Hi Krista, First, IANAMIP -- I Am Not a Museums Informatics Professional -- so I'll let actually working professionals address your good and thoughtful questions. (For what it is worth, I enjoyed #MW2014 and we'll be attending/presenting at #MCN2014. Both are our firsts for any LAM professional conferences.)
I will, however, provide a counterpoint "bug in your ear" that may be comparable to the pool-side conversation that Dustin Hoffman had in "The Graduate" when a well-meaning family member whispered, "Plastics" into his ear in hope of bringing an opportunity to his new-grad attention. My words would be "Citizen Science/History" and I will point you to Mia Ridge's identification of what she's calling the Participatory Commons or Participatory History Commons as an emerging phenomena that will either disrupt and energize or just energize your professional domain in the years to come. (See Mia Ridge's companion post to her keynote at the 'Sharing is Caring' conference: http://goo.gl/2EXD6g) While attending professional conferences is a good and important activity for the "emerging professional," so too is seeking out collaborative opportunities to "just do it" between those times when you get to go to those exciting professional conferences that are so good at pumping you up with new knowledge and new network connections to further your career. I believe that the "na?ve new kid on the block" aspect of grassroots Citizen Science/History projects -- like The Softalk Apple Project (www.SoftalkApple.com) and its 'pay it forward' spawn, the www.FactMiners.org Open Source developers community -- are part of a Grand "Petri Dish" Incubator of museum research and education innovation as the #LODLAM World emerges. I think Citizen Scientists will be a source of LAM research innovation because -- while we don't know what we don't know -- many of us also have years, maybe decades, or a life dedicated to developing some skills and knowledge that brings fresh eyes -- to ask new and different questions -- along with fresh insights about conceptual or technical solutions to problems that vex those who continue to look at a problem from the point of view of a "museum person." So while I will be the first to encourage you to listen to the wise counsel of those who actually know what they are talking about, I would be remiss if I didn't mosey up near you and whisper, "Citizen Science/History" in your emerging professional's ear. :-) BTW, if you are looking for a super-innovative project to sink your post-doc teeth into, check out The Softalk Apple Project and FactMiners.org. :-) :-) Happy-Healthy Vibes to All, --Jim Salmons-- (and Timlynn Babitsky, too) Twitter: @Jim_Salmons, @TimlynnBabitsky, @FactMiners, @Softalk_Apple www.FactMiners.org www.SoftalkApple.com -----Original Message----- From: mcn-l-bounces at mcn.edu [mailto:mcn-l-boun...@mcn.edu] On Behalf Of Godfrey, Krista (2013) Sent: Monday, July 21, 2014 12:34 PM To: mcn-l at mcn.edu Subject: [MCN-L] Heritage & Museum shows and conferences 2015 I wonder if the people on here could recommend to me the best shows to visit during 2015 relating to museums and heritage? As a postgraduate researcher, I am particularly interested in innovations around social media and crowdsourcing that this community are investigating or actively involved with so would welcome any suggestions for appropriate shows or conferences to attend as part of my research. Many thanks for your valuable help. Krista? Postgraduate Research Student Royal Holloway, University of London
