2018 Amigos Member Conference - schedule

We've all heard the saying, "Innovate or Die". What does this mean for libraries as we participate in one of the greatest technological revolutions yet? This talk presents why's and how's that all of us can use to create a culture of innovation. Based on the concepts of Strategic Conversations and experience in leading innovation across multiple types of libraries, the presenter will ground theory in practice by explaining innovation communities and the benefits they foster for staff, partners, and customers.

Choices must be made when deciding what projects to take on and which ones need to be deferred. In a world where libraries need to do less with more, these choices can be very difficult. This presentation will describe an "I.D.E.A. document" that asks potential project managers to: (I)dentify; (D)efine; (E)xpand; and (A)uthorize the basic premise of their idea. This one to two-page document helps decision makers understand where resources would be allocated and makes transparent the work throughout the organization. The I.D.E.A. document is based within formal project management and contains essential elements such as scope, budget, stakeholders, and risks through a value-added process that minimizes red tape.

Linscheid Library tripled their average reach on Facebook without spending money on ads and without investing loads of time into creating original content. The presenters will discuss quick, simple ways to create live videos and incorporate special collections into social media posts. They will lead participants in activities to identify resources available at their home libraries that can be converted to social media content and will encourage participants to share about their own social media successes.

Twenty-three years later after the campus library building was completed, a local bond made funds available to replace the original thread-bare and worn out carpet in the 10,000-square foot facility. Since everything was going to have to be moved, we were able to systematically replace, reorganize and re-envision spaces, processes and collections. During the project, we incorporated the reference collection into the regular stacks and created a special collection for local legal resources among other substantial changes. We re-purposed old reference shelving to create "cafe'" seating areas through the library and by making longer stack ranges we were able to create more open spaces for student seating. Planning consisted of everything from moving around scale model pieces of paper representing stacks and furniture to moving around actual stacks and furniture to see how it looked. It was an extremely tedious, iterative and exhausting process.

Attend this important session to hear the latest news from Amigos Library Services Board of Directors Chair, Ruben Aragon and Treasurer Jean Waldrop. Voting representatives will participate in the election of four new members of the Board of Directors. Members, you won’t want to miss this!

Several of our vendor partners will tell you what's going on at their respective companies.

Listen to the short presentations and at the end you will hear the Amigos SECRET WORDS. Make note of those words, go to the conference website, and click on the contest tab. There will be space for you to enter these words and then submit your contact information. You will automatically be entered to win an Amazon Gift Card!

Can't attend the presentations? On May 1, the conference website will have them posted. Listen ahead of time, complete the form, and STILL be eligible to win! This is a fun and easy way to learn what's new from our vendor partner sponsors.

How have the Libraries contributed to your success? Asking this simple question to stakeholders can go a long way toward library advocacy. In 2017, the University of Missouri Libraries' Marketing Team established a method for gathering library user success stories and publishing them on their news page. Under the banner of "Cycle of Success," the University Libraries invite users to allow the them to feature their work and share their stories. These curated stories have gone on to be featured in campus newsletters and news outlets, which has extended the reach of these stories and has centralized the libraries in campus conversation. Cycle of Success is the idea that libraries, faculty, and students are linked; for one to truly succeed, we must all succeed. The path to success is formed by the connections between University of Missouri Libraries and faculty members, between faculty members and students, and between students and the libraries that serve them. More than just success, this is also a connection of mutual respect, support, and commitment to forward-thinking research.

Doing more with less is the reality facing all librarians. But let's be honest. That approach, usually forced on us by funding constraints, at best cuts corners and buys a little time. In the long-run it reduces library quality and burns out employees. Implementing a "doing less with less" strategy results in increased productivity and decreased stress. In this session, we explore how a two-year college library has been able to increase the value of its service and collection by doing less with less, while gaining a great deal more in the process.

In August 2012, Linscheid Library underwent a full staff reorganization to realign job duties and titles that had become skewed due to high staff turnover. With the full cooperation of all staff, redeployment went smoothly and was received positively. However, staff turnover is still problematic creating the need to fill voids efficiently and effectively. Cross-training is now a priority, with official ICE designations made to compensate for vacations, illness, and resignations. This first part of this presentation will walk through the reorganization process and subsequent training materials for new hires. The second half will focus on dealing with staff absences, creating ICE contacts, and cross-training materials and issues.

We tend to think of library services as simply circulation, reference, and programming, but libraries do so much more. Unfortunately, though, when it comes to serving our communities, we are sometimes our own worst enemies. All too often, we establish policies and practices that are built around our convenience and expectations instead of the needs of those we serve. Breaking free of this mindset can be difficult, and it may require slaughtering a herd of sacred cows. Building a truly community-focused library intent on removing unnecessary barriers allows our users to define their own experiences—ones without artificial limitations. This can have long-term benefits in how we are perceived, better utilize our scarce resources of time and money, and maybe even reignite staff’s passion. It’s time to rethink library services beyond the traditional model and unleash the creativity of our staff and our community.