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Internet Librarian Topics 1997-2009

As suggested by Kathy Dempsey, author of The Accidental Library Marketer and one of the fine bloggers at The ‘M’ Word – Marketing Libraries blog, here is a collection of Wordles based on the final program for each of the Internet Librarian conferences from 1997 to 2009.

In the course of compiling this information I was struck, once again, by how far we have come. Currently the Internet Librarian and Computers in Libraries conference programs are published using XML and XLST so if we make a change to a session title or description or a speaker’s bio, its pushed out in the XML file and instantly the site s up to date everywhere that information is used. Going back in time for this information was like an archeological dig through the the history of web development all the way back to the days before CSS and to when ITI hand coded the entire program in plain HTML.

When it comes to working with data on the web, there were no “good old days” to look back on with fondness in my opinion.

As requested, here are the source files I used – minus the year seedings: ILWordleSourcefiles.zip

For a full size animation of the sort below, visit Internet Librarian Through the Years.

Year by Year

More About Internet Librarian 2005

To read other blog coverage and see some great photos, use the "IL05" tag in Technorati and Flickr. Or click through the blogs of more than 20 bloggers who reported on the conference.

To help you review what you learned at the conference, Bill Spence, our CTO, has already posted a few speakers’ presentations on the Internet Librarian web site. Many more will be up shortly.

Nancy Garman
ITI, ngarman@infotoday.com
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It’s A Wrap!

Hundreds of Internet librarians returned to offices around the country this week, energized and challenged by what we heard at Internet Librarian 2005.

It’s impossible to capture the conference buzz in a few short notes (you’ll have to read this blog and all the others for that), but here are just a few random stand-out thoughts:
– Google was present and part of the conversation, unlike past events where they were talked about and not there. Adam Smith accepted all the Google-bashing with good humor and shared some thinking from inside the Googleplex.
– Continuous partial attention, mentioned by Liz Lawley in her Tuesday keynote has come repeatedly to mind as I multi-task my way through the work on my desk this week.
– Young, enthusiastic librarians who are proud and excited about what they are doing! The cheers and spontaneous rounds of applause during various sessions were contagious.
– Connected attendees, speakers, and bloggers as evidenced by people perched with open laptops all over the place; often the most prized seats were near the power outlets and having wifi was terrific!
– Keynote speakers, beginning with Lee Rainie and ending with Stephen Abram, were awesome and though-provoking. Those who left early and missed Stephen will know better next time!

That’s it — your Internet Librarian fix for the year. Mark your calendar for October 23-25, 2006, again in Monterey!

Nancy Garman
ITI, ngarman@infotoday.com
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