Libraries: The Ultimate Playground
Libraries have grown far beyond the nostalgic scent of books on shelves (though we still have that too). There is an explosive realm of content-wrangling that occurs on the library frontier making life-changing impacts in literacy, health, and education. There is also exists a quagmire of metadata messes, licensing loops, and lack-luster technology that is overdue for an innovative shakeup.
This is a unique setting to bring to the table the wide cast of SXSW tech & entrepreneurial attendees with some of the most grassroots, forward-thinking librarians & information professionals thinking outside-the-box today. Together we can build castles in the sandbox to connect new ideas with immediate impacts. Let's get this collaborative conversation started!
Presenters
Andrea Davis integrates innovation and fun in her role as a Reference & Instruction Librarian at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA - supporting Space/Aerospace/Unmanned Systems research while teaching Information Literacy workshops and building new collections of graphic novels and infoviz material. Outside of work, you'll still find her library'ing on a plane as the @milehighrefdesk in addition to running rogue library advocacy campaigns at major technology festivals like BIL, BurningMan, and SXSW Interactive, promoting Librar* as part of the #sxswLAM team. No stranger to the technology, Andrea was a research intern for the Berkman Center for Internet & Society where she worked on strategies of policies and implementation of US municipal Broadband. Recognized as a 2012 Library Journal's Movers & Shaker, Andrea excels at blending unconventional tactics into traditional settings with some remarkable results. Look for her @detailmatters out there
Andrea's opinions & ideas are solely her own, and not of whomever is her employeer.
Carson Block believes libraries are essential to a strong democracy. After more than 15 years working in libraries as a tech and IT Director, he founded Carson Block Consulting Inc. to help libraries across the country with technology. Libraries help people. Carson helps libraries. It's that simple!
Sunday, March 10
