What Will We Keep: Creating the Next Remix of Library Services

Speaker: Amanda M. Leftwich - Montgomery County Community College - amleftwich224@gmail.com

Session Time: 10:00 - 11:45 a.m. CDT (during the Amigos Member Business Meeting)

Session Title: Remixing the Approach: A Mindful Lens on Wellness & Care in Libraries

Session Description: Too often, wellness and care are rooted in unmindful practices that do not truly address issues and challenges faced in our profession. Library services must reevaluate wellness and care for the benefit of library workers and the profession as a whole. Through discussion and exercises, this session will be a safe space to reflect on growth and breaking down barriers to our wellbeing. Bring along a pen and paper or favorite note taking app to answer honest reflection questions on the topic. Participants will leave with new outlooks and ways to approach wellness and care within the profession from a mindful lens.

Speaker Bio: Amanda M. Leftwich (she/hers) currently works as the Student Success Librarian at Montgomery County Community College. She holds a Master of Science in Library Science from Clarion University of Pennsylvania. Her expertise and research interests include mindful practice in librarianship, reflective practice, and communities of practice. She is the founder of mindfulinlis and co-creator of LibVoices.

Speaker: Kristina Garcia - McAllen Public Library - kgarcia@mcallen.net
Speaker: April Zuniga - McAllen Public Library - april.zuniga@mcallen.net

Session Time: 12:45 - 1:30 p.m. CDT

Keynote Session Title: All Things Curbside!

Session Description: Join McAllen Public Library as we dive into the world of all things curbside! We will share ideas and discuss how we learned to overcome challenges and start new, creative, and innovative ways to serve your community throughout the pandemic using curbside services.

Speaker Bio: Kristina Garcia is the Children's Services Supervisor at McAllen Public Library. As a department manager, she pushes her team to grow both professionally and creatively by taking risks in programming and meeting community needs. During her 10 years at McAllen Public Library, Garcia has coordinated and organized several large system wide events for children and families, created community partnerships, started early literacy initiatives and has been certified by the Family Place Training Institute. She also serves as the children's author chair on the South Texas Book Festival Committee.

Speaker Bio: April Zuniga is the Teen Services Supervisor at McAllen Public Library. Her work focuses on building community with teens in the Rio Grande Valley and providing a safe and friendly environment where they can be creative and share their talents and skills in a collaborative space.

Speaker: Chelsea Young - University of Arkansas at Little Rock - kcguess@ualr.edu
Speaker: Laura Durham - University of Arkansas at Little Rock - ledurham@ualr.edu

Session Time: 12:45 - 1:30 p.m. CDT

Session Title: Technology vs. Tradition: Academic Library Services in mid-Pandemic Little Rock

Session Description: In recent years, more and more library services are becoming digitized. With the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in Arkansas , this transition has had to go into overdrive. From last March to the present, the Ottenheimer Library has been forced to limit or eliminate some physical services, such as in­ stacks browsing, in-person reference appointments and course reserves. While this time has provided an opportunity to examine what can be pared down, it has also highlighted the necessity of physical services for our patrons with accessibility concerns. This presentation will examine how virtual tools can be used to complement and streamline some physical services, and how they can potentially be used to replace others. It will also address what technological barriers some patrons face, and propose ways to help them overcome those challenges.

Speaker Bio: Chelsea Young is the Instruction & Engagement librarian at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She has worked there for six years in professional and paraprofessional roles. She received her master's in Library Information Science from the University of Oklahoma in Norman and her bachelor's of English & History from Lyon College. She enjoys spending time with her three-year-old daughter and 1-year-old son.

Speaker: Chance Maggard - Texas Woman's University - cmaggard@twu.edu
Speaker: Ginger Bartush - Texas Woman's Univeristy - vbartush@twu.edu

Session Time: 12:45 - 1:30 p.m. CDT

Session Title: Adapt and Thrive: the Benefits of Reconfiguring Staff

Session Description: This session will detail the transferrable changes that have been implemented by two new leaders in the Texas Woman's University Libraries Access Services department as they strive to maintain departmental morale, continue to provide useful services to patrons, and keep their team safe and healthy while working through the COVID-19 pandemic.

The presenters will explore the challenges faced and the solutions they have created while transitioning from an in-person to an online, and then back to a (mostly) in-person, work environment. Topics will include: using Google Suite and Google Meet to create departmental documents and procedures that are easily accessible and executable by all members of the Access Services department, full-time staff and student assistants alike; re-evaluating the duties, responsibilities, and expectations for a large student staff; reconfiguring workspaces to comply with social distancing regulations; and the creation of virtual service points in an effort to provide services that feel "normal" during our "new normal."

TWU is excited to share and discuss these solutions and hope to encourage other libraries to use any of this information to their own advantage. As we explore how these ideas have contributed to an unexpectedly smooth day-to-day experience during these difficult times we are excited to consider how they may be implemented in the future.

Speaker Bio: Chance Maggard and Ginger Bartush are the Access Services Manager and Coordinator of Circulation Services at the Texas Woman's University Blagg-Huey Library in Denton, TX.

Speaker: Carrie Banks - Brooklyn Public Library - cbanks@bklynlibrary.org

Session Time: 1:45 - 2:30 p.m. CDT

Session Title: Welcoming Everyone Online

Session Description: As virtual services and programs are here to stay, this is a historic opportunity to include people with disabilities – many of whom have historically had difficulties using libraries. Discover basic steps to make your virtual programs accessible to the disability communities you serve. Learn to identify and address barriers to virtual services and explore involving the disability community in developing your services. Great libraries are for everyone.

Speaker Bio: Carrie Banks has overseen Brooklyn Public Library's (BPL) Inclusive Services since 1997. She taught Including Youth with Disabilities at Pratt Institute from 2013 to 2015. Active in Association of Specialized, Government, and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASGCLA) and Association for Library Service to Children’s (ALSC) since 2000, she was president of ASGCLA in 2020. From 2017 to 2019, she was part of ALA President Loida Garcia-Febo's EDI Presidential Team. In 2014, she substantially revised "Including Families of Children with Special Needs: A How to Do It Manual for Librarians." "Libraries and Garden: Growing Together", written with Cynthia Mediavilla, was published in the spring of 2019. "Library Programming for Adults with Developmental Disabilities", written with Barbara Klipper, will be published in spring 2021.

Speaker: Megan Bryant - Collin College - mebryant@collin.edu
Speaker: Lauren Mercado - Collin College - lamercado@collin.edu

Session Time: 1:45 - 2:30 p.m. CDT

Session Title: Escape to the Library! Engaging with Students Through a Virtual Open House

Session Description: Maintaining student engagement despite constantly shifting services and resources is always challenging, but has proved even more so throughout COVID-19. Additionally, enticing students to visit the library, much less introducing them to the wide array of services we offer, sometimes seems impossible. To compensate for the lack of in-person engagement opportunities we are able to offer, the Collin College Libraries hosted a Virtual Open House and Escape Room via Zoom at the beginning of the Spring 2021 semester. As Collin College continues to navigate the benefits and challenges of offering hybrid courses, the five campus Libraries were able to take advantage of campus-wide familiarity with Zoom to introduce students to the Library's electronic services and resources. After a brief introduction to the Library's virtual space, Collin College librarians hosted escape (breakout) rooms, which were followed by the opportunity for students to meet and visit with campus-specific librarians for a virtual tour and doubled as a venue for remaining questions. This session will focus on the development of the components of the Virtual Open House including, the creation of the escape room using Google Forms, the strategies we used to market the event, the metrics we used to evaluate the success, and what we learned from this experience.

Speaker Bio: Megan Bryant is a Reference Librarian at the Collin College Wylie Campus Library. She has previously been a Reference Librarian at Rowlett Public Library and a Continuing Education Services Trainer at Amigos Library Services. She earned her master’s in Library Science from Texas Woman's University in December 2015, and prior to that, earned her Bachelor of Arts in English from Texas Woman's University.

Speaker Bio: Lauren Mercado is a Reference Librarian at the Collin College Frisco Campus Library. Prior to this position, she was a graduate student at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign (UIUC) and held a graduate assistantship at the Undergraduate Library on UIUC's campus. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and Spanish from Texas A&M University, where her work in academic libraries began – first as a student worker and later, as a student coordinator. While most of her library experiences have been in academic libraries, she has also worked at the Dallas Public Library and the Biogen Library and Information Center.

Speaker: Lisa Young - Lindenwood University - lyoung@lindenwood.edu
Speaker: Rachael Heuermann - Lindenwood University - rheuermann@lindenwood.edu
Speaker: Jeremy Jones - Eastern Oklahoma Library System/Muskogee Public Library - jjones@eols.org

Session Time: 1:45 - 2:30 p.m. CDT

Session Title: The Next Remix: Connecting to Your Community Through Online Book Clubs

Session Description: A longtime tradition, book clubs remain a staple in library services. Two libraries will share their experiences with book clubs during the pandemic - Eastern Oklahoma Library District transitioned an existing book club to online and Lindenwood University launched an online book club for alumni, students, faculty and staff. Presenters will share platforms, plans and resources used to make their efforts in both environments a success! Come to this session to learn all this plus how to use book clubs to cultivate connection in your community.

Speaker Bio: Lisa Young is the Director of Access Services at Lindenwood University, St. Charles, Missouri She is currently serving as one of the two Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Lindenwood Employee Fellows for the 2020-2021 Academic Year. She co-leads the Lindenwood University Book Club with Rachael Heuermann, Director of Alumni Relations, Lindenwood University. She tries to read 100+ books a year, but she graciously allows traveling, watching college basketball, cheering on her husband's volleyball team, and having fun with her two children get in the way.

Speaker Bio: Jeremy Jones, Library Assistant - Circulation | Adult Program Coordinator, Muskogee Library, Eastern Oklahoma Library System

Speaker Bio: Rachael Heuermann, Director of Alumni Relations, Lindenwood University

Speaker: Rebecca Iglesias - St. Louis County Library - riglesias@slcl.org
Speaker: Susan Vance - St. Louis County Library - svance@slcl.org
Speaker: Patti Lee - St. Louis County Library - plee@slcl.org

Session Time: 2:45 - 3:45 p.m. CDT

Session Title: What Will We Keep: A New Remix at St. Louis County Library

Session Description: Learn about this library's journey pivoting from in-person to online services. In this session, participants will learn how to create and offer virtual and asynchronous programming to their communities, with a focus on students and educators; how to make virtual programs more personal, with a focus on Zoom best practices; and how to provide technology assistance when you can't see the patron's computer or device. The presenters will share their experiences in these areas of outreach, programming and technology assistance, and attendees will learn the strategies that made their transitions a success!

Speaker Bio: Rebecca Iglesias received her Master's in Library Science from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee and is currently working on a Master's in Instructional Design from Western Governors University. She is a reference librarian for the St. Louis County Library, where she has developed an outreach plan for students and educators in her community. Her interest is in creating clear, engaging instruction that meets learners' needs and challenges them to develop new skills. Outside of work she is a graphic novelist and recreates historical recipes.

Speaker Bio: Susan Vance is a computer lab trainer with the St Louis County Library. She teaches patrons computer technology skills and assists with technology questions. She has been with the St. Louis County Library for 2 years and has been working in the library field for 14 years. She is a mentor with the children's alopecia program where she helps children find strength and confidence with their hair loss. She also enjoys a wide variety of crafts in her spare time.

Speaker Bio: Patti is a staff trainer with the St. Louis County Library. Her career has spanned over 30 years of working in schools and libraries, and she has experience teaching students from age 3 to 93.

While she has taught a variety of subjects from preschool to high school math, the majority of her career has been spent using her bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Education to develop and teach computer classes. As a trainer at the library, she teaches both staff members and library patrons. Topics for staff have ranged from customer service skills to how to use library software. Classes for library patrons include many different technology topics from eMedia to Excel.

Patti and her husband have also volunteered for 10 years with Pedal the Cause, a charity close to their hearts. PTC is an annual cycling challenge to raise money for local research to lead to a cure for cancer.

Speaker: Aida Almanza - Texas A&M University-San Antonio - aida.almanza@tamusa.edu
Speaker: Sarah Timm - Texas A&M University-San Antonio - sarah.timm@tamusa.edu
Speaker: Teresa de la Torre - Texas A&M University-San Antonio - teresa.delatorre@tamusa.edu
Speaker: Bryant Moore - Texas A&M University-San Antonio - bryant.moore@tamusa.edu
Speaker: Marina Narvaez - Texas A&M University-San Antonio - marina.narvaez@tamusa.edu
Speaker: Lisa Hopkins - Texas A&M University-Central Texas - l.hopkins@tamuct.edu
Speaker: Michelle Shea - Texas A&M University-Central Texas - m.shea@tamuct.edu
Speaker: Dawn Harris - Texas A&M University-Central Texas - dawnharris@tamuct.edu
Speaker: Margaret Dawson - Texas A&M University-Central Texas - madawson@tamuct.edu
Speaker: Victoria Eastes - Texas A&M University-Central Texas - veastes@tamuct.edu

Session Time: 2:45 - 3:45 p.m. CDT

Session Title: What Will We Keep: The Pandemic Journey of Two Campuses

Session Description: As the COVID-19 pandemic hit and lock-downs became reality in early 2020, these academic libraries both worked to successfully take their libraries fully remote last spring. This session will share how two different campus libraries from the Texas A&M University System quickly adapted to assist their unique campuses to meet the needs of the new reality of virtual research and learning. The popularity among students, staff, and faculty of many of these service adaptations has led to permanent changes these campuses will keep going forward.

Texas A&M University-Central Texas (A&M-Central Texas) is an upper division university located in Killeen, Texas, serving a largely nontraditional student body. At A&M-Central Texas the average student age is 34, the majority attend part time, and 40 percent are affiliated with the military.

The librarians from A&M-Central Texas will share how they utilized their resources, as well as existing university and community partnerships, to adjust technology, community outreach, delivery of services (particularly reference) to adapt to a remote student body in need of academic resources. This presentation will share how a library can pivot and adapt to change while using their current resources and why they should remain open to learning what works for their library's future.

Texas A&M University-San Antonio (A&M-SA) is a contemporary university reflective of the diverse and heritage-rich community it serves. Founded as the first upper-division institution of higher education in South San Antonio, it currently serves nearly 6,500 students. The student body is 60 percent female, 72 percent Hispanic, and approximately 77 percent of students are the first in their family to attend college.

Attendees will take away concrete examples of changes A&M-SA library staff made in research services, public services, and cataloging. Library staff will examine the pros and cons of the changes made to help other libraries decide if they want to implement these changes at their home institutions. Attendees will learn how to catalog and deliver books to faculty while working remotely, transition traditionally face-to-face research services and come away with virtual programming ideas and grab and go craft activities.

Speaker Bio: Aida Almanza is the Arts & Sciences Librarian. She has been with Texas A&M University-SA for 3 years.
Speaker Bio: Sarah Timm is the Public Services Manager. She has been with Texas A&M University-SA for 10 years.
Speaker Bio: Teresa de la Torre is the Acquisitions and Cataloging Associate. She has been with Texas A&M University-SA for 10 years.
Speaker Bio: Bryant Moore is the First-Year Experience Librarian. He has been with Texas A&M University-SA for 8 years.
Speaker Bio: Marina Narvaez is the Business Librarian. She has been with Texas A&M University-SA for 4 years.
Speaker Bio: Lisa Hopkins
Speaker Bio: Michelle Shea
Speaker Bio: Dawn Harris
Speaker Bio: Margaret Dawson
Speaker Bio: Victoria Eastes