> http://eric.clst.org/C4L/FirstLook

Alas, I tried to post a comment to your First Look but I got an error upon submission. My comment is below:

  I believe your assessment is right on target.
  
  Code4Lib is mostly about community -- a community with a shared
  purpose of making computers more useful tools in the field of
  librarianship. [1] The community is a lot like an open source
  software community, and while open source software is held in
  high esteem, the community does not negate "closed" source
  software. In Code4Lib authority is often times based on the
  concept of metreocity... something or like that. Oh, I forget the
  word, but it means your worth is based on the quality of your
  output. Yes, there are a lot of inside jokes. Yes, there are a
  lot of personalities. But again, that is what you get when you
  have a community.
  
  Code4Lib has a website, a wiki, a journal, a mailing list of
  about 1000 members from all over the world, an RSS "planet", a
  conference, an IRC channel and in that channel we even have a
  robot who participates in the conversation. [2] These things did
  not happen over night. Like an organism, they grew over time.
  Instead of starting out saying, "We need this and that and the
  other thing", new venues for discussion and collaboration evolved
  as they were needed. They do not define the success of the
  organization but rather its maturity.
  
  One funny thing about the decision-making process -- we vote.
  Discuss. Discuss. Discuss. Vote. This happens regularly regarding
  conference decisions, but it also happens in the refereeing of
  journal articles (at least when I was an editor).
  
  Code4Lib is a sign of the times. It exploits the networked
  environment and yet understands that face-to-face communications
  are necessary. It is not about the organization itself or about
  keeping the organization alive and well. Instead it is about
  solving real problems -- about "scratching itches". It is
  practical, visceral, and at the same time cutting edge.
  
  [1] Code4Lib community - http://journal.code4lib.org/articles/71
  [2] All of these things are linked from http://code4lib.org/


Eric, use it in whatever way you see fit.

--
Eric Lease Morgan
Head, Digital Access and Information Architecture Department
Hesburgh Libraries, University of Notre Dame

(574) 631-8604