Monday, March 7, 2016

Now that our smartphones can search the web for us, how do info pros set themselves apart from anyone with access to Google? This full-day workshop looks at what is innovative, creative, and unexpected in advanced web research. Searchers Academy allows you to interact with a series of industry experts who share their ideas and expertise in the field of research on the web and in social media. There’s always something new to be learned from these leading-edge info pros. Participants should have basic experience with web searching, but even searchers with an extensive searching background will come away with a new attitude and new resources and tools for more effective and strategic searching. Get the latest tips and tricks from our super searchers! Academy topics include:

• Hacking Google: Learn about the new and little-known search features that enable you to out-Google anyone … even your clients!

• Hacking the Deep Web: Today’s best techniques for identifying and searching the rich content within the deep web

• Hacking the Social Web: How to get the most value from social media—for research and professional development

• Hacking Your Deliverables: What you can do with your search results to make the information even more valuable

• Hacking Subject Searches: Specific tools and resources for searching in a variety of specialized topics

This hands-on workshop is a combination of information- sharing on programs that promote creativity and handson learning in libraries with actual hands-on explorations and creative practice. Some examples of activities include: Library as Incubator Project/The Artist’s Library; Making your library an incubator for creativity in your community; Handson projects: Writing from Memory, Writing from Pictures, Blackout Poetry and Coloring; and The Book to Art Club. Get ideas and inspiration for incubating learning in your library community and hear what programs your colleagues have in place.

The user experience of a library is increasingly mobile, cross-channel, and multiplatform. A customer journey may bridge myriad physical and digital touchpoints, including the information desk, reference interview, website, catalog, and databases. Consequently, the design of products and services should be informed by a holistic understanding of users, content, and context. This workshop explores the use of modern information architecture principles and practices to map existing ecosystems and make better experiences. It covers digital strategy, governance, culture, service design, design thinking, emerging technology, and place-making. It takes a deep dive into responsive design, search, and the information architecture of websites and library ecosystems. And, our experienced and popular speaker brings these topics to life with a mix of practical, hands-on exercises, in-depth case studies, and colorful stories.

Technology has changed the face of libraries, and is continuing to change how we work and how we deliver services to customers. This workshop introduces emerging technology trends, and how those trends are reshaping library services. Examples are provided of how to incorporate these emerging trends into libraries. Attendees learn what trends to look for, find out the difference between a technology trend and a fad, and get ideas on how their library can respond to emerging technology.

Libraries face daunting challenges in providing access to library resources in ways that both meet the expectations of library users and librarians. Library users today expect simple, powerful, and intuitive interfaces that provide instant access to information resources. Librarians advocate for precise as well as general search capabilities, to optimally expose users to print as well as electronic resources, to take full advantage of the investments made in all categories of library materials, and to operate objectively without bias to any given publisher’s content. This half-day workshop explores the realm of library resource discovery services, helping attendees develop or refine strategies that can be applied in libraries as they evaluate, select, and implement these products.

Compelled to change the perception of libraries as antiquated and boring institutions, Ben Bizzle has developed an aggressive technology and marketing strategy for libraries, which is guaranteed to increase community awareness and create better patron service. Join Bizzle as he discusses this award winning approach and shows how you too can better engage your patrons and increase community awareness of your library.

Using a toolkit for customer-centered design sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, this workshop focuses on an approach to improving your library through creative problem solving. The toolkit guides you through “design thinking” so you can start coming up with solutions to everyday challenges within the library. Design thinking, or human-centered design, is all about starting with people—the users who visit your library. IDEO, the creator of the library toolkit, has been using similar methods to envision new products, services, spaces, and experiences that bring them to life. Join our guides, and learn to create impact by seeing your work through a fresh perspective: the design thinking lens!

Want to learn how to design and build responsive websites with a CSS-based framework? This hands-on workshop focuses on Bootstrap with supplemental information on Foundation. Learn to control layout using a responsive grid system, apply the framework’s CSS to HTML elements, and incorporate select custom jQuery plugins. Participants should come with a basic understanding of HTML/CSS, a laptop, and an opinion (or two). Topics include selecting a framework, downloading the framework and incorporating it into an HTML document, designing page layouts utilizing a responsive grid system, adding basic page elements using CSS and customizing the CSS, creating navigational elements, incorporating jQuery plugins, and integration in third-party tools (i.e., LibGuides).

In order to demonstrate value and relevance, libraries and information agencies must have good data to back up their story. The key to gathering good data is understanding what research methods are most effective for speaking to different audiences; one size does not fit all! In this workshop, review the most commonly used methods for doing research in assessment and evaluation projects and look at inexpensive tools you can use for crunching your data. Leave with practical ideas and tools for your own assessment and evaluation efforts.

This workshop prepares you to design a learning commons that will achieve your program goals. It discusses considerations for implementing learning commons, shares five modes of learning to support space needs, illustrates how to connect programming goals to learning commons design choices, and provides many examples of finished learning commons spaces to aid your own design. Our presenter brings the experiences of multiple projects to the table, and his firsthand knowledge will help answer your learning commons questions and move your project forward.

With the growing ocean of data, from Big Data to Small Data, to analytics, usage statistics, and search logs, we are awash in the data tide. Learn tactics, techniques, and tools for adding meaning to data for your library patrons, community leaders, students, faculty, researchers, and administrators. Visualization tools explored range from standalone apps to spreadsheet plug-ins to data websites. Explore tools and techniques for visualizing a variety of data using infographics, word clouds, simple pie charts, maps, Gantt charts, timelines, and many other charts and diagrams.

Performance measures are as much about operational effectiveness within the library as they are about demonstrating value to external shareholders. Learn how to apply the logic model to review and improve services and to look at how the services are developed, delivered, and managed. Real-world examples and road maps are included.

Discovery systems offer the current best hope of a single search across disparate library sources and seamless delivery of content. They must smoothly interact with the library and organizational websites, OPACs, patron accounts, OpenURL resolvers, and learning management systems and at the same time work well on a slew of devices, browsers, and operating systems. This workshop examines user experience across all of these systems, considering where libraries may fall short of creating a quality discovery UX. It delves into tools and hacks to improve discovery UX, highlights real-world implementations, discusses partnerships for UX success, looks at how back-end system options affect UX, shares options for CSS and hacks in discovery systems, and more. This complements the morning workshop, UX in Discovery, which focuses on UX techniques and applying them to the discovery ecosystem.

More than ever, it’s important not to only understand what people are searching for, but how users are searching—using a computer, tablet, and mobile device. Multiple data sources from information architecture (IA) and usability projects provide important clues as to why users are searching and can affect the experience you offer them. In this interactive session, information architect and findability expert Shari Thurow focuses on the seven Key facets of the user experience and how information architecture directly impacts each facet. Topics covered include: Defining the user experience (UX); Ambient findability and pervasive information architecture; How to measure facets of the user experience; Common myths and misconceptions; Do’s and don’ts of IA and UX; and How to make sure your customers find your library and have a great experience! Get practical tips and tricks to take home and use immediately from our seasoned practitioner.

Since identifying making as a core part of their mission more than 5 years ago, FFL is happy to share its experiences and strategies. If you are in the process of starting a maker’s club, applying for a making grant, developing a makerspace, building a STEM learning or entrepreneurship program, or exploring possibilities around making at your library, this workshop is a must-attend for you! Full of practical tips and tricks you leave this workshop with a road map for building a makerspace for your community.

Do you want to push the boundaries, drive change, and transform your library? Do you wish for staff that is eager to learn new skills and change work behaviors? In order to create and maintain this culture of learning, it is essential that your library provide support for staff and cultivate learning experiences. Learn five practical steps to sustain this culture in your library staff and volunteers, brainstorm ways to encourage staff learning and growth, and more. Join this experienced librarian and trainer in an interactive workshop filled with useful tips and techniques for creating a learning culture in your organization.

This workshop provides a practical overview of the possibilities for creating business solutions using SharePoint. It provides a crash course for beginners as well as people who have some experience with SharePoint and focuses on showcasing what power users can accomplish without IT intervention and without using anything other than “out-of-the-box” capabilities. Learn about how to get started with versatile applications such as Communities of Practice, Activity Tracking, and Team Collaboration. See examples of real SharePoint sites supporting a variety of business functions. Take away an understanding of the “art of the possible” and practical tips that you can apply as soon as you get back to the office.

Join our gamers and gadget lovers for an evening of fun, playing, learning, and networking. See how you can transform your thinking, your programs, and your spaces with the latest games, gadgets, and ideas! Share with a poster about what your library is doing with creative making and makerspaces in your library. Led by Brian Pichman & Tod Colegrove this event will start your conference experience with lots of learning and laughing! Refreshments included.