Computers in Libraries 2018: Day 1

I always have a mixed feeling about the annual Computers in Libraries conference. In past years, I hardly found the presentations inspiring. Many of my colleagues probably felt the same; therefore, most skipped this year. I was not planning on going either, but I changed my mind at the last minute before the discount ended. With the group rate and membership discount, the admission is quite cheap; therefore, I don’t feel so bad. Although the venue is in Arlington, Virginia, I get to get away from the office for a few days.

For the first day, I sat in most of the presentations on UX and digital presence. In the first presentation, “Creating Engaging Content Strategies for Maximum Impact,” I had no clue what the speaker what talking about. Followed by “Custom Data Rich Websites Using Information Architecture,” which is another boring talk on Drupal. After lunch, I was half zoned out on “Iterative Design: Users in Learning Object Development.” Worse was “Website Design Winners & Losers!” The title alone made me cringe.

After being fed up with boring web talks, I switched to a different track. Learning about Dash and Dot robotics for the first time excited me. It seems like an excellent way for kids to learn to code. Đạo’s birthday is coming up. I am thinking of dropping $280 on Wonder Workshop Dash & Dot Robot Wonder Pack for his present. It’s not cheap, but it is more useful than buying him Lego. With Lego, he would spend an hour or two building, but Đán and Xuân could just break it in a second.

For tomorrow, I will try to attend presentations that I don’t know anything about.