This October 10, the University of Denver will host the Library Camp of the West unconference. We are still working out the details–hell, it’s an unconference, so we’ll be working out the details right up to the end of the day on October 10th–but you can check out the wiki at http://librarycampwest.pbwiki.com/. Library Camp of the West registration is free and open to anyone who wants to talk about libraries all day.

Right now, I’m working on setting this up with Laura Crossett and Joe Kraus. If you live in the area, I hope you will come, and I hope you will consider helping us un-organize this un-conference.

It’s interesting how these things happen. In the fall of 2006, in the wake of all the blog posts about Library Camp East, I had the following chat session with Laura “theblackmolly” Crossett:

  • theblackmolly: how much interest do think there might be in a Rocky Mountain Library Camp?
  • tuttlawson: HA!
  • tuttlawson: I knew you were going to ask that!
  • theblackmolly: oh, fine
  • theblackmolly: read my mind
  • tuttlawson: Because I thought of the same thing and immediately thought of you!
  • theblackmolly: although I keep wondering if it’s just that I’m all envious of all the other cool kids
  • tuttlawson: right
  • theblackmolly: we need a place, first of all
  • tuttlawson: maybe here, though Denver would be a little more central
  • tuttlawson: I bet we could get DU or someone to host it.

We didn’t do anything about it, but it was in the back of our minds, and we’d sometimes say to each other “hey, when are we going to do that library camp?”

Then, at the end of this May, I mentioned this idea to Joe Kraus in the Library Society of the World Meebo room. Joe, not coincidentally, is a librarian at the University of Denver (DU) and part-time instructor in the Library and Information Science Program there. After two years of Laura and me dreaming about it, Joe had the date set and the rooms booked at DU in less than six weeks. Sometimes you just need to ask the right person to move things along.

So if you can come, please sign up on the wiki. If you have advice on running or attending an unconference, please share in the comments on this post.