ACRL/LLAMA Spring Virtual Institute
April 21-22, 2010
Live Webcasts
Webcasts are offered in real-time, and include audio and visuals, such as PowerPoint slides. Webcasts are 60 minutes in length and include time for Q&A with the online audience. Two concurrent webcasts are offered during the 60 minute time block.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Going Viral: Tweeting from the Johns Hopkins University Libraries
What really happens when a library experiments with social media and goes viral? In 2008, the Sheridan Libraries of Johns Hopkins University established a Twitter account (@mselibrary), embracing Franklin’s author/printer model as writers who produce and distribute content. Attendees will learn about the organic and then intentional development of the account, methods of promoting the account, the relationships built, and our next steps. We will display tweets and share stories, including our growing pains, to engage the audience. The audience will have the opportunity to interact, asking questions and sharing their own experiences with Twitter or other social networking tools.
Learning Outcomes
• Understand the phases of adopting social media tools through the lens of authentic examples and real reference queries sent via Twitter.
• Learn strategies for sustainably growing a social media service, and ways of measuring impact, growth, and traffic.
• Gain hands-on experience with Twitter by using it to ask questions of presenters and follow a presentation-specific hashtag.
Presenter(s): Ellen Keith, Sheridan Libraries, Johns Hopkins University; Elizabeth Uzelac, Instructional Services Coordinator, Sheridan Libraries, Johns Hopkins University; Brian Shields, Communications & Marketing Manager, Sheridan Libraries, Johns Hopkins University; Robin Sinn, Science and Engineering Librarian, Sheridan Libraries, Johns Hopkins University
Date: Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Time: 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Central Time
Nurturing Failure: Creating a Risk-Tolerant Library Culture that Embraces Change and Innovation
The culture of success is pervasive in our society. It is unacceptable to get anything other than an “A.” “Win at all costs.” “No room for error.” At the same time, we know that great inventions always come after a long string of failures. In the corporate world, a few very successful companies and entrepreneurs have learned that calculated risk and the freedom to fail are the keys to innovation and progress. This webcast will examine how creating a risk-tolerant culture can aid in keeping academic libraries both vibrant and relevant in the current economy.
Learning Outcomes
• Begin to question conventional notions of failure and success and their relationship to innovation within the library.
• Be able to identify some of the elements necessary to nurture failure and create a risk-tolerant culture.
• Understand the nature of safeguards necessary to effectively manage risk.
Presenter(s): Chris Sweet, Information Literacy Librarian, Illinois Wesleyan University
Date: Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Time: 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Central Time
50 Things Library Employees Should Never Do
Building on the New York Times series “100 Things Restaurant Staffers Should Never Do,” University of Central Florida employees and customers compiled similar list: “50 Things Library Employees Should Never Do.” “50 Things” promotes continuing improvement in customer service in a unique way, by providing a springboard for discussion and training. This webcast will share details on compiling the list, library employee and customer reaction to the list, and demonstrates its use in training. Institute participants will be asked to add items to the list and decide which items are most important to their libraries.
Learning Outcomes
• Gain a tool for continuous training new staff and student assistants.
• Be able to engage staff and customers in a process to improve customer service.
• Gain an understanding of the value of routine discussions on customer service improvement.
Presenter(s): Meg Scharf, Associate Director for Public Services, University of Central Florida Libraries; and Marcus Kilman, Head, Circulation Services, University of Central Florida Libraries
Date: Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Time: 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. Central Time
Hello, Anyone Out There? Outreach via Social Media
Social media is connecting with other users via the Internet. When online, people want to connect with others, those who may listen, comment and interact because of similar interests. Sites such as: Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn offer users the opportunity to create profiles and share personal or profession information. Other websites like Delicious and Friend Feed provide central places to tag and store relevant information. The best part is that these sites are free! This webcast will include: an overview of social media, how people use social media and how libraries can connect with users via social media sites.
Learning Outcomes
• Leave the session aware of what social media is.
• Participants will have the opportunity to interact with other users to share what social media sites their library is using and how that works for them.
• Participants will brainstorm common sense policy for using social media within their library.
Presenter(s): Marcia Dority Baker, University of Nebraska College of Law, Schmid Law Library
Date: Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Time: 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. Central Time
Building an Entrepreneurial Academic Library: Eight Behaviors Leaders Need to Know and Share with Staff and Colleagues
Quick! Think of an academic library with a recognized entrepreneurial culture. Not so easy, is it? Academic librarians exhibit innovative ideas and programs, but creating a true entrepreneurial academic library culture is a more difficult challenge. Building that culture depends on leaders who understand and demonstrate entrepreneurial behaviors, and are able to influence and inspire others to do so. This presentation will explore how internalizing eight entrepreneurial behaviors can lead to an entrepreneurial library culture. Using examples, case studies and discussions, attendees will learn how they can become entrepreneurial leaders in their academic libraries.
Learning Outcomes
• Distinguish classic vs. library entrepreneurs by knowing the seven characteristics of entrepreneurs.
• Recognize how using a design process can lead to a more entrepreneurial culture and be able to describe the five dimensions of a design process and how they are used to create innovative solutions.
• Gain confidence to establish oneself as an entrepreneurial leader by internalizing the eight behaviors of entrepreneurs and know how to use them to contribute to an entrepreneurial library culture.
Presenter(s): Steven Bell, Associate University Librarian, Temple University; Jill Luedke, Reference Librarian and Subject Specialist in Art, Temple University Paley Library
Date: Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Time: 2:30 - 3:30 p.m. Central Time
The Hiring, Staffing, and Recruitment Puzzle: How to Fit the Pieces Together
Hiring, staffing, and recruiting are challenges for any library administration during the best of times, but the economic downturn has intensified the pressure to streamline these processes and to ensure their success. To protect core services of the library and maintain staff morale, administrators need workable solutions to current difficulties with hiring, staffing, and recruiting we need ways to make the puzzle pieces fit. This webcast will present information based on a recent survey regarding the current state of hiring in libraries, as well as research on hiring practices and suggestions for streamlining hiring, staffing, and recruiting procedures.
Learning Outcomes
• Explore the state of hiring in libraries in order to determine best practices for the current economic environment.
• Define the potential of internal hiring in order to determine the role in plays in recruiting library staff.
• Define the potential of hiring for traits in order to streamline hiring practices.
Presenter(s): Jennifer Arnold, Director of Library Services, Central Piedmont Community College
Date: Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Time: 2:30 - 3:30 p.m. Central Time
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Make Your Library Services Xtranormal
In academic libraries, it is important to use new technologies to reach more users. Xtranormal is a free, online tool used to create videos. Xtranormal can be a powerful tool for promoting library services and enhancing instruction by engaging your audience. The presenters will demonstrate how to create an account, help you produce a short video, and discuss ways Xtranormal can be used to improve library services. There will be time for questions and comments.
Learning Outcomes
• Realize potential applications and purposes of Xtranormal in academic libraries.
• Create an account and a short Xtranormal video.
• Brainstorm and discuss ways that Xtranormal video clips can serve the needs of your library.
Presenter(s): Breanne Geery, Evening Public Services Librarian, University of South Carolina Upstate; Jonathan Kirsch, Reference Librarian, North Park University
Date: Thursday, April 22, 2010
Time: 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Central Time
Lessons from the Business World: Use Your Competitive Forces Smarts to get Library e-Resources during Tough Recessionary Times
Description: Trying to buy an expensive e-resource during a recession? No money for new initiatives, plus you’re expected to give back some of the dollars you already thought you had! During hard times, is it possible to get both affordable prices and more value? Sure is! You need three things: an understanding of competitive forces, some of Ben’s tolerance for calculated risk, and strategy. We will review Porter’s Five Competitive Forces theory, then do a case study, (or two) to demonstrate how a Five Forces industry analysis can help deliver the goods: lower prices and more value from your target e-resource.
Learning Outcomes
• How to do a competitive analysis of any vendor.
• Demystify the language of business and apply it in the library context.
• Become familiar with a specialty resource that may intrigue them.
Presenter(s): Catherine Donaldson, Director of Library Services, EDMC
Date: Thursday, April 22, 2010
Time: 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. Central Time
Leadership that Values and Fosters Innovation
Academic libraries are currently faced with numerous challenges in terms of relevancy and financial support which oftentimes have a host of negative impacts on morale and effectiveness. As a result, strong, focussed leadership is required now more than ever. Leadership that supports and incubates innovation is critical to as libraries reinvent themselves during these turbulent times. This session will focus on developing a shared understanding of leadership with particular emphasis on develpoing a model of leadership in academic libraries that fosters innovation and creative problem solving. Group exercises will be a prominent portion of the session and will allow potential library leaders inventory their own leadership style and develop it with an eye towards one that encourages innovation.
Learning Outcomes
• A concrete understanding of the benefits of leadership in academic libraries.
• An appreciation for the critical role of innovation in academic libraries.
• A defined process for developing a plan to lead in a way that encourages innovation.
Presenter(s): Michael Germano, Business, Law and Economics Library Faculty, California State University, Los Angeles
Date: Thursday, April 22, 2010
Time: 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. Central Time
Learning Patterns and Leadership: how librarians can use their learning profile to build partnerships and collaborate with those who"don't think like us"
Effective leadership begins with understanding how you learn and process information. In this workshop, participants will understand the merits of using a learning skills inventory tool to help ourselves and colleagues understand how we process information and how it affects our collaboration and communication with others who don’t think like librarians! Presenters will discuss how taking the learning skills inventory helped USF librarians better understand how, for example, IT staff tend to process information differently and how this affected their communication with them. Participants will share about their own learning pattern tendencies and their challenges in collaborating with “non-library” units.
Learning Outcomes
• Understand the connection between leadership skills and learning patterns.
• Understand how the Learning Connections Inventory (LCI) functions to reveal individual learning patterns and how they impact how we process information.
• Identify strategies to collaborate and partner with people who have different kinds of learning patterns and with whom librarians have much interaction (i.e., faculty, IT staff).
Presenter(s): Nancy Cunningham, Director of Academic Services, University of South Florida Tampa Library; Pat Maher, Director of Tutoring and Learning Services, University of South Florida
Date: Thursday, April 22, 2010
Time: 2:30 - 3:30 p.m. Central Time
Mentoring and Supervision: When Roles Collide
Mentors can be invaluable in the life of new professionals. Mentoring provides a low-cost solution to professional development in tight economic times - at most it costs the price of a cup of coffee - but provides invaluable benefits. The mentoring relationship, however, should be in addition to the formal supervisory relationship. These are, inherently, two separate relationships that, in reality, often intersect. And, when they intersect there can be role conflict and dissonance. This presentation will address potential clashes so that the benefits of the mentoring and supervisory relationships can be enjoyed by the employee/protégé the mentor, and supervisor.
Learning Outcomes
• Attendees will take away strategies for developing and retaining new professionals.
• Knowledge of the benefits of mentors and supervisors.
• Advice for negotiating these different relationships.
Presenter(s): Deborah Hicks, University of Alberta; Margaret Law, Associate Director, Learning Services, University of Alberta
Date: Thursday, April 22, 2010
Time: 2:30 - 3:30 p.m. Central Time