TeachMeets and Library Camps (or ‘unconferences’) have both been gaining in popularity over the last few years, as events that are slightly outside of normal conferences or staff development events. A shared factor is that they are predominantly participant driven events. TeachMeets involve short repeated sessions where participants share a teaching/presentation tip with members of the community. Library Camps bring together a community of library staff for a day. These events take place outside of work time and are free of charge. The ‘community’ of staff who gather determine the course of the day and are all full participants. How does this ‘community’ differ from main stream library conferences, and what are the factors that draw people to participate in their own time? In the last year CLIC, in conjunction with library staff in Wales, has hosted a TeachMeet and run a Library Camp; this session will talk about these kind of events and what benefits they provide to the community of library staff attending, as opposed to more traditional forms of training events.

1. Cardiff: Libraries in Co-operation
Caerdydd: Llyfrgelloedd mewn Cydweithrediad
Participant driven events:
CLIC community experience
Karen F. Pierce (Cardiff University)
Kristine Chapman (National Museum Wales)
Gemma Southgate (Cardiff University)

2. Cardiff: Libraries in Co-operation
Caerdydd: Llyfrgelloedd mewn Cydweithrediad
CLIC Members
Cardiff Metropolitan University
Cardiff Public Libraries
Cardiff University
Cardiff & Vale College
National Assembly of Wales
National Museum Wales
Royal Welsh College of Music &
Drama
University of South Wales
Welsh Government

3. Cardiff: Libraries in Co-operation
Caerdydd: Llyfrgelloedd mewn Cydweithrediad
CLIC members

4. Cardiff: Libraries in Co-operation
Caerdydd: Llyfrgelloedd mewn Cydweithrediad
Previous events held
• Customer care
• Floor-walking with
confidence
• Library tours
• Social Media / Web
2.0
• Marketing your library
• Information literacy

5. Cardiff: Libraries in Co-operation
Caerdydd: Llyfrgelloedd mewn Cydweithrediad
Previous events held (2)
• Library tours for Love your
Libraries Day
• Introduction to copyright
• Presentation skills
• Mobile technology & apps

6. Cardiff: Libraries in Co-operation
Caerdydd: Llyfrgelloedd mewn Cydweithrediad
Social media presence
@CLICLibraries
http://cliclibraries.blogspot.co.uk
CLIC Facebook account
http://www.cliclibraries.co.uk/

7. Cardiff: Libraries in Co-operation
Caerdydd: Llyfrgelloedd mewn Cydweithrediad
Participant driven events
• Feedback Forms
• Survey in 2012
And now…

8. Cardiff: Libraries in Co-operation
Caerdydd: Llyfrgelloedd mewn Cydweithrediad
Group sessions
Library camps
Gemma
Teachmeets
Karen
Twitter
Kristine

9. Cardiff: Libraries in Co-operation
Caerdydd: Llyfrgelloedd mewn Cydweithrediad

10. Cardiff: Libraries in Co-operation
Caerdydd: Llyfrgelloedd mewn Cydweithrediad
Learning from experience
Cardiff Teachmeet 2013
Library Camp Wales 2014
Twitter use at CLIC events and beyond

11. Cardiff: Libraries in Co-operation
Caerdydd: Llyfrgelloedd mewn Cydweithrediad
Teachmeets – pre event
• Organise in advance to allow it to be
participant driven
• Pitching – via email or a wiki rather than
on the day

12. Cardiff: Libraries in Co-operation
Caerdydd: Llyfrgelloedd mewn Cydweithrediad
Teachmeets – on the day
• Guiding event but
participant driven
• Informal sessions
• Moving around
• Voting for best
presentation

13. Cardiff: Libraries in Co-operation
Caerdydd: Llyfrgelloedd mewn Cydweithrediad
Library camps – pre event
• Team collaboration
• More work than you might
expect!
• Finding your participants

14. Cardiff: Libraries in Co-operation
Caerdydd: Llyfrgelloedd mewn Cydweithrediad
Library camps – on the day
• Team collaboration/being
ready to fill the gaps
• Pitching
• Guiding but participant
driven
• Principle of ‘open space’
events

15. Cardiff: Libraries in Co-operation
Caerdydd: Llyfrgelloedd mewn Cydweithrediad
Icebreakers & prizes
• Human bingo
• Speed networking
• Design your own
badge
• Best cake

16. Cardiff: Libraries in Co-operation
Caerdydd: Llyfrgelloedd mewn Cydweithrediad
Twitter – pre event
• Gathering participants
• Advertising / creating
a buzz
• Starting to form a
community

17. Cardiff: Libraries in Co-operation
Caerdydd: Llyfrgelloedd mewn Cydweithrediad
Twitter – on the day
• Sharing sessions with non
participants
• Interactive within and
without
• Temporary community &
new contacts

18. Cardiff: Libraries in Co-operation
Caerdydd: Llyfrgelloedd mewn Cydweithrediad
Twitter – post event
• Networking post
event
• Gathering tweets (e.g.
Storify)

19. Cardiff: Libraries in Co-operation
Caerdydd: Llyfrgelloedd mewn Cydweithrediad
Tips, suggestions, questions
Photo credits: thanks to Sarah Barker, Kristine Chapman, Karen Pierce, Gemma Southgate

20. Cardiff: Libraries in Co-operation
Caerdydd: Llyfrgelloedd mewn Cydweithrediad
Contact details
Karen F. Pierce - @Darklecat
PierceKF@Cardiff.ac.uk
Kristine Chapman - @KrisWJ
Kristine.Chapman@Museumwales.ac.uk
Gemma Southgate – @Gemma_DS
SouthgateGD1@Cardiff.ac.uk