Information Literacy in the AI Era: Navigating Digital Information with Critical Thought

How is artificial intelligence reshaping information literacy in our digital landscape? In this moment of rapid change, professionals must re-examine their own information literacy skills as they prepare to teach and support patrons and students. Through real-world examples, attendees will enhance their critical thinking skills to navigate misinformation, recognize deepfakes, evaluate large language model outputs, and build personal verification protocols suitable for teaching information literacy in the AI era.

Collections Reflect Communities: An Amigos Online Conference

For the library to be a living organism it must constantly evolve – adding new materials and resources, pivoting to meet new needs, and changing with its community. In the areas of collections and technical services, that move to be a living organism requires responsible flexibility as we consider new formats and organize and make collections discoverable. Collections, classification and cataloging, weeding, and storage practices all represent the heart of each individual library to their communities.

Empowering Staff to Advocate and Guide the Library’s Story

Online information. A noisy marketplace. Budget constraints. Many things can get in the way of marketing your library or library services. But a powerful story, well-told across staff, can break through the noise and boost your library's reach. By putting patrons at the center of the library story and focusing on community successes, you can empower staff to strengthen relationships with patrons, build confidence in and credibility for the library, and grow your organization by harnessing a powerful yet accessible word of mouth marketing strategy.

The Essentials: Teaching and Presenting in the Profession

Teaching and presenting are good opportunities to create a positive impression for the organization, but limited training and experience can make library staff feel unprepared to make the most of these situations. Having a basic understanding of how to approach library instruction or presenting at a conference is beneficial to both staff and their organizations. This session focuses on building a strong foundation of teaching and presentation skills for library workers new to the subject or those in need of a refresher.

The Essentials: Library Values

Library values appear in many places - alongside organizational mission and vision statements, in professional associations and collaborative work, and in many policies and procedures that guide day-to-day operations. A broad understanding of library professional values can help put our work in context, while also fortifying our advocacy efforts for when values are scrutinized or even changed. This session will review many of the traditional values associated with libraries while highlighting their uses and importance.

Improving Accessibility Through Document Remediation

Document remediation makes online materials accessible for people with disabilities, ensuring that they can be read by assistive technologies such as screen readers. Remediation is especially important for compliance with federal law and web accessibility standards – including the Department of Justice’s final rule updating its regulations for Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) with a compliance deadline of April 2026. Title II of the ADA directly impacts state and local governments, including public schools, universities, and libraries and their web content.

Developing a Social Media Strategy

Social media can be fun, informative, and engaging - but to do any of this, it needs to be strategic. For libraries interested in expanding their social media reach while still maintaining regular duties, this overview will provide straightforward guidance for establishing goals and presence, analyzing audiences across platforms, and developing and deploying content on a regular schedule and with engagement in mind. With the right approach, social media can become a tool that is shared by library staff and helps define the library in the community.

Developing Community Support and Building Creative Partnerships

Libraries reach different community groups and develop mutually beneficial partnerships to expand ideas, increase reach, and propel communities toward common goals. Focusing on the fundamentals of how to identify potential community partners and create these relationships, become empowered to reach out to the community to help develop unique programs that bring in new users. Identify common evaluation methods to predict and address challenges, ensuring that the library and the partner organization continue to connect in ways that benefit both.

The Essentials: Conducting the Reference Interview

The reference interview is a critical component of effective library service. Whether conducted in person, over the phone, or online, a well-executed reference interview helps ensure that library users receive the information they truly need. This session introduces the essential elements of the reference interview, including communication techniques, question clarification, and strategies for navigating challenging interactions.