Librarians take SXSW by storm!

Today’s Format

• Facts and Info

• Panel Insights (our stories, our roles)

• Q&A

Our Panel

• Mel Gooch (#sxswLAM volunteer coordinator)

• Mary Abler (First-time attendee 2014; American Libraries SXSWi blogger)

• Carson Block (#sxswLAM ringmeister and panel moderator)

• Andrea “Dre” Davis (in spirit)

#sxswLAM

Some vocabulary

• SXSW: South by Southwest

• Southby: slang term for SXSW

• sxswLAM: South by Southwest Libraries, Archives and Museums

What is SXSW?

SXSWi

• A place to gather with others • A place to share ideas • “An incubator of cutting-edge technologies and digital

creativity, the 2014 event features five days of compelling presentations and panels from the brightest minds in emerging technology, scores of exciting networking events hosted by industry leaders and an unbeatable lineup of special programs showcasing the best new websites, video games and startup ideas the community has to offer. From hands-on training to big-picture analysis of the future, SXSW Interactive has become the place to preview the technology of tomorrow today.” – (From http://sxsw.com/interactive/about)

What is #sxswLAM?

Good question…

What is #sxswLAM?

• A core, volunteer group of passionate library, museum and archive staff who attend, present and actively recruit their colleagues to join them at the annual SXSW Interactive conference in Austin TX.

• Partner Organizations (ALA, PLA, #ideadrop, EveryLibrary, Urban Libraries Unite, Digital Public Library of America, Harvard Library Test Kitchen design group, others)

• Vendors (Proquest, Innovative Interfaces Inc. [III], Mobile Beacon, others)

• sxswLAM works to connect people to the tools that help them fuel their passions. They see SXSWi as an opportunity to talk with other creatives and evangelize libraries, archives and museums.

• We all (LAM, partner orgs, vendors) live in a cloud of vibrant interaction. At the center of our shared universe is the core LAM group – which is also an entity of its own.

What is #sxswLAM?

The Short Version

• Vision for evangelizing libraries, museums and archives to the SXSW technology community

• A mission for making new friends and bringing back stuff we can use

• Volunteer-powered

• High Passion

• Goodwill-powered

• High credibility & trust (no formal org structure)

Our SXSW Stories (Panel)

• What was our first involvement with SXSW?

A first-timer’s experience: Mary Abler

Mel Gooch

Carson Block

Why should the library community

have a presence at SXSWi?

We want to get the word out:

Libraries, Museums and Archives are players in the digital age.

We want to share, learn and

collaborate with other players.

SXSWi is a place to…

SEE

BE SEEN

• Show people we’re not “just about books”

• Put libraries on entrepreneurs’ radar

• Show that libraries have something for everyone

HEAR

Important conversations are everywhere… [Private screening of Edward Snowden interview at #IdeaDrop House,

Photo credits: Mary Abler and Cindy Fisher]

BE HEARD

• LAM-member panels 2014 included: – The new startup garage

for innovation? Libraries! (Janie Hermann and Venu Moola)

– We will not be shushed: Guerilla Library Advocacy (ULU; Lauren Comito and Christian Zabriskie)

SXSWi is also place to…

Make New Connections

With entrepreneurs, startups, emerging technologies, and established companies

Above: Tina Coleman talks to a visitor at the Innovative Interfaces booth (and look at all our swag!)

Make Community Connections

Christian Zabriskie representing the Volunteer Library Brigade entrances

passersby with Guerilla Storytime

Make Community Connections

Labrary (Library Test Kitchen) co-sponsored events with Austin Public Libraries

Meet Cool People Who Love Libraries

If you stick around long enough, you’re bound to run into someone named Neil…

Neil Gaiman, 2013 Photo credit: Meghan Sitar

Meet Cool People Who Love Libraries

Neil Young, 2014 Photo credit: Carson Block

AND, (of course) HAVE FUN

#sxswLAM has fun down to an art!

Now for some Hits and History

Jessamyn West at SXSWi

2000: First attendance 2008: Jessamyn West presented The Day They Tested the Manifesto: how we handled a sexism brouhaha at MetaFilter http://www.librarian.net/talks/sxsw/ In 2009, Jessamyn West made a call to action on her blog, librarian.net, for library-land panel submissions: http://www.librarian.net/stax/2981/please-help-me-get-more-library-content-into-sxsw/ 2010: Jessamyn West and Jenny Engstrom, Panel: How the Other Half Lives--Touring the Digital Divide Archived information here: http://www.librarian.net/talks/sxsw10/ 2011: Jessamyn West, Fiona Morgan, and Justin Grimes, Panel: Offline America--Why We have a Digital Divide Archived information here: http://www.librarian.net/talks/sxsw2011/ and here: http://schedule.sxsw.com/2011/events/event_IAP6287

There was some library presence as well – but mostly observational

2012—LAM arrives!

• The Great Library Swindle: Your Rights Are at Risk w/ Carson Block

• Read/Write Library: Mapping a City Through Media w/ Nell Taylor

• Making Stories: Libraries & Community Publishing w/ Amy Buckland, Char Booth, Michael Porter, Nate Hill

• Guerilla Marketing @ Your Library w/ Cathleen Ash • A Penny Press for the Digital Age e/Jessamyn West,

Fiona Morgan, Norberto Santana Jr., Ryan Thornburg, and Tome Stytes

• Radically Open Cultural Heritage Data on the Web w/ Adrian Stevenson, Jon Voss, Julie Allinson, Rachel Frick

2013—LAM is in the house!

• Libraries: The Ultimate Playground (Andrea Davis, Naval Postgraduate School, Carson Block) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yx_zuljGyGA

• Poetry in Motion: Sound Culture and Data Mining (Tanya Clement, The University of Texas at Austin)

• Culture Hack: Libraries & Museums Open For Making (Rachel Frick, CLIR Digital Library Federation)

• Why Digital Maps Can Reboot Cultural History (Butch Lazorchak, Library of Congress)

• Black Twitter Activism, Bigger Than Hip Hop (Stacie Williams, Harvard University)

sxswLAM SXSW Interactive + Librar* + Archiv* + Museum*

Through the eyes of Andrea Davis 2009-…

Volunteer = free badge! + contacts SXSW Panel Liaison Program: Help Us Improve the Event! 2009 marked the introduction of the Interactive Panel Liaison (IPL) program, … If you are very detail-oriented, anticipate having significant free time in the first three months of 2010, and would like to see SXSW programming continue to improve... then you might be a good candidate to be an IPL in 2010. Want more information? Then e-mail us ASAP and we'll fill you in on all the details.

now = Interactive Speaker Assistant (ISA) isa@sxsw.com

The Meetups & Drinkups

Library’ing = Interactive!

Load the Schedule w/ LAM Panels

Collaborations #MIH LibraryBoxen + DPLA

Awesome Little Library + CREATE

ERL + Ideadrop

Memories are made

Even on the plane getting there

Zotero Bibliography

Participate from Afar

And then came sxswLAM 2014…

Introducing a few key players…

• ER&L’s #IdeaDrop House • EveryLibrary • DPLA and DFL • ULU and VBL • Library Test Kitchen

• ALA and PLA-sponsored activities

• Vendors: Innovative Interfaces, Inc. and ProQuest

• Awesome library-land folk including…

Photo credit: SXSWi

ULU/VLB

The radical team of Christian Zabriskie and Lauren Comito took to the streets of Austin as the Volunteer Library Brigade, conducting story times and street reference for awe-inspired passersby. The passion of this power duo is infectious, and they brought fresh ideas to this year's efforts. Photo

ER&L: #IdeaDrop House

Sandy and Bonnie Tijerina from ER&L found the perfect location for this year's IdeaDrop house, a space not far from the convention center where people came together to connect, share ideas and discuss important topics in libraries and beyond. With the help of their fabulous AV tech Albert, the house not only live streamed conversations from librarians and thought-leaders, there was a "confessional" where people could record their thoughts on SXSW and librarianship. They also live streamed the Ed Snowden simulcast so we could avoid the crowds, enjoy mimosas and watch together from the comfort of the couch.

EveryLibrary

EveryLibrary ensured we were well fed and well connected over the course of the weekend, sponsoring breakfast each morning at the IdeaDrop house and meet-ups at our favorite Austin jaunt Mugshots. John Chrastka, a 2014 Mover and Shaker, talked with start-ups and venture capitalists about how investing in libraries is investing in a healthy economic future. At breakfast each morning, we'd discuss our successes from the day before, what we were excited about, what we had planned for the next day.

Library Test Kitchen

A serendipidous and delightful addition this year was the presence of the Labrary, Library Test Kitchen's prototype library space out of Harvard. Jeff Goldenson and Jessica Yurkofsky are two of the coolest people you'll ever meet and converged on the lawn of Austin's O'Henry Museum to show off their student-designed library machines. They provided inspiration and participation to SXSWi attendees, showcasing the possibilities and creativity that abound in libraries.

Key Partnership Elements

• Shared vision

• Complimentary vision

• Shared resources

• Complimentary resources

• Solid and reliable

• All partners benefit = win

Vendors

• Sponsorship started in 2013 – with Proquest’s sponsorship of the #ideadrophouse

• In 2014, Innovative Interfaces Inc. sponsored a booth on the trade room floor with open access to #sxswLAM friends and partners

• Starting in 2013 partners also contributed cash and time to the efforts (EveryLibrary, Carson Block Consulting)

…and *you* next!

Wait… where are the Archives and

Museums?!?!

Want to help? Ringmeister • Coordinate people & partners (within and outside of LAM), be accountable, inspire, lead, roll

up sleeves, ensure it happens, whatever it is...

Logistics Team • Mark the road ahead; keep us informed and aware; make plans; keep us ahead and

confident; head-off last-minute frenzies; provide logistics at major milestones (i.e. physical events at ALA MW and SXSWi); keep the curves rounded and road rock steady...

Marketing & Branding Team • Keep sxswLAM informed; keep world informed about sxswLAM; promote panelpicker

submissions among libraries; promote and equip voting for LAM panels; outreach; solicit press and blogger coverage; coordinate media opportunities with #ideadrophouse; keep our brand clear and consistent; spread the love the the four corners of the earth...

Budget and Fundraising • Someone’s gotta pay for all this stuff. Creative fundraising ideas, execution and collection.

Guide budgetpartnerships (with marketing team) for sponsorships or co-branding (i.e. Togather)

Crazy-a## SXSWi site impact team • Save $ where needed, spend where needed. Seek out & cement mutually beneficial Channel

‘Dre. WWDD? (What Would ‘Dre Do?) to ensure sxswLAM mindshare at the conference. Create focused, impactful approach. Reissue legacy ideas (libraryboxen?) and find new avenues. Working with logistics and budget team, coordinate event presence, cheers bar, parties, and other groovy stuff.

Other ways

• ISA program

• Administered through SXSW

• Badge in enchange for volunteer help

Online Presence

Website: http://www.sxswlam.com/ Facebook: #sxswLAM = Librar* + Archiv* + Museum* https://www.facebook.com/groups/sxswLAM/736334886389118/?notif_t=group_activity

Questions?

@CarsonBlock

www.carsonblock.com