Hello all,

At the encouragement of one of our attendees, I'd like to share an events
model that we have been using with success over at the regional code4lib
nyc group.

*code & coffee - model*
- Our group meets over Zoom the first or second Friday of each month at
12pm EDT for around 60 minutes (announcements shared through METRO
<https://metro.org/events>)
- The structure is relatively free-form, with round-robin introductions
where attendees include an update on a technical project they are working
on and/or ask for advice on a project (generally while in the planning
phase of a new project)
- There is a call facilitator, but usually the conversation flows pretty
organically

*observations*
- We have a core group of perhaps 10 regulars who attend as their schedule
allows, with new attendees regularly joining, including library school
students
- The model seems to work best with 6-10 attendees, because there is time
for everyone to do introductions and have more in-depth conversations about
a few topics that interest the group
- Our Zoom meetups naturally expanded to include a monthly in-person
meetup, when an organizer stepped forward from our Zoom group to coordinate

If you are thinking about organizing a code4lib-related-meetup, or even a
more general community coding meetup for your library/place of work,
consider this model! It's low-lift and not too stressful. I adopted this
model from elsewhere, and have found it friendly for people at all levels
of coding ability.

Best,
Esther

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Esther Marie Jackson | [log in to unmask]
Scholarly Communication Technologies Librarian
Columbia University Libraries

Meet with me <https://calendar.app.google/qWuaDcqhrJa4ubuf8>