ALA has finally got a blog post up about the privacy initiative that is part of the driving force behind the panel discussion today.
Category: ala
Blogging the ALA Privacy Panel
I was invited to be a blogger for the Privacy: Is it Time for a Revolution? panel happening this Sunday from 1:30-3:00 in room 201D at the convention center. Speakers will be Cory Doctorow, Dan Roth from Wired, and Beth Givens, the director of the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. This is supposed to be a “debate” but I really sort of think it’s mostly going to be a discussion of the erosion of the idea of privacy and what librarians are or should be doing about it. I’m looking forward to hearing it all three of these speakers have years (decades?) of experience and sharp minds. Cory I know is an engaging and at times provocative speaker.
I’m assuming they got some grant money for this, because I got a very slick looking concept paper about the idea with a lot of good backgrounder information (email me if you’d like me to send you a copy) and they ponied up money for a domain: PrivacyRevolution.org. Unfortunately, the domain has been parked at GoDaddy until pretty much today, so my blogging about it is going to be minimal since I’m getting on a plane in 12 hours and will have minimal net access until sometime Friday. There is a survey there that I encourage you to take.
You can also follow their twitter stream and they will be following the Librarian Society of the World Meebo chatroom. I’ve offered to pose some questions to the panelists from people who can’t be there [i.e. you, dear readers] though I’m a little worried this is late in the game for anyone heading to ALA. In any case, if there is a privacy-and-librarians topic that you are dying to ask a question about to these panelists, please put it in the comments here and I’ll be happy to do my best. Jenny Levine is the other guest blogger so stay tuned here and there for more information about this as it comes in.
My ALA – Anaheim version
Walt says what I’d be saying if I were even at the “Hey I’m going to ALA” post yet.
See you in Anaheim? Say Hi. I’m terrible with names and still an introvert, but I’m almost always approachable and ready to chat. And if I seem to be in a hurry…that’s just the way I walk, and shouldn’t carry any deeper meaning.
I’ll be at ALA starting from Friday sometime to Sunday late or Monday sometime. I am pretty much not available for one-on-one hangout mealtime but I really like running into people and finding ways to sort of co-conference.
After cycling off of Council I swore I wouldn’t work at another ALA conference unless someone paid my way. So, I’m presenting on a panel with Louise Alcorn on Saturday and MaintainIT is footing the bill. I’m getting day passes for Saturday and Sunday (blogging a panel then) and not registering for the conference which I can get away with because I’m not technically a librarian and not an ALA member anymore. I anticipate trouble.
Anyhow, here is my schedule. Please say hi if you see me. I’ll have my cell phone on me, ping me if you’d like the number, or it’s on facebook.
Thursday
– arrive LA, dinner/stay with high school pal
Friday
– get to Anaheim somehow [anyone want to give me a ride? late morning?]
– Mover & Shaker lunch maybe (unlikely actually)
– dinner with Macee from MeFi
Saturday
– my panel, 10:30-12
– MetaFilter meetup
– late night facebook meetup maybe
Sunday
– ALA Privacy Panel 1-3 Room 201D (I’m blogging, not participating)
– OCLC Blogger thing @ Hilton, Palisades room
Monday
– get to LAX (share a shuttle, anyone?) fly home at noon
I’m staying with Louise Alcorn at the Disneyland Hotel, lord help us. Anyone else staying there?
quickie plug for an ALA event
Hi there. I’m heading down to RILA this rainy morning but I wanted to mention for those of you who are ALA-bound and looking for activities, my pal Kim Cooper [from SaveLAPL fame] will be leading a full-day Raymond Chandler bus tour heading through Los Angeles on Tuesday July 1st. More details on the website. I’m leaving the day before otherwise this is a bus I would be on.
This tour will dig deep into Chandler’s life and his fiction in downtown Los Angeles, featuring stops at the Oviatt Building, Lady in The Lake’s Treloar Building, the Barclay Hotel (aka The Van Nuys, site of the icepick murder in The Little Sister), Bunker Hill and Union Station.
bring your favorite mug or water bottle to ALA
I’m not going to ALA. As I mentioned before, I’m not a member and Philadelphia in January is not my idea of a good time. However, I do stay in touch with many ALA-ers and Monika Antonelli brought this Task Force of the Environment Campaign “Cup by Cup for a Greener ALA” It’s very very simple
- Bring a reusable cup to Midwinter
- Fill it with a favorite beverage
- Raise your cup and tell colleagues how you are helping the planet
- Drink, repeat & support TFOE-SRRT efforts toward a sustainable ALA.
One of the things that is distressing about having these big destination events is the huge amounts of waste that are generated. Council alone prints up tons of paper documents that were already distributed electronically, many of which are recycled (hopefully) or thrown out (likely) right after the meeting.
Even conscientious librarians who might bring their meals if they were just going to work wind up buying bottled water and packaged snacks because they’re trapped in the wasteland that is vast convention centers. Spend a little bit of time beforehand this year and try to pack a travel mug, a few powerbars or some fruit, your own pen and notebook, and maybe some teabags or Emergen-C that can keep you from spending time, money and resources just keeping yourself fed, hydrated and in prime note taking shape. Enjoy yourselves.