TEACH MEETS, UNCONFERENCES and Exchange of Experience events provide opportunities to share good practice and to discuss issues, problems and potential solutions. They are largely informal events which encourage active participation from attendees. They facilitate networking, as attendees are sharing these experiences with those from outside their workplace. Attendees are able to gain an insight into different sectors and roles, due to the variety of topics covered. Such events offer a number of development opportunities, ranging from attendance through to organizing an event.

These types of events have gained momentum amongst the LKS community in recent years as an inexpensive means of bringing together likeminded people to discuss new approaches, share ideas and solve problems. The format of these events can overlap and it can be difficult to clearly identify differences between them. They often consist of a mixture of informal and formal sessions. Table 53.1 gives a brief overview of each of the formats but none of them are set in stone and they are interchangeable. The guiding principle for all of them is that attendees are given as many opportunities as possible to contribute and to engage with each other.

Exchanges of Experience, TeachMeets and Unconferences are an effective and inexpensive way, given the emphasis on informality, to enable sharing of experience and networking of colleagues locally across the various sectors. They offer a convenient opportunity to meet up with colleagues outside (expensive) conferences or other large-scale training events (Tumelty, Kuhn and Birkwood, 2012). With no big-name speakers there is a greater sense of collaboration and a level playing field, removing hierarchies and the idea of learning from experts (Lawson, 2014).

The knowledge/skills gained from the sessions can immediately be put into practice by attendees or followed up with speakers to find out more if needed. They support continuing professional development for the organizers as well as the attendees, and the welcoming and accessible format of these events can be a supportive environment to encourage first time presenters (Tumelty, Kuhn and Birkwood, 2012). The quotes below are from one of the organizers and two attendees at LibraryCamp and demonstrate the development value of such events. LibraryCamp is a UK-based unconference which has been running since 2011.