Conferences

If you're planning to be in Boston weekend after next for the ALA Midwinter 2010 meeting, you'll want to put a couple of dates on your calendars now for developer-related events: Saturday, January 16 Reaching Consumers through Nontraditional Methods: What Can WorldCat Do for You? An interactive panel of librarians, library users and industry leaders share strategies of how WorldCat.org helps them reach consumers, researchers, developers and partner organizations through social tools, mobile apps, APIs and more. Speakers include: • Graeme Williams, a superpatron from the Waltham Public Library • Jennifer Freidman, Collections Manager and Public Services Librarian at MIT • Roy Tennant, technologist and co-founder of the OCLC Developer Network 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 noon, Westin Waterfront, Hancock Room Identity Management and Remote Authentication: an EZproxy Q&A Get answers to your toughest authentication and proxy server questions, and hear options for how identity management might evolve. You'll learn best practices for successful EZproxy implementations, and get an update on the new hosted EZproxy option. Current and prospective EZproxy users welcome. 4:00 - 5:00 p.m., Westin Waterfront, OCLC Red Suite (ask at the hotel front desk, or follow the signs) Sunday, January 17 OCLC Developer Network Luncheon Come for lunch on us in an informal setting to hear an update about the OCLC Developer Network, see the apps already built with the WorldCat Basic API, and get the chance to brainstorm with others about new ways to enrich your users' experience with additional data. 12:00 noon - 1:30 p.m., Westin Waterfront, Webster Room OCLC Blog Salon Not just for bloggers anymore! The blog salon is open and welcome for anyone interested in "Web 2.0" kinds of stuff--from blogs and tweets to APIs, mash-ups, mobile apps and more. It's your chance to rub shoulders with other technically and social-media savvy folks, and make some new friends in a relaxed, social setting. 5:30 - 8:00 p.m., Westin Waterfront, Stone Room Register now to reserve your spot at these ALA Midwinter sessions. (For everything except the Blog Salon, which doesn't need an RSVP...just come!)

Once again, the OCLC Developer Network will be hosting a luncheon at ALA. If you're planning to be in Boston, please register for the lunch (and other OCLC events) soon because space is limited:

The OCLC Developer Network and University Libraries at the University of Washington hosted a fantastic WorldCat Mashathon earlier this month in Seattle, WA, US

If you're an information professional in Monterey, CA this week, chances are you're at Internet Librarian. And one of the great mobile-related sessions you won't want to miss this year is being hosted tomorrow by Cindy Cunningham, the Director of OCLC Partner Programs and includes a number of mobile developers. Here's the scoop: Tuesday, 27 October 1:30-2:30 pm C203 Putting Your library on a Mobile phone

• Moderator: Cindy Cunningham, Director of OCLC Partner Programs
• Greg Carpenter, CEO & Technical Lead, Boopsie, and WorldCat Mobile Pilot partner
• Bruce Washburn, OCLC Research Engineer and iPhone WorldCat Search API Web App Creator
• Jeff Sharkey, Google Android Developer, Compare Everywhere App

This demo and lively panel discussion highlights what OCLC has learned so far in reaching library users through their mobile phones. Hear from three different developers about how they approached working with WorldCat library data in the mobile format, and how each one designed the optimal user experience­it's so much more than screen size. Learn more about how to approach "going mobile" with your library, what factors to consider from the library side, and see what's possible technically.

If you're interested to attend the WorldCat Mashathon in Seattle next month, it's time to register! There are still plenty of spaces for developers and non-developers who simply want to learn more.

If you're lucky enough to be in Salt Lake City today, chances are you're at the LITA National Forum 2009. I wanted to highlight a couple of sessions that might be of interest to you, as a member of the OCLC Developer Network. Our own Bruce Washburn and CIndy Cunningham will be there, along with a host of other good speakers: Session Today Friday, Oct. 2, 4:20-5:30 pm, Alpine West, Hilton Salt Lake City Center Putting your Library on a Mobile Phone--It's More than Screen Size Cindy Cunningham (OCLC) Offering library-based information in a mobile environment is not about exporting your OPAC onto a mobile phone, and there is much more to the user experience than screen real estate. Learn about what mobile library access is really about and how to create an optimal user experience. (Note that Cindy will also be showing the WorldCat Mobile pilot, which is powered by the WorldCat Search API and the WorldCat Registry. Session Tomorrow Saturday, Oct. 3, 10:50 a.m. - noon, Alpine West, Hilton Salt Lake City Center Real Life Experiences with Library APIs Bruce Washburn (OCLC), Karen A. Coombs (University of Houston) Have you wondered just what an API is, and what it would mean to use one? Are you thinking of investing effort into building new systems that rely on APIs, or enhancing an existing service with API-provided data? Bruce Washburn will describe the APIs offered by OCLC, and how these are built to support production-level services, global availability, new markets, and web scale activity. Then, Karen Coombs of the University of Houston will discuss the evolution of the Library's use of APIs offered by OCLC in combination with other APIs and the role these currently play in extending information access for the UH community. Slides for both presentations are out on the LITA site on ALAConnect. Look forward to seeing you there!

Announcing the next WorldCat Mashathon.

Next week is the 2009 Access Conference, hosted by the University of Prince Edward Island in Charlottetown, PEI.

You might have noticed the SXSW Panelpicker image on your left. That's right, OCLC has submitted a proposal to be at SXSW Interactive, and we need your help to get selected. The topic is "Discovery, Identity and Rights: Three Deep Web Problems," and it's all about topics that might keep you up at night--authentication, authorization, and access to content not necessarily available through a standard Web search. Read the proposal for the full details--but the main idea is to make sure libraries are a part of the mainstream Web conversation at SXSW. Not going to SXSW? No problem. You're still encouraged by conference organizers to make your voice heard. Go to http://bit.ly/vuPu5 and pick the thumbs-up sign. Registration is simple--a standard e-mail confirmation bounceback, and then you can go pick the Deep Web panel (and any others that look interesting.) The selection process closes on Friday, Sept. 4, so please take a minute today/tomorrow/this week to give OCLC's proposal the "thumbs up."

Lots of discussions going on with the crew working on OCLC Web Services--everything from making our services more mobile-friendly to upcoming API enhancements to long-term vision and plans to make more APIs for more OCLC services.