Tuesday, March 8, 2016

There are three necessary preconditions to innovation: starvation (or scarcity, perhaps need—a shortage of resources where usually there is abundance), pressure (or urgency—an immediate and relentless demand for resolution of the scarcity—a changing world), and perspective shift (new ways of thinking about the problem). We know that libraries are a part of the knowledge ecosystem but how can they be more innovative so they are recognized as having an impact on that knowledge ecosystem? How can they help others innovate more? And how can libraries gain new perspectives and types of thinking? Our popular speaker will challenge your thinking and supply some interesting insights.

This popular annual favorite features our super searcher who continues to surprise and impress with new strategies, techniques, and tips for getting the most out of web research. The host of Searchers Academy (where even more secrets are shared) provides an up-to-the minute and jampacked- with-valuable-tools-and-tips talk that’s always a hit! Bates tells us she takes 2 days to research this session— take advantage of her knowledge and gather tips and tools to share with others!

Google and other search engines continue to innovate and adapt to the ever-changing online public. With these changes, advanced searching tools and techniques often disappear or get hidden behind the big news headlines. Take a fast-paced trip through 50 advanced researching tips in 40 minutes.

Selecting a web-scale discovery service is a large and important undertaking that involves a significant investment of time, staff, and resources. Finding the right match begins with a thorough and carefully planned evaluation process. This presentation offers a step-by-step guide for developing a web-scale discovery evaluation plan, including tips for conducting product research, drafting an RFP, setting up trials, and coordinating user testing. Whether your library is new to the discovery marketplace or poised for re-entry, this presentation is intended to help you navigate your way to selecting the best product to meet the needs of your institution.

With more than a billion apps available, it’s difficult to tell which ones are good. Our eagle-eyed industry watcher shares 30 apps for library customers, info pros, and newbies. For Android and Apple devices, these apps will change the way you search, discover, access, and view information in and beyond the library walls.

Are you already proficient at Twitter, but want to take your usage to the next level? Do you know how to use Twitter as a resource for doing research? In this session, @LibrarySherpa takes you through the best practices for being an advanced Twitter user and tweet management. Techniques and tips on how to harness the rushing river of information that is Twitter are demonstrated so that you can use it for a research tool.

Maybe you’ve heard about library user experience (UX), but aren’t sure exactly how to introduce UX into your existing work, especially if you’re already stretched for time. Harvard has been working across all of the libraries to inject user research into all aspects of the services it provides, from LibGuides to searching to physical spaces. It has built a grant-funded User Research Center to make equipment and training available to any staff member who wants to conduct UX research. Deschenes shares how to start doing UX research tomorrow, using equipment you already have or tools that are available for free. Your usability lab can be anywhere as long as you have a laptop and a quiet room. If you can arrange a simple dedicated space for this work, even better! She discusses techniques for recruiting participants, moderating studies, and conducting efficient data analysis.

When it comes to online information, we’ve all heard these sayings: People do not read block text. Less is more. The shorter, the better. But, what does that have to do with library websites, online tutorials and learning objects that you design? This talk provides best practices on how to create a user centered website with a focus on crafting concise library messages in the online environment. Speakers share personal tips and tricks, including showcasing examples from websites, LibGuides, library tutorials, and online learning modules, and discuss the advantages and challenges of writing information in small bites, in addition to ensuring that online webpages are accessible for users with visual impairments. The presentation concludes with an open discussion with the audience to further explore strategies for creating webpages with curb appeal for library users. This presentation is suitable for all librarians but especially those individuals who work in the area of web design, distance education, and online instruction.

Libraries have invested money, staff time, and effort in digitizing collections. But that is just the beginning. To engage users in these collections, some supporting intellectual context is often needed, especially for a public audience. Digital library exhibits organize digital images, articles, books, and ephemera offering visual appeal but, more importantly, tell a coherent story that shows the significance of the content. Several open-source digital platforms are available for exhibits, including Omeka, Scalar, and WordPress via the DH Press toolkit. Whatever software you choose, there are trade-offs. Emily Marsh describes how the National Agricultural Library created three digital exhibits for their library. She shows ways Omeka often helped and sometimes hindered their story-telling efforts. One very useful tool for telling a story is a timeline. Kenn Bicknell shares how his organization used web-based timeline tools on interactive public kiosks to highlight three different chronologies: an historic train station, a notable light rail project, and the infrastructure of regional highways. Bicknell also explains how the Transportation Authority uses collaborative digital sites such as Historypin in conjunction with Google Street View to add historic photographs to maps and create an augmented reality experience. Take home ideas on creating your next digital exhibit that pops open the hood on amazing content and engages your users. Learn how the kiosk environment is scalable, suitable to all types of libraries, and how to start building augmented reality experiences using library assets.

Find out what research is showing about best practices for web and UX design. In this quick-paced session, get ideas on what to start doing and some things to avoid. Learn about designing for “slippy” rather than sticky experiences. Find out if your hamburger menu icon is a good idea or a “hambungler” of one. Join Wisniewski and Fichter in a wild ride exploring what’s new with usability and UX.

As a late adopter to the LibGuide platform, our first speaker’s library was able to learn from earlier successes and failures of others. Hear how it took an evidence-based approach to design its guides based on iterative testing and data from Springshare and Google Analytics. Find out what user data showed and how it led to a consistent look and feel. Our second speaker describes Harvard University’s migration to LibGuides version 2.0, a transition that provided an opportunity to rethink its organization and content. The LibGuide team carried out user research to learn how users navigate through the guides, where they look, and the frequency of their use. They used three different research methods: think-aloud usability testing, eye-tracking testing, and an examination of web analytics. Learn how they analyzed their research data and triangulated the findings to picture how users interact with guides. The results of the research are shared along with how they have informed best practices for both guide design and pedagogy of Lib- Guides at Harvard.

Libraries worldwide spend almost $2 billion per year on technology products and services and are constantly considering prudent strategic technology investments. Author of the “Library Systems Report” published by American Libraries and the International Library Technology Perceptions Survey, Breeding gives an update on the current state of the industry and what we need to watch for in the future to factor into our technology decisions today.

Public libraries provide computers for public use that are affordable, easy for patrons to use and staff to maintain, and able to protect patron information while still providing use statistics for reporting purposes. With an increasing number of patrons bringing in their own devices or needing a work surface to use without a computer, work surfaces are at a premium. To address all of these issues, the Millis Public Library recently purchased and configured entry-level laptops running Ubuntu for use in the library. These machines are affordable, easy to use, easy to configure to protect patron information and provide usage statistics, and flexible—they can be used anywhere in the building, allowing the library to make the best possible use of its limited space. Get an overview of the benefits of this program and a guide for trying Ubuntu at your own library.

Messer discusses using the inexpensive Raspberry Pi, the little computer that could, to design a digital signage system that updates easily, uses repurposed technology, runs on free and open source software, and can be put anywhere there’s power and Wi-Fi! Woodall’s library developed a cheap and effective digital signage system that displays dynamic information using HTML 5 authoring software, a large TV, and freely available APIs from Google, Springshare, and others. Hear how they created a system for displaying dynamic and easily-updatable information, with a little web programming knowledge. Chen and Lee describe designing a clickable library floor plan using SVG, HTML5, JSON, Bootstrap, jQuery, and Adobe creative suite. The new library floor plan helps library users easily get more detail about library features, such as study room information, book code numbers range for each bookshelf, and more.

Public computers are popular tools in a library’s inventory. One question deserving of inquiry is, “How can libraries help members find available computers with the snap of a finger and track the usage of the devices and applications effectively?” This session features the implementation of a commercial tool at the U.S. Naval Academy Library that displays computer availability in real time and generates statistics to help track usage of the computers and their applications. In the second presentation, hear about the evolution from Public Computer Center (PCC) to Tech Center at one public library. With this refurbishment, the library offers more open hours which assist patrons in creating job resumes and completing job applications; provides one-on-one assistance with personal computers, phones and tablets; and aids patrons in navigating social media sites. The tech center staff also holds classes on technology topics, including basic computer skills, social media usage, online testing, blogging, and more. The evolution started small, with a staff member and volunteers, but as the number of web tools and devices are developed, the need for the tech center is even stronger. Get tips and insights for growing your tech center!

Is an open source integrated library system right for your library? Find out how this software is working out at some libraries which have made the switch. Speakers share lessons learned, the migration process, and change management for staff and patrons as well as current trends in the open source community. This program addresses the pros and cons of open source software through real-life scenarios.

So you purchased a 3D printer for your library. Now what? How do you heighten interest in this disruptive technology for your patrons, how do you train and excite your staff to empower your patrons to create? Do you give away prints, do you allow patrons to touch the printer? How do you troubleshoot this darn thing? How do you elevate questions and excitement beyond basic small trinkets? 3D printing experts from Arapahoe Libraries and the Denver Public Library answer these questions and more on this 3D printing panel.

The Library as Incubator Project team present stories of artists who use libraries of all types to inspire, showcase, and otherwise “incubate” their creative work. Some examples are from their book, The Artist’s Library, while others are more recent additions to the project’s website. They show examples of people who use the library as a space for doing or sharing their creative work, use the library as an inspiration or starting point for their work, and use the library as a way to do research for a specific creative project. They discuss practical ways to promote the library as a place to get inspired and creative, through programming and other services and resources for artist-patrons. They share specific program ideas to help users get creative in the library, examples of effective partnerships that lead to strong arts, including artist in residence programs, and how to tie art-making and creative programs to the library’s existing collection.

This session looks at how two university libraries approached creating a makerspace. The first is a private university library that started to bring maker technologies such as 3D printer, 3D scanner, etc., into the library and immediately had faculty from different disciplines come and use them for academic purposes. The faculty started to see the library as a central force to lead a campus wide initiative of the Maker movement, and the library is taking a leadership role in starting a maker club for students and faculty. The second university is a pioneer for makerspaces in academic settings and shares how it is sparking imagination and innovation in many ways from Lego and puzzle kits throughout the library, to 3D printers and laser cutters to design workshops and hack-a-thons. It shares the resources, services, and outreach services that have led students and faculty onto the path of greater innovation and scholarship. Speakers share their experiences on why and how we can get started, as well as challenges and solutions. They also share strategic vision for the future on the development of the makerspace as incubator for young entrepreneurs and how this could fundamentally change how higher education provides a new context for students gaining real-life experience, job skills, and connect what they are passionate about to what they are learning.

Hear how 143 teenagers took over the Cupertino Library for CU HACKS, the first–ever hack-a-thon for teenagers in a public library setting. Ranging in age from 14 to 19, the teen participants were given a window of 12 hours (7 p.m.–7 a.m.) to collaborate on, design, and code innovative applications directly addressing the CU HACKS prompt to create social, educational, and gaming applications to help teenagers balance responsibilities, recreation, and improve the quality of both education and life. Learn how to host your own in-house hack-a-thon to open doorways to community partnerships, innovative technologies, and ground-breaking platforms for creating new and innovative applications that have the ability to make a direct, positive impact on the lives of others. Colgrove shares his insights and experience with hackathons in an academic library environment. Get lots of tips from our speakers!

Using its Makerbot printer, the Half Hollow Hills Community Library has partnered with the global volunteer organization E-Nable to create kits for assembling prosthetic hands for needy children. The kits have all the necessary parts, including the 3D printed pieces, for teens to take home and put together for community service. The library then sends the completed hands on to E-Nable to distribute world-wide. This is a worthwhile project for libraries looking to do more with their printers!

Staying secure and safeguarding privacy in our hyperconnected era are two issues that will never go away, and threats to our security and privacy will never stop changing. So what’s up with the “meh” attitude and lack of concern students seem to exhibit on this subject? Gary Price thinks the library and education communities should be pressing students, and all of us, to remain vigilant and stay informed about this. In this session, he offers up a “presentation in a box”—knowledge and resources you can use in your schools and libraries to make the case to students, patrons, and fellow staffers.

The Out of Eden Learn online learning community is an engaging project that connects students from around the world as they follow Paul Salopek’s multi-year journey to walk the path of human migration. Mary Catherine Coleman tells how she connected with the project, collaborated with classroom teachers, and leveraged it to introduce students to blogging, social media, and a host of new apps. She also shares how the project demonstrates the value of connecting online and helps students develop digital citizenship skills.

If you give a 21st-century school librarian a computer, she is going to apply 21st-century teaching and learning methods and technologies to empower, engage, and connect with screenagers. Come hear the story of how this high school library media specialist utilizes social media, mobile devices, YouTube, digital content, and even Hip Hop to facilitate student success in all content areas.

In this session, learn all about Tech ALIVE!, a professional development program series offered to educators once per month through collaboration between a classroom teacher and librarian. Sarah discusses the importance of using collaboration and technology to leverage leadership in the librarian profession. Then, for a take-away, she helps you design an outline of what technology PD outreach would work well in your own educational setting.

Search results have evolved from a portal to a destination. This is especially true for students, who are now entering school with a command of Google, even if they don’t know how to use a mouse. Deirdre and Christi talk about EBSCO’s user research findings on the topic of search results, including why students are drawn to Google and Wikipedia, how school libraries can use this to their advantage, and how those habits represent a technological and sometimes generational divide.

This cybertour takes citation tools and managers into the LibraryLabs for a stress test on how well they work with standard and unusual citations. Compare and contrast tools such as EndNote, Zotero, Mendeley, and Papers to our databases and citation helpers such as EasyBib, BibMe, and even Word. Discover innovative ways to help researchers, students, and writers be more productive in managing their content.

The Reaching Across Illinois Library System decided to upgrade its simple website for the SHARE Illinois cooperative project to Drupal 8 when it was released in November. Hear about and see what we really like—and don’t like so much—about the latest version of the popular content management system.

Making decisions in libraries in tight economic times is always a challenge, and we don’t always use all the data we have to inform those decisions. This experienced librarian shares tips on getting data analytics from your library data to help with making decisions.

Have you ever had to write an RFP from scratch, work with vendors on a complex project, or even complain to a vendor about problems with their product? King shares the process his library goes through when choosing new technology and managing the project during installation. He also discusses effective ways to “get your voice heard” when something needs to change.

Although most of us have come to accept Google’s Page Rank and its other page signal analyses as legitimate ways to rank results, today’s searchers are being manipulated in new and powerful ways. Among the most influential of these behind-the-scene forces are the SEO optimizers—hear the good and the bad about these as well as other influences that impact your search. Get strategies for taking back control of your open web searching.

According to Outsell, the information industry generates more than $700B in revenue to the vendors servicing the library community. Academic libraries spend $7 billion per year. $4 billion of this on acquisition of products and technology to serve users. Libraries deal with hundreds, even thousands, of unique vendors every year. And budgets are generally flat or constricting. Gruenberg examines the economic value components and motivations from the vendor side of the negotiation process and how those drivers impact negotiations with libraries. Be better prepared for your next negotiation.

Open Library lends ebooks worldwide for free. It’s an online project intended to create “one web page for every book ever published.” This cybertour explains how this project of the Internet Archive mostly works and sometimes doesn’t.

Get an overview of how libraries, archives, and museums in Europe and the United States are engaging users in content creation to supplement digital resources. Memory organizations are increasingly relying on both “passion” and “expertise” from public participation for description and access points for digitized assets. This talk compares public transcription projects to crowdsourced identification work for digital resources and reviews crowdsourced mapping endeavors. It provides tips for smaller collections or user groups to inspire local communities, build and strengthen a userbase, raise awareness, and create conversation.

Finding critical content is as important as ever these days, with the various formats and sheer volume, but it is definitely a challenge. Using customer research, Wolter Kluwer found out what clients wanted. Hear how that research informed Wolters Kluwer and drove product changes.