Library Technology Conference

iPads for Public Use

Michael Flores et al. — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 15:45:00 PDT

This session will outline the full process of how Plainview Public Library checks out iPads as an alternative to a public computer for in-library use. We will discuss both the technical and logistical process used to circulate the iPads. Such as wiping each iPad between patron use, as well as what user restrictions are put in place. Discussion on the practices of checking them out, as well as duration.

eBooks: Public Training Challenges and Benefits

Kimberly Edson et al. — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 15:45:00 PDT

For lack of a better source, many patrons are bringing their new eReaders into their local libraries for help. Whether that help is to get it working or troubleshoot downloading a library eBook, the person working the desk is expected to be an expert. To anticipate these situations, the Rochester Public Library has created two different approaches: Drop-In Sessions, where patrons bring in devices for assistance with a specialist, and classes for utilizing the devices. SELCO, as a regional library, provides eBook Roadshows demonstrating different devices and teaching how they operate with library resources. This presentation will discuss the benefits of the different formats of patron education, whether preventative or reactive. It will also provide suggested resources for troubleshooting problems and advice on creating resources of your own.

Piloting eBrarian: An Online Instructional Model

Rachel McGee et al. — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 15:45:00 PDT

In 2012, Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota librarians transformed the Twin Cities campus library’s instructional services. The goals were to expand instructional services while maintaining current staffing models and to provide responsive, relevant, and sustainable instruction that did not take away from class time or add to faculty workloads. The end result was eBrarian, an entirely online instructional model. This session will describe eBrarian’s developmental process, technologies, marketing strategies, lessons learned, and feedback results

Moving forward on OCLC WorldShare Management Services: current status and future development

Erica Nutzman — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 15:45:00 PDT

Globe University has been live on OCLC WMS for over one year and much has changed during that time. This session will talk about the current capabilities of the system, how it’s working for Globe, and what future developments are planned.

Accio Data: Managing collaborative projects with free tools

Jennifer Arnott — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 15:45:00 PDT

What happens when your collaboration is more complicated than a shared document? Using a project named Alternity (a Harry Potter collaborative transformative work) as our case study, we will explore free and open tools to help answer that question, including Google Docs, databases, timelines, family trees, and more. We’ll also cover best practices for group projects, managing data over multiple years, and how not to lose that one piece of information everybody keeps dropping behind the couch.

Agile Web Design and Usability Testing: an Experiment in Redesigning an Internal Website

Maureen Gormley et al. — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 15:45:00 PDT

Dakota County Library embarked on a 16 week plan to redesign their internal staff website. This session will focus on the process of designing a multifunctional website, including selecting a content management platform, consensus building, soliciting user input and usability testing. Learn the good, the bad and the ugly of webpage development on the fly!

Seeking Serendipity with Summon: How Web Scale Discovery Changed How we think about Teaching and Reference

Jennifer DeJonghe et al. — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 14:30:00 PDT

Has your library struggled to justify purchasing a discovery tool? Are you skeptical that they do all they claim to do? Librarians at Metropolitan State University implemented a Web Scale Discovery tool in 2012 after becoming convinced that we needed to radically change how we provide access to our collections. In this presentation we will discuss how we implemented Serials Solutions Summon and how it is transforming the way we approach reference, instruction, and acquisitions.

It’s Time for your Library to Mobilize

Beth Hillemann et al. — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 14:30:00 PDT

Mobile technologies are having a growing impact on libraries as users increasingly use their hand-held devices to access services and resources. Many library vendors are also offering mobile options. While some libraries are providing extensive mobile services, many others are just deciding where to begin. This workshop will look at the state of mobile library services and what libraries need to do to develop a mobile strategy for their own library. We will cover the advantages of providing such mobile services, policy implications and what types of mobile services are currently being offered by libraries. In addition, several library vendors will discuss services and technologies that they are providing to help libraries extend outreach, increase usage of existing resources, and meet growing mobile demand.

Left to our own devices – cool tools for various devices that you can use in your library!

Chad Gilman et al. — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 14:30:00 PDT

This hands-on session will include interactive demonstrations of how library staff and instructors from two academic libraries have used Pinterest (online pinboard/photo-pinning), Explain Everything (screen-casting iPad app) and Socrative (survey/clicker tool – web or mobile app) in their libraries. Participants will work with these and other cool tools to come up with a project/idea that can be utilized at their libraries! Participants should be prepared to have fun and get creative!

From SELCOtv to the Library Variety Hour: Using streaming media for collaboration, communication, continuing education and outreach

Rachel Gray et al. — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 14:30:00 PDT

Streaming content over the Internet is a practical and affordable way for libraries to share content with their various user communities. This fun and interactive session will highlight two specific library projects. SELCOtv started its life as a video podcast to provide training, meeting videos, and library programs to library staff in the SELCO region. Four years and more than 300 episodes later, its focus has shifted to be more series driven. SELCO staff talk will about the three series they launched in 2012: “SELCO TechCast” which looks at a variety of technology topics, “Horizon: Behind the Screens,” which gives tips, insights and other information on things relating to their ILS, and their newest series “What is…” which is a very brief video podcast that defines terms. SELCO staff will go into the whys, hows and wherefores of producing their streaming media content. Macalester College Library staff will talk about what happens when you take librarians out of the library and stick them in a radio booth. They’ve been hosting a weekly show on the college’s radio station and streaming the content on the web. They will share how this form of library outreach has brought the library out beyond its walls and onto the airwaves. Bonus: There will be music.

3D Library Displays: Bridging the Gap Between Physical and Online Patrons and Resources

Bobby Bothmann et al. — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 14:30:00 PDT

In this session we will take participants through the process of planning and implementing a multidimensional book display using physical media and a variety of online tools, including library catalogs, social media, and websites. We may even integrate good old fashioned buttons! Along the way we’ll share information about what we’ve learned through research and practical experience and encourage attendees to brainstorm ways to implement these multidimensional displays in their own libraries.

Libraries and Cloud Computing: Roles and Possibilities

Doug Johnson — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 14:30:00 PDT

In this session, you will discover how libraries can benefit by moving to the cloud and what role librarians can play when applications become hosted. We'll share some common examples of cloud computing applications used in libraries including "web-based" cataloging/circulation systems, book discussion sites, and scheduling software as well as discuss how librarians themselves can take advantage of GoogleApps and similar cloud-based productivity tools. Finally, we will examine the role that librarians can play in an institution-wide implementation of GoogleApps and will share seven things librarians have done in the Mankato School District to help assure a successful roll out of Apps for all staff and students.

Homegrown Usability Testing – Did it Work?

Terry Glidden — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 14:30:00 PDT

SELCO has implemented an inexpensive usability-testing program using in-house equipment. This is the follow-up for last year’s presentation, “Homegrown Usability Testing—Will It Provide Results?”. The answer IS yes! In this presentation, we will discuss how our usability testing has been carried out, what kind of things our users have been showing us, and the types of changes that we have made to our web site.

Creating and Implementing Information Literacy-based Online Multimedia Instructional Content

John Shawler — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 14:30:00 PDT

Librarians are often challenged to create online content for their user community. However, they are sometimes at a loss as to how to find appropriate software to create materials, and how to implement a scalable workflow. This presentation will be an interactive discussion about the common issues faced when creating your own videos and tutorials. It will provide an overview of free and commercial software options that are available to create interactive videos, tutorials, and quizzes. We will also discuss best practices, strategies for workflow, and real-world examples of implementation. Upon completion, attendees will be able to evaluate and select software that will meet their creation needs, and implement a scalable workflow to create videos, tutorials, and quizzes that meet their institution’s goals for information literacy.

e-Textbooks and Students: Shifting Perceptions

Dan Reeves et al. — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 14:30:00 PDT

Universities are increasingly offering new models of textbook delivery to students which includes giving the option, or in some cases, requiring the use of e-Textbooks. Despite e-Textbook use being on the rise, many college students are reluctant to adopt this often clunky technology and still prefer printed textbooks. Does training on how to effectively use e-Textbooks improve students’ perceptions? At Rasmussen College, we have provided instructional sessions and webinars to help students become well-versed in the use of their e-Textbooks. To discern how students feel about the adoption of e-Textbooks we have surveyed and assessed students across several campuses. Learn from our experiences as we share the content of our instructional sessions and data collected from students.

Creating and Sustaining a Faculty/Staff Learning Community to Explore iPads in Higher Education

Nancy Aarsvold et al. — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 14:30:00 PDT

This session will report on the successful creation and implementation of a collaborative faculty/staff learning community exploring the use of tablets in a liberal-arts college setting. Participants will learn transferable strategies for recruiting iPad community members, selecting best topics from the vast arena of mobile technology in higher education, and documenting and disseminating the best practices gained from the community’s work campus-wide.

Going Above and beyond IT limitations using the cloud

Amy Dumouchel — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 14:30:00 PDT

The cloud serves as a great tool for augmenting limited resources or restrictive IT policies. This presentation illustrates how both freely available and subscription-based cloud tools can be used to expand a library’s online presence and improve workflows. I will also discuss specific library cloud services that are currently available.

Digital Public Library of America: Minnesota’s Contribution

John Butler et al. — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 13:15:00 PDT

The Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) will launch in April 2013, providing a window onto America’s history and culture through its digital libraries. The Minnesota Digital Library (MDL) is one of seven U.S. state and regional digital libraries selected as a “service hub” to the DPLA. This presentation will profile the DPLA initiative, its inspirations, and initial set of services; and then describe Minnesota’s contributions to this national endeavor.

Mind Mapping to Manage Your World

Kathleen Bedor — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 13:15:00 PDT

Mind mapping software can be an invaluable management tool for data capturing and organization as librarians respond to an increasing demand for new and more sophisticated services. The presenter will demonstrate practical applications for a wide range of tasks: planning, project management, research, current awareness, competitive intelligence, teaching, presenting, and producing eReports. Attendees from all types of libraries will discover personal applications as they move forward in the digital age.

Internet Spitballing – Using Pinterest to Spur, Mold, and Share Creative Ideas for Project Design

Chad Gilman — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 13:15:00 PDT

"Spitballing" is a term used in the entertainment industry for throwing out story ideas to see which will stick. In the summer of 2012, the Inver Hills Community College Library was slated for remodeling. This session will demonstrate how the staff at IHCC Library successfully used Pinterest to spitball design ideas and detail how to leverage Pinterest’s "spitballing" capabilities for other creative endeavors.