Databases are my friends. Every application that I use and care about has a database built into it somewhere: digital audio workstation, video editor, address book, calendar, to-do list (don’t forget online shopping…). Important research is predicated on the analysis of databases. Increasingly, many of my favorite works of art are driven by databases. I’m inspired by civic hacking projects made possible by the open data movement.

So why is it such a pain to create and work with databases? How come we still reach for a spreadsheet when we know darn well a database would be better? Would the world be a better place if everyone databased? Has the NSA made database a dirty word? What tools do we need to make databasing more like sledding?

Come share your love/hate experiences with databases. Teach us about your favorite tools for making life with databases more fulfilling. Let’s imagine together what will replace databases as we know them.

As an instruction librarian, I have been doing a lot of experiments to try to make my classroom more interactive. Clickers and Poll Everywhere haven’t worked for me. My classes are usually very discussion-based, but in the discussion I felt my students were THINKING but not DOING, and I needed a solution!

Recently, I’ve been using a combination of google drive and bit.ly to facilitate workshop-style in-class interactivity. It has worked great, and I would love to show you how I do it!

This session will have elements of teach and play.  Bring your favorite web-based text analysis tool (i.e., virtually, of course) and share what you like, what it does well, and what you wish it did.  I’ll start with Textal.

“Getting em up” at U.S.Naval Training Camp, Seattle, Washington. Webster & Stevens., ca. 1917 – ca. 1918 (Source: thatcamp.org)

Now that I have your attention…

Greetings THATCampers!

Now is the time to start thinking about what you’d like to do or discuss at THATCamp Alabama.

From now until our THATCamp begins on August 9, you should propose one or more session ideas by logging in to the site and posting your idea(s) as a blog post. Here’s how:

• Go to alabama2013.thatcamp.org/wp-login.php, and enter your username and password to log in.
• Select Posts > Add New.
• Tell us about your idea, select “Session Proposals” and any other appropriate categories, then click “Publish” on the right.

See Propose a Session for more information about making proposals- including example proposals from other THATCamps- and more explanation about why things work this way at THATCamp.

Once posted, the proposals will appear at alabama2013.thatcamp.org/category/session-proposals/. Please read and comment on the proposals, and use the “Favorite” button to indicate which sessions you’d like to see at our THATCamp.

We’ll be posting quite a bit of logistical information on this site in the coming days, so check back for updates about workshops, parking, food, wireless access, and more. We’ll also share updates on Twitter (@THATCampAL) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/thatcampal).

Write us at thatcampal@gmail.com with any questions. We look forward to seeing you in a couple of weeks!