Miskatonic University PressI submitted a testimonial about the annual Access conference about libraries and technology:
The first time I went to Access was 2006 in Ottawa. I was one year out of library school. I was unemployed. I paid my own way. I didn’t want to miss it. Everyone I admired in the library technology world was going to be there. They were excited about it, and said how much they loved the conference every year. When I got there, the first morning, I thought, “These are my people.” I left admiring a lot of new acquaintances. Every year I go, I feel the same way and the same thing happens.
All true, every word. (That conference was where Dan Chudnov and I chatted over a glass of wine, which made it all the better.)
Here’s more reason why I like Access: the 2015 conference is in Toronto next week, and I’m running a hackfest about turning data into music. This is what my proposal looked like:
I emailed them a JPEG. They accepted the proposal. That’s my kind of conference.
I also have to mention the talk Adam Taves and I did in Winnipeg at Access 2010: After Launching Search and Discovery, Who Is Mission Control?. “A Tragicomedy in 8 or 9 Acts.” It’s a rare conference where you can mix systems librarianship with performance art.
But of all the write-ups I’ve done of anything Access-related, I think 2009’s DIG: Hackfest, done about Cory Doctorow when I was channelling James Ellroy, is the best:
Signs: “Hackfest.” We follow. People point. We get to the room. There are people there. They have laptops. They sit. They mill around. They stand. They talk. “Haven’t seen you since last year. How’ve you been?”
Vibe: GEEK.
Cory Doctorow giving a talk. No talks at Hackfest before. People uncertain. What’s going on? Cory sitting in chair. Cory working on laptop. Cory gets up. Paper with notes scribbled on it. He talks about copyright. He talks about freedom. He talks about how copyright law could affect US.
He vibes geek. He vibes cool.