This past week marked my first attendance at the Computers in Libraries (CIL) conference, held yearly in Washington, DC.
The atmosphere at CIL is low-key, friendly, and inclusive. Attendees are united by a common interest in technology as it affects libraries and their users. There are five tracks, with different themes, but the keynotes are universal and tracks are open to anyone curious about the topic at hand. Cross pollination continues during breaks, at meals, or around the fire pits on the hotel terrace. Keynote videos and many presentation resources are now publicly available on the CIL site.
As a presenter, I was energized by the response to my topic, The Connected Library. Fellow librarians came up to chat afterwards, and I observed some of the audience members accessing tools I had highlighted within minutes of the slideshow. Others have commented on Twitter about how they will use what I shared, the ultimate test of a presentation's relevance, particularly since my focus was on social networking.
An added bonus was the glorious weather in Washington. Many of us were able to take the time to explore a bit. My photographs of the Cherry Blossom Festival, War Memorials, and CIL itself are available in a Flickr set.
Would I go to CIL again? Absolutely! And next year, I plan to stay a bit longer so that I can attend more sessions and visit more local attractions.
The Connected Library wiki
"The Cherry Blossom Festival" by dmcordell
4 comments:
This was always one of my favorite conferences...so glad you went AND presented. I liked the conference because it was small and had a great mix of library leaders. One of my memories of CIL was sitting in the hotel lobby and have a conversation with the librarian from Estee Lauder. Who knew?
I enjoyed looking at your presentation (wish I could have heard it, too...!) and your photos are just beautiful. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Donna!
This was my first time at CIL but it won't be my last. Love the variety of people united by the library profession and an openness to technology use. Please consider attending next year: I'd love to chat with you face to face (will you be in Chicago for ALA?)
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Nice post with awesome points! Can’t wait for the next one.
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