This is a slightly different topic, but relates to Kelley's post: Does
code4lib have a mentor program where more inexperienced geeks can pair up
with someone to guide their development? I don't have anyone like that in
my network, but would really like to. I don't mean to discount the existing
resources on code4lib or this list, which both have been very useful. I'm
sure I could just start by attending some of the conferences, but for more
inexperienced people they can be a bit intimidating, albeit inspiring.

It would also be a way to directly engage minorities.

Just a thought.

Nathan


On Tue, Nov 27, 2012 at 6:20 PM, Kelley McGrath <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> I'll second the idea of approaching people individually and explicitly
> asking them to participate. It worked on me. I never would have written my
> first article for the Code4Lib Journal or become a member of the editorial
> committee if someone hadn't encouraged me individually (Thanks Jonathan!).
>
> It would also be good to find a way to somehow target the pool of lurkers
> who maybe aren't already connected to someone and get them more involved.
>
> As far as anonymous proposals go, we recently had a very good workshop on
> implicit bias here. Someone brought up that found significant changes in
> the gender proportions in symphony orchestras after candidates started
> auditioning behind screens. There are also lots of studies about the
> different responses to the same resume/application depending on whether a
> stereotypically male/female or white/black name was used. Probably it's
> impossible to make proposals completely anonymous, but it would be an
> interesting experiment to leave off the names.
>
> Kelley
>
> PS Interestingly, I wouldn't instinctively self-identify as a member of
> the Code4Lib community, although my first thought is that that has more to
> do with not being a coder than with being a woman.
>
>
> **************************
> Kelley McGrath
> Metadata Management Librarian
> University of Oregon Libraries
> 1299 University of Oregon
> Eugene, OR 97403
>
> 541-346-8232
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>