[OPEN-ILS-GENERAL] Change of role

[K.G. Schneider]

Hi, I wanted to go on the lists directly and let the Evergreen community
know that I've had what I call a "role change" with Evergreen. After three
years in Florida I am moving my family back to Northern California, where I
will be director of the library at Holy Names University. This all happened
fairly quickly, but for a variety of reasons it is very clearly the right
direction for me and for my family. 

This is an exciting time for me personally, but one that's a little sad. I
have had some great experiences working at Equinox and working with the
Evergreen community. It's a very exciting time to be part of the general
"rethinking" that is going on with respect to library technology. I have had
many fulfilling moments, from the tremendously successful first-ever
conference to the strong success of the DIG. I think the most important
thing I've witnessed is that the Evergreen community, as it flourishes, is
developing a voice and a direction, and I would strongly encourage you to be
intentional and strategic about how you shape both.

For the DIG folks, you have two wonderful community voices, Shannon Dineen
and Karen Collier, who have offered themselves as facilitators (if no one
has stepped up to object, it would seem to me that they have been appointed
or anointed or whatever), and Jason Etheridge from Equinox will be playing a
stronger community role. That "public-private partnership" is key, an
opinion shaped by many conversations I have had with leaders in the wider
open source community. Documentation is too big and too important for both
cohorts, community and vendors, not to invest resources into. We've all seen
that we cannot simply expect documentation to just "happen," particularly
not well-maintained, centralized documentation, and I think we all
understand its importance, not only for current users but as part of the
openness and transparency that open source champions. 

As for the next Evergreen conferences, I was thrilled to be a part of the
planning meeting in Grand Rapids earlier this week, and I know that the
Austin group has already reached out to them. To create a conference is to
build community, in so many ways. I know the conferences will go great, and
I have to say that the Amway hotel in Grand Rapids is one of the loveliest
conference venues I've ever experienced-an absolute steal. Enjoy it! 

You have some work ahead, but the cool part is you know some of the details
of that work. You know Evergreen needs a neutral third-party legal entity,
representative of the community at large, to protect its assets, raise funds
for collective activities, and speak as one for the project. You know you
need documentation. You know the website and the wiki need to be replaced
with an online presence that is professional, functional, and fosters user
engagement. There will be other things you realize that you need, and that
will all be part of the process. 

I consider myself having moved into the roles of "community librarian
emeritus" and a friend and member of the Evergreen community. Naturally, in
the months ahead I am going to have to focus on the needs of my family and
my new job, but I'd like to continue to be a resource, and when I have
something to say, I will definitely say it.

Thank you for allowing me to be part of your world!

K.G. Schneider
Free Range Librarian
kgs at freerangelibrarian.com
http://freerangelibrarian.com