Hey Roy, get a life.

Did OCLC put co-option of code4lib in your performance review for 2009?

Hey, anon, how about some courtesy, not to mention some fact-checking?

Roy isn't co-opting code4lib; he's been a valued colleague there for years.

Dorothea—you don't belong to code4lib, since you acted in an unwelcome fashion there and were shunned accordingly. Oh wait, you left. Right.

How about enabling comments over on your site, Winer of the library world?

Roy's a big boy—think he can speak to OCLC's desire to act like Microsoft and assert dominance over an informal organization. Follow the money on the code4libcon Google group .


Roy Tennant
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More options Jul 14, 6:01 pm
I'd like to ask OCLC to support Code4Lib Conference as it has in the past,
but before doing so it would be helpful to establish sponsorship levels. I
dug back through my email to find what we did for 2007 (below), but I can't
find something similar for 2008 and i believe we did something different.
Perhaps partly because I don't think we got anyone at the "Platinum" level.
Does anyone remember what we did for 2008? And what should we do for this
year?
Roy
Bronze (under $2500) - Name in program as a bronze sponsor, name on t-shirt,
acknowledgement from the podium
Silver ($2500-$4999) - Name in program as a silver sponsor, small logo on
t-shirt, acknowledgement from the podium
Gold ($5000-$7499) - Name in program as a gold sponsor, medium logo on
t-shirt, acknowledgement from the podium at the opening and closing of the
conference, 1 free conference registration
Platinum ($7500 and above) - Name in program as a platinum sponsor, large
logo on t-shirt, acknowledgement from the podium at the opening and closing
of the conference, 2 free conference registrations, opportunity to include
handout in the registration packet

<p>Yes, that's a fair assessment of what happened; that doesn't, however, mean I oppose code4lib or appreciate efforts to undermine it.</p><p>As for comments on Caveat Lector, I have repeatedly explained why I don't have them. Happily, your behavior is reinforcing the reasoning behind my decision.</p><p>I'll let Roy discuss the money angle, as I am not competent to do so, but from an observer's standpoint, I don't really see a problem. Conferences cost money; sponsors have money but expect a return in publicity and community goodwill. Is that so shocking?</p>

To recap your points:

You're affirming a community that you left.

You post comments elsewhere, but don't allow them on your own site. Awesome, hypocrisy. Even Winer learned that lesson.

Money's not the problem. Let's say that HP sponsored DSpace development (oh wait, they do). Let's say that OCLC and code4lib is about as awesome as DSpace plus HP.

Whoa, anon, this is completely uncalled for, Roy is as close to a saint as we library tech types are ever likely to get, and code4lib is a loose collective rather than a dogma-driven group that goes around shunning people, least of all Dorothea, who has been anthemic in pointing out shortfalls in both technology and group behaviors. I am not always happy with OCLC's policies but big organizations often have problems changing direction quickly, and hiring Roy and Andrew is a good sign, plus the research group at OCLC is a natural for participating in code4lib gatherings, sort of like a library version of Bell Labs. Surely OCLC's long-standing sponsorship of the conference is a good sign as well, they were there when the conference was started and that would have been hard to imagine if spreadsheets were the only thing guiding the decision-making.

Readers would do well to note that Roy's boldly anonymous commenter does not represent code4lib; no one person does.

OCLC participation=fine
OCLC as largest code4lib sponsor=death
Roy as technologist=great
Roy as OCLC shill=shame for LJ and code4lib
Roy=saint, or Joe of Arc since leaving CDL?
Dorothea=court fool of the library world

Art: aren't you on strike or something? And Bell Labs turned into Lucent, last time I checked. Uncanny parallel.

I'm not feeding trolls today, but I would like to say that I'm pretty psyched about these regional code4lib groups. I'd love to see forums where we could get together more often, without all the travel overhead. National code4lib is awesome, of course, but I think smaller regional groups could lead to some pretty cool local partnerships.

Speaking strictly for myself, I find C4L a great community, and Roy is one of the reasons it is. It's cool to see C4L spawn regional groups and it's even cooler that Roy gave these initiatives some Google love.

Hey Bess - ahem, "international code4lib" please :)

Hey Roy, what does OCLC think about code4lib?

Dan Scott: d'oh! And I started my library career in Canada, even! Oh, how quickly the US assimilates Canadian transplants. Resistance is futile, eh?

I think what OCLC says about Code4Lib meetings is pretty obvious by their sponsorship of the events. They think they are a good idea and worthy of support. And there is no vast conspiracy in play here. 1. OCLC sponsors the event, everyone knows that that means. (Aren't you the one that posted in a previous comment what the sponsorship levels mean?) 2. Sponsorship does not equate to control of the program. Hell, we /all/ vote on what is included in the program: location, keynotes and talks.

the community voted the ridiculous Ohio location down, so it does know what sponsorship is, indeed.

Isn't Ohio the state that doesn't know the difference between a business and a non-profit cooperative?

from thingology:
So, why hasn't someone take away OCLC's non-profit status?

I Googled it up, and discovered that someone DID! In 1984 Ohio state courts stripped OCLC of it's charitable status on those very grounds:
“

xkcd dot com slash three eight six is anon's last word.......

Someday this war's gonna end....

1736 POPE Works IV. 235 A compleat Key to the What d'ye call it. Anon

This is so funny. I imagined that this would be one of the least controversial posts I've ever written. I mean, like who knew? You have to love the world -- what surprises await us!

Does anybody besides me find it the tenor of the comments of anon disconcerting? There was apparently some kind of serious threats made against an Autocat subscriber recently, and though the details aren't known to me, I suspect based on what I observed and experienced in that forum that it might have been a disgruntled cataloger directed toward one of the few remaining proponents (on Augocat) of paradigm change in the cataloging/library automation arena. I'm worried that some of those who have decided to be enemies of the wave of changes afoot in the world of library automation are going beyond heated discussion and are now involved in, at the least, personal character attacks both openly and under the cloak of anonymity. I'd suggest LJ consider preserving the ip address of anon in case it is needed in the future.

Seems like it's easier to criticize the person than the message.

OCLC is using Roy and its money to influence a loose collective in the process of expanding.

Allen, are you affiliated with OCLC? Seems like your IP address would show that.

From: "Roy Tennant" <roytennant@gmail.com>
Date: September 2, 2008 8:20:35 PM EDT
To: code4libcon@googlegroups.com
Subject: OCLC comes through again
Reply-To: code4libcon@googlegroups.com


I just received word that Jay Jordan approved sponsoring the Code4lib
Conference at the $7,500 level. On to Providence!
Roy

Readers, once more, would do well to note that the code4lib conference is planned via completely democratic processes. Sponsors have no special ability to influence the conference beyond having their names placed on the back of a T-shirt and getting a one-page ad inserted within the conference folder. The community, not the sponsors, decide on the location, the keynoters, and all prepared talks for the conference.

And no, I am not, have not been, and do not intend to be affiliated with OCLC; I am merely a member of the code4lib community who tires of baseless claims.

Anon, I realize you're posting just for kicks -- and, though I hate to give you the satisfaction, that's fine! -- but I wanted folks to know the truth about the role sponsors play in code4lib.

mccain(roy)-feingold(mjg) act desperately needed, news at 11

Whoa!
I agree with RoyT. Who woulda guessed this post would get such a vituperative response?

RoyT's new role: lightning rod!

Nothing to say. Just wanted to push this into the lead of MOST COMMENTED ON posts.

I'm glad to see at least a few people (Bess and KGS) have actually commented on the regional groups instead of this OCLC "controversy." I's like to say I really like the idea of these regional groups as well and I hope more of these groups pop up. I know there are some independent local technical services librarian groups such as NYTSL (www.nytsl.org) do a great job, so I am confident that regional code4lib groups will do a good job as well.