David Lee King

social media | emerging trends | libraries

I’m Running for LITA President!

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Guess what? I’m running for LITA president (again)! Here’s my election info page over at the LITA website. Bohyun Kim is also running – gotta say, she’s also a great choice 🙂 Here’s the list of all the awesome people running for LITA offices this year.

Voting runs from March 13 – April 5. Here’s my ask: if you’re a LITA member, please consider voting for me!

OK – here’s my other even more direct ask: if you are a LITA member, please VOTE. Last year, only 539 people voted. Even though there were 2595 LITA members. Yes, that means that 2056 of you didn’t vote. Why the heck not???

So this year – no matter who you vote for – I’d love to see more members vote. It’s a really simple way to make your voice heard, and it really does count. For example, last year I lost by 6 votes. If everyone voted, maybe I would have lost by 2500, because Andromeda. :-). But either way – please vote.

Then, after you have voted – help make LITA into the organization YOU want it to be. No one knows what that is if you don’t share it!

I’m Running for LITA President!

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Are you a member of LITA? If so, make sure to vote for me for LITA president! Voting begins March 25, and closes April 22. Here’s the full LITA election slate for 2016.

Why vote for me? Here’s a slightly longer version of my statement:

LITA is full of cool people, doing cool stuff. That’s why I originally became interested in LITA, and it’s why I’ve stayed.

And the tech thing, of course. LITA members have a deep understanding of technology. I always walk away from a LITA event feeling like I’ve learned something, or made a connection with someone who “gets it.”

I also feel like LITA has been in transition mode for a few years. Even more so now, with a new Executive Director.

That’s not a bad thing. In fact, it’s pretty awesome, and a great time to be involved in LITA. It’s a time to remake LITA into the division we want it to be.

That’s why I’m running for LITA president – I want to help set that fire and get it started.

Right now, LITA has some major needs. Two of the most pressing needs are a new strategic plan, and permission to remake itself. Guess what? That’s what I do.

If elected, my goals will be to make sure a new strategic plan is in place, and to help get LITA kickstarted in a new direction. I’ll also work really hard to clear the rocks out of your path so you can do the cool stuff you want to do.

And to see if we can help remake ALA while we are at it 🙂

Not interested in voting for me? That’s ok – I’m running against Andromeda Yelton, who is extremely smart and techie and awesome, and has also done a lot of good LITA stuff. LITA wins either way.

Just promise me one thing: if you’re a LITA member, make sure to VOTE!

Headed to ALA and Top Tech Trends!

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So, I have to go spend a week in Las Vegas starting tomorrow… for the American Library Association’s annual conference!

My time there will be filled with committee work for LITA, A couple of sessions here and there, and much time in the exhibit hall, hunting down vendors new and old. OK, and “networking” too. Gotta have that!

On Sunday, I’ll be one of the panelists in the popular Top Tech Trends session – 1-2:30pm in the convention center. Come participate and say hi!

If you can’t make it, you can definitely follow along on Twitter – watch the #alattt hashtag. Or just follow the whole huge conference with the #alaac14 hashtag.

Hope to see you there!

Time to Vote for LITA Reps

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Guess what? It’s time to do a bunch of voting for ALA members! I’m a member of LITA – actually, it’s because of LITA and primarily the BIGWIG Interest Group that I’m active in ALA at all – BIGWIG is doing some amazingly innovative things. Well, for a large, unruly association, that is. But it’s a start!

That said, here’s my personal endorsement for the LITA election:

  • Karen Starr – I love this quote: “The innovators and leaders of tomorrow are the LITA members of today. It is refreshing to work with a dynamic group on the national level who care, who want to define that future and who come together to work on what the big picture should look like.” She’s describing me!
  • Aaron Dobbs – no brainer for me. We went to library school together, and both worked on an early grant-funded project, the Scholar’s Workstation. Aaron’s not slowed down since then.
  • Maurice York – He’s also realizing libraries are at a turning point, and that LITA can help: “I believe that LITA is positioned to represent the potential of a responsive and flexible professional organization to play an important role in shaping the profession at this critical turning point.”

So – make sure to vote! once that packet arrives (hmm … mine hasn’t shown up yet …).

*obviously this represents my own personal viewpoint, and not the viewpoint of ALA, LITA, BIGWIG, etc, etc.*

Photo by Theresa Thompson

BIGWIG’s Social Software Showcase Presentation at ALA2008

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I am one of the presenters/conversation starters at BIGWIG’s Social Software Showcase at ALA2008. What is the Social Software Showcase, you ask? From the website: “The general idea for the BIGWIG Showcase is to highlight up-to-date technological innovations for libraries, while giving as broad an access as possible to the content and the presenters.”

So – I’ve created a screencast. Here’s what you do – watch/listen to my presentation, and then you have a few different options:

  • Come sit at my table during the actual Showcase, and we’ll chat! Show up on Saturday, June 28th at the ALA Annual Convention in the Marriott Anaheim Gold Key Rooms I-III from 1:30-3:30pm.
  • Comment now on this blog post (comment box found below)!
  • Comment on the Blip.tv version!
  • Comment on the YouTube version!

Description: Engaging your library’s local community is NOT an easy task. Engaging your library’s local DIGITAL community is even harder. This presentation introduces the concept of the experience economy and mashes that up with digital community participation and engagement. What’s that get you? A headache! No, wait… that’s the wrong answer. It REALLY gets you … Community Experience, aka the Conversation Economy.

So watch/listen to my presentation (if the version above is too small for you, go here for a 640X480 version)… and then come experience the conversation economy in action at my table at BIGWIG’s Social Software Showcase! Hope to see you there!