45
edits
Changes
Adding Fail4lib preconference proposal
* Note: this workshop will be tailored as a follow-on to the morning's RailsBridge Intro to Ruby on Rails workshop, but everyone is welcome
* Duration: half-day, afternoon
=== DPLA Intro/Hacking ===
This is a stub proposal entered solely to beat the submission deadline. I think there's be sufficient interest in this session, but only thought of it yesterday and haven't had time to coordinate with actual DPLA'ers and confirm that any of them are definitely coming.
=== Fail4lib ===
* Jason Casden, NCSU Libraries (jmcasden at ncsu.edu)
The Code4lib community is full of driven people who embrace the risks that are often associated with new projects. While these traits lead to the incredible projects that are presented at Code4lib, creative technical work also often leads to unexpected, vexing, or disappointing results even from eventually successful projects (however you define the term). Learning more about how our colleagues deal with failure in various contexts could lead to the development of better methods for communicating the value of productive failure, modifying project plans ("The Pivot"), and failing more cheaply.
Hopefully we can define the format as a group, but a fairly high level of participation is crucial if this is to be a worthwhile preconference. Some possible agenda items that could be mixed and matched to fill the afternoon:
# Given willing presenters, a series of 10-20 minute presentations that go into some depth about specific failures.
# Depending on the number of participants, either a multi- or single-track series of unconference-like themed discussions on various aspects of failure, possibly including themes like:
## Technical failure
## Failure to effectively address a real user need
## Overinvestment
## Outreach/Promotion failure
## Design/UX failure
## Project team communication failure
## Missed opportunities (risk-averse failure)
## Successes gleaned from failures
# A panel of participants who have prepared in advance to answer moderator and audience questions about their experience with failure.
# A prepared reading assignment that we could all forget to read, creating a shared fail in order to start the preconference on the right foot.
I'll serve as a moderator (if needed) and participant and would welcome more organizers. I am happy to be outvoted by participants on any of these points--I just want to get us talking about our screw-ups, blind spots, and anvils dropping from the sky.
==Half Day Evening==
