We are less than 24 hrs from liftoff and tomorrow looks like it is going to be a great event with lots of interesting attendees and a great slate of presentations and workshops.I’ve made a few updates to the web site to note, which will help prepare everyone for the day and guide through the schedule.

First of all there are three new pages for Workshops, Invited Presentations and Directions. These pages have lots of useful information regarding what kind of content will be covered at the event as well as how to get there. In particular take a look at the Workshops page so you can get an idea of which one you’d like to go to in the afternoon. You will note on the Directions page that the BGC is conveniently located between the B,C and 1 trains and is pretty easy to get to. Just come to 38 W 86 street and you will see us when you enter.

Secondly, take a look at the schedule to see how the day will play out. Note that there is a period for open presentations in the late morning. This period will be for people who have projects they’d like to show and get a little feedback. The presentations will be quick (3-4 minutes depending how many there are) so make sure you are prepared. We will have a sign-up sheet the day of for these open presentations.

Also, note the open meeting session, during which we will talk about how we can collaborate on Omeka projects. Come with ideas to this conversation (the bulleted list on the schedule is just suggested starting points), so that we can make it a really fruitful conversation. This is an important meeting to help enrich the NYCDH.org Omeka Group.  A number of members of the NYCDH Steering Committee will be on hand (including myself) and along with talking about how we can collaborate on Omeka projects and education in NYC we can discuss how best to use NYCDH.org as a platform to make those collaborations easier. To that end, you should join NYCDH.org before you get to the event on Wednesday, as we will talk about the platform a lot during that session.

Looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow!

The Bard Graduate Center, NYCDH.org and the Metropolitan New York Library Council are pleased to announce a day-long gathering for people in the New York City area interested in the use of the collections management software Omeka. Omeka is becoming an increasingly important tool for a wide variety of institutions interested in presenting collections online and in the creation of digital exhibitions. The tool’s ease of use and accessibility makes it a particularly useful tool for pedagogical implementations and projects at small to medium-sized institutions. As use of Omeka has spread throughout the city in libraries, universities, and museums there has been an increasing need for training, collaboration, and conversations about best practices and creative implementations of Omeka as a platform. The NYC Omeka Group on NYCDH.org (with over forty members and growing) is a useful platform to begin having conversations about how to best use Omeka, and this day at the BGC will act as an inaugural face-to-face meeting of that group.

The event will take place Wednesday, June 18, 9 am–5 pm and will include invited and open presentations as well as an open meeting to discuss how best the group might operate. Workshops will also be offered in the afternoon.

Of special note, Patrick Murray-John and Kim Nguyen, members of the Omeka development team at the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media, will be in attendance to provide insight on how best to use Omeka and what the future holds for Omeka’s development. Breakfast and lunch will be served. Please find a tentative schedule here.

This is a closed event with RSVP required at the moment, but if you are interested in attending and have not received an invitation please contact Kimon Keramidas at keramidas@bgc.bard.edu as spots are still open.