Keynote Speaker: David Shumaker, Catholic University of America
Session Time: 10:00 - 10:45 a.m. CST
Session Title: The New Rules of Library Services
Session Description: People are using libraries just as much as ever, but what they want and need from librarians has changed dramatically. If we're going to continue being important to our communities and institutions, we must make far-reaching changes in the services we provide, how we deliver them, and even the roles of library services staff. We have to throw out the old rulebook for reference services and develop a new one. In this presentation, Shumaker will outline the nature of the changes taking place and share some ideas about what we'll need to include in the new rules for the next era of library services.
Speaker Bio: David Shumaker is Clinical Associate Professor of Library and Information Science at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. He regularly teaches courses about the performance, management, and strategic leadership of library public services. Shumaker has also studied, written, and spoken widely about innovations in library services. He co-authored the 2009 research report “Models of Embedded Librarianship,” and his 2012 book, The Embedded Librarian, was termed “a must read for every librarian” by Maureen Sullivan, former president of the American Library Association. He earned a Master of Science in Library and Information Science at Drexel University, and a Master of Science in Management at the University of Maryland. He blogs at http://www.embeddedlibrarian.com .
Speaker: Jessica Bennett, Meyer Library, Missouri State University
Session Time: 11:00 - 11:45 a.m. CST
Session Title: Virtual Research Consultations
Session Description: Meyer Library implemented virtual research consultations in the summer of 2014, using join.me screen sharing software. In this session Meyer will discuss the need for virtual research consultations, the library’s research process, marketing and utilizing the software, and plans for the future.
Speaker Bio: Jessica Bennett is Reference and E Learning Librarian at Missouri State University. This is her first professional library job after receiving her Bachelor of Arts in History from Missouri State University and her MLS from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
Speakers: Jennifer Koenig Johnson, Springdale (AR) Public Library
Session Time: 11:00 - 11:45 a.m. CST
Session Title: Get App Happy: Utilizing Apps to Enhance Reference and Information Services
Session Description: Imagine a reference interaction where the patron inquires about the atmospheric and geographic layout of the planet. With the assistance of apps, the librarian can show the patron how to use the Google Earth app in an interactive and hands-on format. The interaction could lead into using the EleMints Periodic Table app to learn more about the elemental construction of earth science, all on the patron’s chosen personal platform. Since most people have access to smartphones, library professionals must utilize app technology in the reference interview in order to reach their patronage.
Over the past decade, reference and information services have radically transformed from the traditional reference-desk-based service into a point-of-need service in which reference librarians utilize print, electronic, and mobile technologies. While app and mobile technologies have been discussed heavily in library literature, there is very little on how exactly reference librarians can utilize this new, interactive technology to assist their patrons. This presentation will highlight the discuss app evaluation criteria, some of the best apps for reference services, and how exactly librarians can use apps during the reference interview.
Speaker Bio: Jennifer Koenig Johnson holds an M.L.I.S (2011) from Louisiana State University and a B.A. (2006) and M.A. (2008) in history from the University of Arkansas. She has over 11 years’ experience working in reference and research services in academic and public libraries, and has performed various levels of embedded librarianship. Currently, she is a Reference Librarian at the Springdale Public Library. She has published over 10 research and source evaluation articles and has presented at various conferences such as Brick & Click (2013), MOBIUS (2013), and SLA (2010). Recent publications include "Best Apps for Reference and Information Services" (Reference Reviews, 2015).
Speakers: Jan Kemp, University of Texas at San Antonio and Margaret Warner, St. Edwards University
Session Time: 12:00 - 12:45 p.m. CST
Session Title: Standing by to Help: Transforming Online Reference with a Proactive Chat System
Session Description: Proactive chat reference is a highly effective way of embedding reference services into the user community. UT-San Antonio and St. Edward’s University both replaced their traditional chat systems with a proactive, context-sensitive system. A chat box appears on most website pages and within some databases, and the system offers assistance based on a set of predetermined criteria. For example, if users remain on the Databases page for 60 seconds, they are asked if they need help finding a database.
User response to proactive chat has been remarkable. As soon as proactive chat was implemented at UTSA, the number of questions jumped from eight daily to eight or more per hour, and librarians recently answered 1,000 questions in one week.
The complexity of questions also increased, with the majority being reference or research-related. The advice and support provided through chat has quickly become a vital part of students’ information literacy development.
Speaker Bios: As Assistant Dean for Public Services at the University of Texas at San Antonio, Jan Kemp has overseen reference and other public services since 2007. She held previous administrative positions at Texas Tech University, North Carolina State University, and Lamar University, and has provided reference service at Austin Public Library and the University of Texas at Austin.
Kemp co-presented a session on UTSA's chat reference implementation at the Fall 2013 CNI meeting and has co-authored recent articles on chat reference in the Journal of Academic Librarianship (2015) and in College & Research Libraries (2015). Other recent publications include articles in Public Services Quarterly (2013) and Journal of Electronic Resources Librarianship (2012), and a book chapter on implementing the Summon Discovery System in Planning and Implementing Resource Discovery Tools in Academic Libraries (2012). She co-authored a research paper titled "Changes in Reference Question Complexity Following Implementation of a Proactive Chat System," which won the 2015 Beta Phi My/LRRT Research Paper Award.
An active member of ALA, Kemp recently completed three years of service as convener of the ACRL Heads of Public Services Discussion Group, and she currently serves a co-convener of the University Libraries Section’s Evidence-Based Practices Discussion Group.
Kemp co-authored a research paper analyzing the phenomenon of increased chat complexity that won the 2105 Beta Phi Mu/Library Research Round Table Research Paper award, and co-authored two chat-related articles that were recently published in College & Research Libraries and in the Journal of Academic Librarianship.
Margaret Warner is currently Head of Public Services at St. Edward's University's Munday Library in Austin, TX. In addition, she serves as the library's liaison for the Munday School of Business. She received her master's degree in library science from Simmons College in Boston, MA, and her undergraduate degree from Indiana University at Bloomington. Prior to the Munday Library, Margaret worked as an academic librarian at Boston University, at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, and as head librarian at the University of Maryland's University College campus in Schwaebisch Gmund, Germany. While at Southern Methodist University, she received a staff recognition award for outstanding performance.
Margaret is particularly interested in the ways in which libraries may reach the American Library Association's LITA (Library & Information Technology Association) goals to "lead in exploring and enabling new technologies to empower libraries" and to "use the promise of technology to deliver dynamic library collections and services." She recently co-authored an article along with Jonelle Seitz, St. Edward's University's Coordinator of the Online Writing Lab, entitled "Reading in Context, Reading for Sense: A Call for Contextual Intention and Attention," which appeared in Against the Grain, volume 27, #1 (February 2015).
Speakers: Carlos Duarte and Julie Arensdorf, University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries and Heather Shimon, State University of New York-New Paltz
Session Time: 12:00 - 12:45 p.m. CST
Session Title: Reaching Out: Building Campus Partnerships to Connect with First-Gen Students
Session Description: In the fall of 2014, librarians on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus began an outreach project for the Center for Educational Opportunity (CeO), a program on campus that promotes access to resources, academic achievement, and personal growth for first generation college students, students who meet specific federal family income guidelines, and students with documented disabilities. CeO students are often unaware of but feel uncomfortable with library services. Working with CeO staff, librarians began providing reference services in the CeO program space once a week, and have since expanded services and interactions with CeO staff.
The CeO librarian group is working to introduce library services to students for both social and academic benefit by establishing trust and approachability, and by providing academic support when needed.
Duarte, Arensdorf, and Shimon will present their methods, successes, failures, and the story of the evolution of this project from its early planning stages to its current form.
Speaker Bios: Carlos Duarte is Diversity Resident Librarian at UW-Madison Libraries. He received his M.S.I.S. from the University of Texas at Austin School of Information. His interests include student retention, outreach, reference, and instruction. Away from the library, Carlos can be found cooking, eating, reading, or watching scary movies.
Julie Arensdorf is a Reference & Outreach Librarian at UW-Madison Libraries. She received her M.A.T. from the University of Iowa in secondary English education before earning an M.S.L.S. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her library-related interests include outreach to first-generation and diverse student populations, user-centered instruction, marketing and design, and assessment. In her free time, Julie enjoys working for social justice, making noise on a variety of instruments, and trying to ascertain the fickle tastes of her newly-acquired rabbits.
Heather Shimon is a Research and Education Librarian at the State University of New York-New Paltz. She received her M.A. in Library and Information Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she worked for two years as a librarian and course instructor at the engineering library. At UW, Heather also served on library committees focusing on diversity, and before joining the engineering library, and worked for seven years as the assistant to the UW System Women’s Studies Librarian. Heather’s research interests include the affective domain of instruction and how to incorporate the library into the college experience for all students. Outside of work, she enjoys exploring new places, great live music, and well-told stories.
Speaker: Brian Gray, Case Western Reserve University
Session Time: 1:00 - 1:45 p.m. CST
Session Title: Targeted Research Support - Efforts Influenced by the Business World
Session Description: Kelvin Smith Library has been moving away from the traditional reference Q&A model to more "relationship-driven" interactions and proactive efforts. The physical reference desk is gone. Librarians are embedding themselves in their departments through office hours, virtual communications, proactive marketing, and/or physical appearance at department events. Personal Librarians are assigned to first year students through their residence halls. While simple reference questions are still answered, efforts are out into the larger impactful research support. The brand new strategic plan looks to expand this model to all campus members.
Speaker Bio: Brian Gray is the Team Leader of Research Services at the Kelvin Smith Library, Case Western Reserve University. He co-chairs a conference on Personal Librarian and First Year Experience. He also co-implemented the Personal Librarian (PL) program at his university. Brian has been involved in strategic planning and implementation around phasing out a reference desk, taking the PL program to the dorms, improving virtual reference offerings, and embedded reference librarians in their departments in various methods. He presented a previous Amigos conference on analyzing and picking a discovery layer.
Speaker: Sara Taylor, Nioga Library System (NY)
Session Time: 1:00 - 1:45 p.m. CST
Session Title: The (New) Digital Divide: How Do I Use What I Have?
Session Description: It's digital reference on wheels! To assist its member libraries with the shift from technology access – providing hardware and software – to instruction – "How do I work this thing?" – the BTOP Express Mobile Training Lab was conceived. Patrons come to their "own" libraries and learn in a familiar and comfortable environment. Librarians are relieved of the pressure having to know every detail about new technologies and have a ready resource to assist patrons. Libraries book and advertise the classes, and patrons sign up. Sara takes the mobile lab to various locations and provides the instruction. She considers library patrons her external customers and librarians her internal customers. The program has been well received, hosting training for more than 7,600 people the past five years.
Speaker Bio: Sara Taylor has trained people on various computer programs for years and has been hired as the BTOP Express eMobile Trainer for the NIOGA Library System in New York and its community partners. Her goal is to continue developing new technology classes that inform and excite customers. Sara has extensive, hands-on experience with many computer programs but specializes in the Microsoft Office suite. She works with Apple and Android products, computers, laptops, tablets and phones.
Speakers: Karen Heskett, University of California-San Diego
Session Time: 2:00 - 2:45 p.m. CST
Session Title: For Assistance, the Doctor Recommends "Your 21st Century Librarian"
Session Description: Medical students are no different from undergraduates in their tendency toward satisfying; however, that habit quickly reveals its limitation within the problem-based learning curriculum where the answer must be pertinent and relevant for the case at hand. Students must use medically and clinically relevant resources to explain their look-up topics, so the issue was helping the students be aware of or find and evaluate these resources, use them effectively, and know who can help when lost. With no option for in-person instruction, the solution was to create a guide with case specific resources and best practices for using those resources for each new case (a total of 50 over two years). In creating the guide, Heskett sat in with one of the 15 groups each week to hear their questions and design the page according to their needs. Resources vary from books to databases to other online resources as well as video and screenshot tutorials for using those resources. Additionally, after the first year she also began attending "Just in Time" sessions for faculty tutors, which expanded the opportunities for working with a unique user group.
Speaker Bio: Karen Heskett is an instruction librarian with liaison duties for the school of medicine, the medical enterprise, and the division of public health. Additional duties include general reference, participating in undergraduate writing program instruction, and collection development for medicine & public health. Karen's work with the UC San Diego School of Medicine began five years ago as the curriculum was revised to include more active learning opportunities for the students. She has been a medical librarian for 13 years.
Speaker: Jennifer Walz, Asbury University
Session Time: 2:00 - 2:45 p.m. CST
Session Title: Free-Wheelin' Reference Desk
Session Description: In the interest in providing their students a more visible, accessible, and friendly level of service, Kinlaw Library staff made some significant changes to their physical situation. They are now fully mobile and completely wireless - even for power.
This session will show and tell how they did that and the reactions of campus members to the change. Last spring (2014) a new mobile reference desk was added to replace the stationary desk, allowing the reference librarians to be more visible and accessible to students. The mobile desk is the biggest change we have made to their service.
In the Summer of 2014, staff replaced the remaining stationary furniture in the Reference Area with mobile tables and task chairs, replaced a large counter with a glass writable wall, and provided a large monitor on a mobile stand for collaborative group work using Vikitek’s NovoConnect software. They use this for casual collaboration and Reference consultation appointments. Walz put together a libguide documenting this change.
Speaker Bio: Jennifer Walz graduated from Asbury University in 1988 with a major in history and a minor in computer science. In 1990, she received a Master’s Degree in Library Science from the University of Maryland at College Park. She earned a Post-Masters Graduate Certificate for Library Services in Distance Education from the University of Maryland - University College in 2005.
Walz has many and varied interests. Human-Computer interaction, social sciences, history, political science, the arts, culture, technology, and people are just a few. She serves as the liaison to several academic departments on campus: Behavioral Sciences, Math and Computer Science, the Master of Social Work program, the Graduate Education Dept. and Adult Professional Studies. She is embedded in several online classes and works with all the Distance Learning services.
Speakers: Carrie Forbes and Jenny Bowers, University of Denver Libraries
Session Time: 3:00 - 3:45 p.m. CST
Session Title: Collaborative Reference: The Research Consultation as a Learning Partnership
Session Description: Reference services in academic libraries are responding to the increasing size and complexity of the current information landscape in various ways. In this presentation, librarians from the University of Denver will describe how they have transformed the traditional reference interview from a privileged, hierarchical interaction to a collaborative research consultation that empowers students to take ownership of their learning. The reference consultation has become a dialogue in which the librarian and student contribute their individual perspectives, experience, and expertise to the interaction. This research consultation model fosters a shared learning environment, where students and librarians are co-educators, learn from each other, and approach research problems as a team.
Within this context, the research consultation provides an excellent opportunity for librarians and students to explore complex research processes, such as those described in the new ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. Forbes and Bowers will provide best practices for research consultations that create a collaborative learning environment to enhance students’ understandings of core research concepts within a discipline, as well as within the broader information climate. They will also provide tips for adjusting consultation techniques for phone or Skype consultations.
Speaker Bios: Carrie Forbes, Associate Dean for Student and Scholar Services, heads the public service units of the University of Denver Libraries, including reference, circulation, interlibrary loan, and reserves. She serves as the library liaison/subject specialist to education and the Colorado Women's College. Forbes's publications and presentations include a coauthored article on the library's Research Center that was selected for the ALA's RSS Reference Research Review 2010 annual bibliography, a coauthored book chapter on analyzing usage statistics of reference-based online guides, and a recent paper presentation at the Quantitative and Qualitative Methods in Libraries in Limerick, Ireland, on measuring the effectiveness of research consultations in academic libraries.
Jenny Bowers is Associate Professor and Social Sciences Librarian at the University of Denver. She is coeditor of the Rowman & Littlefield series Literary Research: Strategies and Sources and the coauthor of three volumes in the series. She has also published the coauthored article "The Research Center: Creating an Environment for Interactive Research Consultations" that was selected for the ALA's RSS Research Review 2010 annual bibliography, in addition to two book chapters about interdisciplinary research and teaching with digital archival materials.
Forbes and Bowers also coedited the volume "Rethinking Reference for Academic Libraries: Innovative Developments and Future Trends," published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2015.
Speaker: Kerry Montz, Denton (TX) Public Library
Session Time: 3:00 - 3:45 p.m. CST
Session Title: Library Outreach to the Business Community
Session Description: Strong businesses are vital to the health of a community. Libraries can offer support and resources in many different ways, with space, equipment, materials, and programming. Montz will discuss many of these different opportunities to provide outreach to the local business community, as well as develop partnerships with other local organizations to share resources.
Speaker Bio: It has been Kerry Montz's privilege to work for public libraries for 22 years. She has worked all over the United States, including The New York Public Library, the Nashville Public Library, and the Fairfax County Public Library System in Virginia. She is now with the Denton Public Library, and Director Terri Gibbs appointed her the Business Outreach Librarian in February 2014. Montz loves to talk about the power of public libraries and how they can help the local business community with free and low-cost resources.