How can I find the MarcEdit user community in my area?

That is a fabulous question.  One of the challenges working with a user community that is so geographically dispersed is that it can be challenging to find other librarians in your area using the application, or, so it would seem.  At present, there are not mechanisms available for linking users together geographically.  This is an idea that I periodically consider, as it might provide some interesting educational opportunities, but at this point, no work has been done in this area.  It’s my hope, that at some point in the future, users may be able to use the wiki to develop regional user groups that they can then use to share more targeted information.

At the same time, finding other MarcEdit users has always been a relatively simple process.  Because MarcEdit use will be largely concentrated in technical services and metadata services — users can generally look to their state or regional technical services round-tables and user groups to locate local MarcEdit users.

How can I give something back to the project?

Well, you are right now.  MarcEdit has thrived for close to 13 years due to an active user community that suggests enhancements, answers questions, and spreads the word.  One of the goals of making this publication available via open access is to encourage users to share, and share liberally, as well as comment and add their own useful comments around a particular piece of the application.  Additionally, users can comment on the wiki, share their experiences at conferences, or simply show someone struggling with a metadata issue how to make their work a little easier by using the program.