I’ve never been much of a joiner. I have some colleagues with similar interests I work with and a few internet forums I keep an eye on, but I always have trouble connecting with groups. Inside of libraryland I was trying to generate some interest in our local MLA chapter for a technology section (possibly even an academy like AHIP), and having some success. But when I repeatedly floated it to the contact at MLA (the national level) in charge of that sort of thing I could never even get a response. Well played, MLA.

Best regards,

Jason Bengtson, MLIS, MA
Head of Library Computing and Information Systems
Assistant Professor, Graduate College
Department of Health Sciences Library and Information Management
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
405-271-2285, opt. 5405-271-3297 (fax)
[log in to unmask]
http://library.ouhsc.edu
www.jasonbengtson.com

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On Mar 17, 2014, at 6:10 PM, Fleming, Declan <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Hi - I helped start the San Diego BarCamp a long time ago, and stayed active until it imploded ;)  I also go to the local Refresh when the topic is interesting.
> 
> D
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Code for Libraries [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Amy Vecchione
> Sent: Monday, March 17, 2014 12:22 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] outside of libraryland,
> 
> Local web/tech email lists are really fantastic. I'm on a couple here in Boise and there are a few benefits: when someone asks me if I know someone who can code in x, y, or z language; to learn about what people locally are doing with different languages, and general networking at their meet ups so that if I need to pull in an expert on a language to give a talk.
> 
> I found mine through meet up, or maybe someone referred me to them at some point, I am not sure, but it's useful.
> 
> Amy
> 
> Amy Vecchione, Digital Access Librarian/Assistant Professor http://works.bepress.com/amy_vecchione/
> Albertsons Library, Boise State University, L212 http://library.boisestate.edu
> (208) 426-1625
> 
> 
> On Mon, Mar 17, 2014 at 12:26 PM, Joshua Nathan Gomez <[log in to unmask]>wrote:
> 
>> +1 for local groups on Meetup.com.  In DC, I went to a couple Python
>> Meetups.  In LA, I participate with several Meetup groups for Django, 
>> Datavis, JavaScript, DevOps, etc.
>> 
>> I used to be a member of the ACM, but did not renew my membership 
>> since there was nothing of value in it for me. By working at an 
>> academic library, I can read the journals for free already.
>> 
>> Joshua Gomez
>> Library Systems Programmer
>> University of Southern California
>> 
>> ________________________________________
>> From: Code for Libraries <[log in to unmask]> on behalf of 
>> Rosalyn Metz <[log in to unmask]>
>> Sent: Monday, March 17, 2014 9:31 AM
>> To: [log in to unmask]
>> Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] outside of libraryland,
>> 
>> I've also been a part of Refresh and I loved the community.  I also 
>> used meetup.com to find some good organizations.  In Boston that's how 
>> I found CloudCamp [1] and in DC that's how I found the DC Tech Meetup [2].
>> 
>> I've also found that just by getting involved in one organization, you 
>> end up finding about so much more.  One of the first CloudCamps I went 
>> to was at Microsoft NERD [3] which has tons of events and I then began 
>> to troll their website for events that I might find interesting.  I 
>> also tried to follow folks I met at the event on Twitter, that also 
>> put me in the know about events that are going on.
>> 
>> [1] http://cloudcamp.org/
>> [2] http://www.meetup.com/DC-Tech-Meetup/
>> [3] http://microsoftnewengland.com/Events
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> On Mon, Mar 17, 2014 at 6:50 AM, Erin White <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>> 
>>> Locally I've gotten really involved with our chapter of Refresh [1] 
>>> and a User Experience meetup [2] as well as keeping up with the 
>>> events at our local coworking space [3].
>>> 
>>> I've found these groups super-helpful for connecting with other web 
>>> folks in my area, keeping up with technology, and otherwise getting 
>>> outside the bubble of libraryland. And I've been able to reach out 
>>> to the community when we are hiring for technical positions, which 
>>> has been useful in the past.
>>> 
>>> [1] http://refreshingcities.com/
>>> [2] http://www.meetup.com/RichmondUX/ [3] http://www.804rva.com/
>>> 
>>> 
>>> --
>>> Erin White
>>> Web Systems Librarian, VCU Libraries
>>> 804-827-3552 | [log in to unmask] | www.library.vcu.edu
>>> 
>>> 
>>> On Sat, Mar 15, 2014 at 6:29 PM, Amy Drayer <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>> 
>>>> Dear Nate and other Code4Libbers:
>>>> 
>>>> I was with NAGW for a while and am considering rejoining.  You can
>> check
>>>> them out at:
>>>> http://nagw.org/
>>>> 
>>>> There is a fee involved though, so if you find them a good fit your
>>>> organization might be willing to cover it.
>>>> 
>>>> In peace,
>>>> 
>>>> Amy M. Drayer, MLIS
>>>> Senior IT Specialist, Web Developer
>>>> [log in to unmask]
>>>> http://www.puzumaki.com
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>>> On Friday, March 14, 2014, Nate Hill <[log in to unmask]>
>> wrote:
>>>>> 
>>>>>> what coding and technology groups do people on this list belong to
>>> and
>>>>> find
>>>>>> valuable?
>>>>>> I'm curious about how code4lib overlaps (or doesn't) with other
>>>> domains.
>>>>>> thanks,
>>>>>> Nate
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> --
>>>>>> Nate Hill
>>>>>> [log in to unmask] <javascript:;>
>>>>>> http://4thfloor.chattlibrary.org/
>>>>>> http://www.natehill.net
>>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> --
>>>>> Cary Gordon
>>>>> The Cherry Hill Company
>>>>> http://chillco.com
>>>>> 
>>>> 
>>> 
>>