EveryLibrary at SXSW 2015
We are very proud to be a part of the Lib*Interactive crew again at South By Southwest 2015 (SXSW). This will be our third year going to the conference to talk about libraries and librarians to venture capitalists, starters, and entrepreneurs and to engage broader policy discussions with a library perspective.
We are very proud to be a part of the Lib*Interactive crew again at South By Southwest 2015 (SXSW).
This will be our third year going to the conference to talk about libraries and librarians to venture capitalists, starters, and entrepreneurs and to engage broader policy discussions with a library perspective.
As a part of the Lib*Interactive team, we are engaging those stakeholders as well as promoting the ideas and insights of people in this industry. If you're in Austin this weekend for SXSW, we're tweeting at @everylibrary, @mrchrastka, @mel_gooch and we'd love to say hi. We're reposting the press release below with permission and encouragement to connect.
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Librarians continue to bring energy, ideas to SXSW Interactive
lib*interactive showcases how libraries are ‘not the same old shhh’
AUSTIN – March 9, 2015 – To raise awareness of the innovation and technology happening in libraries today, and to highlight the ways in which librarians support entrepreneurship, library advocates and industry leaders from across the U.S. will attend the 2015 SXSW Interactive festival in Austin, March 13-17.
Advocating as lib*interactive (formerly sxswLAM), this volunteer-led group of library thought-leaders have attended, presented and actively recruited their colleagues to participate in SXSW Interactive over the past several years. This year expands upon the group’s success with new energy and ideas, including a plethora of library- and museum-inspired programs.
“Librarians are creators in the digital age,” says Carson Block, a library technology consultant and lib*interactive organizer. “We want to share with and learn from other creators. It’s as simple – and profoundly effective – as that.”
lib*interactive encourages librarians to be a part of the SXSW Interactive conversation to learn about emerging and interactive technologies, develop partnerships and find new ideas to take back to their libraries and communities. SXSW also provides a venue on a national stage to help people understand how libraries have changed in the 21st century.
“EveryLibrary goes to SXSW Interactive to talk to starters, entrepreneurs and venture capitalists about librarians and libraries,” says John Chrastka, executive director of EveryLibrary, a library advocacy organization dedicated to preserving local library funding. “Librarians are early adopters who train the public on how to use wearables, apps and devices. Librarians provide important business reference, market intelligence, and supply-chain analytics to help businesses grow. Libraries are huge data centers, and librarians are the original taxonomists. EveryLibrary wants to bring a renewed awareness of these valuable institutions and the informational professionals who run them.”
Media are invited to learn more about the evolving role of 21st century libraries by attending some of the SXSW Interactive sessions recommended by lib*interactive. Follow all of lib*interactive’s on-site initiatives via Twitter at@lib_interactive and #liblove on social channels.
Coworking, Collaborating, Creating at Your Library
Sunday, March 15, 9:30-10:30 am
JW Marriott, Salon 1
Starting in mid-2013, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Washington, D.C., embarked on a journey to transform itself into a place for residents of diverse backgrounds and interests to connect, learn and "make" ideas into working realities. The space is called the Dream Lab, and the library already has attracted more than 87 local entrepreneurial projects. One of these projects is MapStory, an online social cartographic platform that empowers anyone to map historical change over time using open data.
In exchange for membership in the Dream Lab, each project commits to offering one hour of programming per month to engage the public in their efforts and ideas – extending the social network and empowering the community in a transformative way. Nicholas Kerelchuk, manager of the D.C. Public Library Digital Commons; Jonathan Marino, director of content and strategy at The MapStory Foundation; and Larra Clark, program director at the American Library Association; will discuss these collaborations and how libraries are helping to catalyze learning and action, building a stronger knowledge economy for all.
Anythink: The Brand that Sparked a Revolution
Sunday, March 15, 1:15-1:30 pm
Austin Convention Center, Ballroom B
Fueled by a combination of necessity, tenacity, creativity, collaboration, authenticity and straight-up guts, Anythink transformed itself from the worst-funded library system in Colorado to one of the most recognized brands in the industry. By focusing on creating amazing experiences for its customers, Anythink has designed a new approach to library service that has sparked a revolution in libraries not just in Colorado by around the world.
In this Future15 presentation, Anythink Director of Innovations and Brand Strategy Stacie Ledden will share how putting the customer experience first, building a strong culture and embracing change can help build word-of-mouth marketing that shifts perceptions and inspires brand loyalty.
“At Anythink, we’ve developed a brand inspired by our vision to put customers first, whether they visit the library to discover something new, learn how to start a business, use our tools to design a new product or collaborate on a project,” says Ledden. “While this evolution has been happening in libraries for some time, we need to change how we tell our story and market ourselves. This challenge isn’t unique to libraries but to all industries, so we are excited to share some of our lessons learned with the SXSW Interactive community.”
Monday, March 16, 11 am-12 pm
JW Marriot, Room 508
Do YOU library? Connect with some of the nation’s most creative, forward-thinking library professionals and supporters to find out how to leverage libraries as a platform to fuel your passions and successes. By gathering with other thought-leaders in this informal setting, you’ll learn how libraries (and librarians) are fostering entrepreneurship, transforming their spaces into showrooms for prototyping and discovery, and helping to build more knowledgeable communities. Libraries have evolved into places that support ideas, creativity and exploration through participation, where users take the reigns to define their own experience. This informal meet-up is designed the same way: Bring your ideas, questions, challenges and good spirits no matter from which industry you hail to learn how libraries are not the same old shhh.
Big Data Startups Should Hire Librarians
Monday, March 16, 3:30-4:30 pm
JW Marriott, Room 408-409
For startups and technology companies looking to harness the power of information, expertise can be found in the form of librarians. Jeffrey Lancaster, former emerging technologies coordinator at Columbia University Libraries and current senior project manager for New Water Culture, will give both startups and libraries a vocabulary to understand how skills practiced by librarians translate to technology companies. From their expertise in a variety of diverse startup-centric issues like copyright, standards and open information, librarians have a skill set especially important to growing technology companies.
“The traditional meaning of ‘librarian’ no longer fully describes what librarians do,” says Lancaster. “Library and information professionals are adopting new roles and startups, specifically big data startups, should look to librarians for expertise in information organization.”
For a full list of lib*interactive-recommended presentations at SXSW Interactive 2015, visit www.lib-interactive.com/your-2015-guide-lam-sessions.
About lib*interactive
lib*interactive is a passionate group of library professionals and supporters who promote the intersection of libraries and technology at SXSW Interactive. Their advocacy is rooted in the need to shift perceptions of libraries, as well as innovate and propel the industry forward. By providing early access to technology and data, makerspaces, coworking opportunities and the expertise of information professionals – librarians – libraries are helping to support the emerging information and technology landscape. Learn more at http://www.lib-interactive.com/.