In spite of the push, the crash, the new to-do list, and the need to prioritize, I left conference, as I often do, feeling like there had been a major shift in the pulse around WebJunction. It’s quick, and strong, and more pervasive. A few highlights:
Our member reception on Friday hosted more members and visitors (over 400!) than ever before. We thought WJ PEZ were gonna be the life of this party, and although they were extremely popular, it was the people that really made the evening. 
The room was ABUZZ with all kinds of networking, fresh ideas, and new connections and it was a great way to start the conference festivities. Cindi Hickey, Kathy Graybeal, and Brenda Hough were all honored by the community (your picks!) for their outstanding work helping library staff use WJ and make it a better place for everyone. Cindy told me later that it was one of the best things that had ever happened to her and it made me proud to be a part of her accomplishments, and proud to be a part of the community she and others have helped us build over these last five years!
Community Partners gathered for a full day on Tuesday to meet – many of them – for the first time face to face after working together for four years on our Community Partner program. We talked in detail about the learning and content management needs for our communities, and talked about how to balance all the things we’d like to do with all the things we’re actually able to do within our restraints. We also spent a lot of time talking about the experiences our members have on the site, and how we can improve that and make it even more useful and engaging for them. Only one of our partners (IL) was not able to join – we missed you Dawne and Lisa!
BlogSalon, as always, was a great opportunity to connect face to face with our colleagues in the biblioblogosphere, and we were also honored to be represented by Michael at the BIGWIG social networking showcase (most popular session at ALA they say!). Add to that WJ appearances at CLENE, a number of focus groups, our 150 Rural librarians as honored guests, the Spanish/REFORMA reception, and the multiple programs and sessions, and … I swear … we’ve only scratched the surface. I’m going to stop myself from recounting it all.
In true WJ fashion, I’m happy to report that some of the energy and excitement we tapped into at ALA is back here in the office as we begin to follow round to how ALA has changed things for us. I’m even more excited to report that it has already turned over into longer lasting and more useful to more people – content and community on the site, especially in our Rural Libraries area (check it out!).
My own contribution to getting this work online? Well, it’s still in the works, but I’m working with a few colleagues (Michael Sauers, Cindi Trainor, and Michael Porter) to create a series (likely in podcast) of interviews with library/technology pioneers – the library luminaries as we like to call them – to help us tell the stories and the successes on which we’re building our current work in social networking, community building, and the participatory web.
The critics say we’re amateurs, but … I’m increasingly very convinced that (at least in our profession) we are very connected to and inspired by the library/technology pioneers who made the way for us to do this work. We’re interested in telling and broadcasting their stories – perhaps so that more of us can connect to and learn from them – but also so that we can make the case that we’re not a bunch of crazy kids trying to turn the world upside down. That, and we’re not the first people to think of or try this stuff. It’s simply iterative, and evolving, and dependent on the successes and even failures of those who tried and experimented with technology to make connections and improve library service a long time ago. Yes, even before I was born! Stay tuned…