com. On right: Key ideas shared by all participants. On left: Tools/applications mentioned during our time together.

Quick links

Additional presentations participants were interested in knowing more about...

• Blogs:
  • Stephen Abram's Lighthouse
  • Marie Kaddell's Government Information Pro
• Presentations/articles:
  • Twitter: Changing Our Lives in <= 140 Characters (PDF)
  • Social Networking Made Easy with Ning (MPG)
• Check out upcoming 2009 SLA Annual Unconference Sessions - make sure to mark your schedule to attend one or more sessions. Format is flexible and presenters are YOU!
• Don't understand what an Unconference session is? See our definitions and resources.

Share Your Experience

Share your comments on what you thought about what people shared or the method used (i.e., Unconference model).

Has anyone ever been to a Pecha Kucha event - this is such fun - like speed powerpoint.?  See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pecha_Kucha

I notice we are taking 'unconference' where I suspect we mean each session is less structured than a more common 'talking head'  session.  Usually an 'unconference' referes to the whole conference - not just a session.

It seems we are putting together a series of less structured sessions and referring to them as 'unconference'.  Am I correct in this assumption?

Nerida

This interview by Janelle at Inmagic, I talk about what I see as the future of special librarianship.  Librarians need to change or retire if they want the special library world to remain alive and vibrant.  Follow this link to hear what I have to say as the new Chair of the KM Division.

Welcome to our new "UnConference Wiki." This has just been set up for anyone within SLA who might be interested in building resources, strategies, and good practices for developing UnConference events. This site's overall structure will evolve as our group evolves. The UnConference idea started buddling up during the SLA's mid-winter leadership summit through networking and brainstorming sessions. Sign up to join our ad-hoc group by leaving a comment on this blog post.