This past week I attended my first (and probably last) EndUser conference, the user group for what used to be Endeavor products. Quick historical summary: Francisco Partners, a technology venture capital firm, last year bought out both Ex Libris and Endeavor and selected the Ex Libris management and name to continue. So, it is not clear at this time whether or not there will be another EndUser conference. It’s not likely, however.
A major issue for this conference was to make public the plans for conjoining the various user groups for Ex Libris and Endeavor products and discussing future plans for organization and product development. At the same time the conference provided an opportunity to mark the passing of one company and family of products and a particular user group culture as well. That having been said, however, I believe that both the Endeavor Users Group (EUG) and the Ex Libris Users of North America (ELUNA) can strengthen each other. I hope that something new and important is given the time and space to grow.
On the one hand, it is clear to me that ELUNA could benefit from a bit of the spirit and enthusiasm of EUG, along with a spot of informality. ELUNA leaders should also take a few conference planning notes from the EUG play book: Meet in a hotel, select locations that can support a conference of approximately 1,000 people and that are easy to get to,
On the other hand, EUG folks need to relax on the issue of annual dues, as this option provides more independence from the vendor, and $150 is not that much. It will also help the membership to move the conference around the country.
Both groups need to understand that the enhancement processes of both groups are broken; one is no better than the other. On one level, a process that is based on simple voting will lead to the identification of the lowest common denominator solutions that ultimately miss strategic opportunities and tend to focus endlessly on picayune details. No one is served well in the long term by this type of process. On another level, it is important to recognize that neither deans or directors nor board or steering committee members have an exclusive corner on strategic issues or efficient operations. So, I earnestly hope that the combined organization can work out a more streamlined technique that serves small and large libraries alike.
The conference did include a plentiful opportunity to learn about existing and new products, to discover how users have solved specific problems, and to engage in that all-important networking.
